sleeping while awake? stuck in sleep?

[Gael]

for years as far back as i can remember I have had episodes of where I would go to sleep at night or during the day and i would be alert but I couldn't move or open my eyes. Other times I could open my eyes but I couldn't move. One time that it happened my I could feel tears rolling off of my cheeks like cold acid burn.
Another time I woke and I couldn't move, then I gained movement but I couldn't see my hands could feel my eyes were open but all was dark.
Eventually in all of these I regained everything but it is very scary and it makes me wonder one day will I go to sleep and not wake up. Is that what some comas are like-going to sleep and not waking?
Please if you experience this or have any knowledge of what it could be please advise.
Thank You.

[Gen]

for years as far back as i can remember I have had episodes of where I would go to sleep at night or during the day and i would be alert but I couldn't move or open my eyes. Other times I could open my eyes but I couldn't move. One time that it happened my I could feel tears rolling off of my cheeks like cold acid burn.
Another time I woke and I couldn't move, then I gained movement but I couldn't see my hands could feel my eyes were open but all was dark.
Eventually in all of these I regained everything but it is very scary and it makes me wonder one day will I go to sleep and not wake up. Is that what some comas are like-going to sleep and not waking?
Please if you experience this or have any knowledge of what it could be please advise.
Thank You.

Also sometimes I find that I start dreamimg while I am awake and functioning in the day.
Then I snap out of it.

[KAM]

I'm not a doctor, but am somewhat familiar with this...It sounds like it could possibly be cataplexy. Cataplexy is related to Narcolepsy. I know, Narcolepsy typically is thought of as falling asleep suddenly, but Cataplexy is not sleeping. It is usually brought on by a strong emotional response, such as excitement, anger, laughing, etc. A person actually is somewhat temporarily paralyzed, but conscious. They can usually see and hear, but cannot move. I experienced these types of situations when I was younger (I'm 35). My daughter is 16. Hers is much worse. I was raising my voice at her, lecturing her on something she did wrong, and she collapsed. It look like she fainted. Couldn't catch herself or anything-no control. I've seen her do it a couple of times. Once, when she had her blood drawn at the doctor's office, since she was so terrified of the needles (I also did this when I was younger). She says that she is still conscious when this happens, she can still hear (muffled) and see, but cannot move. She is very terrified when it happens. I spoke with a doctor friend of mine, and he told me she was narcoleptic. I had thought she was fainting when it happened the first time.

I have also woke up and not been able to move. I have fallen asleep in the middle of the day and woke up not being able to move right away. I fall asleep easily during the day if I am relaxed for long enough. I have a hard time falling asleep when I go to bed. From what I have read, people with Narcolepsy have sleep disturbances like this....hard to go to sleep at night, dreaming when not completely asleep , dreaming immediately after falling asleep, even when only asleep for a minute or two. I have read that Narcoleptics do not have a normal REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. I often talk in my sleep, used to walk in my sleep when I was little.

I have two cousins that I know of that have also experienced these types of issues.

My experiences with this have significantly improved since I have been an adult.

There is alot of info on the web about narcolepsy and cataplexy.

I have read that Stanford is conducting a research study specifically on Cataplexy. It's too far away from me, or I would probably want me and my daughter to join the study group.

Anyway, I hope my ramblings have helped you.

Good luck

[JCT]

Hi: I suffer from narcolepsy and cataplexy. What you have described sounds like you may too. You will need to have a sleep study done to actually be disgnosed. Things to keep in mind and bring to your doctor's attention are: excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), vivid hallucinations (dreams), episodes of sleep paralysis and catalplexy (muscle weakness).

This disorder can be overwhelming to say the least. Many sufferers are disabled and cannot work. I am one of the lucky ones. Sometimes the meds work, sometimes they don't.

Many doctors are not that familiar with narcolepsy but please don't give up. Do all the research you possibily can and also keep a journal. This journal can be used to help the medical professionals in your diagnosis.

I hope this helps and good luck to you.

JT

[nvnohi]

Hi,

That sounds scary, especially since it's happened during the day. I've been wondering about my own experiences for a long time, but mine are mostly during the conscious threshold and apparently there are some weird things that occur to otherwise normal people (okay, define normal, haha). I found a wikipedia site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia , that describes a LOT of things I have encountered, especially right around and after my bedtime, and early morning hours as I waken.

Things I've experienced are: feeling "forced" into sleep, dreaming while awake, being aware that I cannot move but also being able to hear what's going on "outside" myself, crying or laughing in my sleep (sometimes I'm aware, sometimes not), what I once thought was levitation, lucid dreaming, sleepwalking, typing in my sleep (I used to fall asleep while typing and wake up to some strange ramblings), very deep sleep where I cannot be roused by people, phones, or knocks on doors... and when I was child I had a "nightmare" where a hand grabbed my ankle and pulled me off the bed toward the window. I can still remember the whole thing vividly and even "woke up" (for lack of a better word, actually, the thing vanished) on the floor grasping the bottom of the bed-post, one foot pointing toward the window. I've fallen asleep standing up, sitting down, showering, etc. and even now I have trouble making it to bed if I don't go early enough. I'll be sitting here at the computer past my "natural" bedtime (between 10 and midnight), suddenly feel tired, get up to go to bed, and wake up at 4am on my floor just inches from the door. I can recall thinking, "I'll just take a quick nap here" and laying down, but know I have no control over it once it occurs. I'm _very_ careful to drive home before my bedtime, and if I can't, I constantly search for pullover spots in case I feel that "force" coming over me. So far I haven't had to pull over but I know one day I probably will.

The reason I doubt this is cataplexy or narcolepsy is that, while it's very sudden and overwhelming, and has occasionally meant paralysis, it normally only happens between 10pm and 7am.

Cataplexy and Narcolepsy are things that can happen anytime and are obviously better diagnosed by a doctor.

Still, I think all sleep weirdness is related and is graduated in degrees of severity, meaning some forms of the weirdness are more dangerous or incapacitating than others. The really problematic and patterned ones get the labels.

When I was a kid I saw things shapes/images during the day and was tested for epilepsy even though I didn't have any seizures. The test ruled it out, leaving my mom and I with no answers. I was later diagnosed with CAPD which is an auditory processing disorder that few people know about or understand. I consider mine a mild case since learning how bad it can really be, especially for people who don't find ways to compensate for it. I liken it to an audio version of dyslexia because the problem is neurological - the brain translates the signals incorrectly. (My actual hearing is above average, for all the good it does me at times.) I've often wondered if whatever causes hypnagogia could be related to capd. Both are neurological, anyway.

Anywho, sorry for the ramble. I hope you find answers to your questions. The levitation and waking nightmare bits scared me for years until I found a label to affix to them. I'm just glad they don't disrupt my life other than forcing a normal sleeping pattern on me at night.

~nvnohi

[trox5361]

I am a 20 year old student. I seem to have some sort of the condition described in this thread. My first experience was 6 years ago. I was laying down to go to sleep. A wave of buzzing goes through my head. Then it feels like adrenaline shoots through my body and I can't move. While paralyzed, I am completely conscious. Eventually I snap out of this lock and everything is fine. Sometimes this will happen a few times in a row where I snap out then go back into it. It doesn't happen every night but a few times a month. This usually happens while I am laying down for the night. Sometimes this occurs if I am taking a mid-day nap. A variety of things happen while I am paralyzed. Sometimes I feel like I am floating through dark space. Other times nothing happens or my eyes are cracked some and I can see and hear my walls and fan. The last instance was interesting though. It felt like someone wrapped a rope around my neck and I seemed to do barrel rolls on the bed. I hope somebody can tell me what I'm going through or if they too feel like adrenaline shoots through their body. Please advise. Thanks.

[taniaaust1]

I used to do a fair bit of meditation where one would put oneself into various brain states so used to have similar experiences, one can do dreaming while fully awake and other things.

As one whos been into metaphysical stuff for a long time.. i'll speak about the following as ive very familiar with the following and maybe it will calm someone.

buzzing and paralyses may happen right before an out of body experience (for those who believe in such things.. ignore my post if you dont).. many people who are into "astral projection" purposely get themselves into such states.

"Another time I woke and I couldn't move, then I gained movement but I couldn't see my hands could feel my eyes were open but all was dark.
Eventually in all of these I regained everything but it is very scary and it makes me wonder one day will I go to sleep and not wake up. Is that what some comas are like-going to sleep and not waking?"

Sleep paralyses is nothing to be concerned over and is fairly common. The best way Ive found to regain movement if you've awaken to find yourself paralysed, is to tell yourself to relax and just focus on a toe and on wiggling it.. after a very short time you should find yourself able to move it and then able to move. No need to panic. Things like this are the most common when just about to fall asleep.. or just on awakening.. when one is between sleep and awake states. In such a state you may see vivid images or hear things.. its all nothing to worry about and is quite normal in the hypnagogic state.

"A variety of things happen while I am paralyzed. Sometimes I feel like I am floating through dark space."

quit worrying and do a search for "out of body projection"

If you are doing things like suddenly falling asleep at odd times thou.. you should see a doctor for something like that.

[Unregistered]

I'm 18 years old and I have had the same problem like about to fall asleep but 2 swconds later im completely paralysed It first started when I was like thirteen but when I tried to fall asleep I felt like I was falling and I would just wake up. Couple of years later I would to start to get paralysed not being able to see completely dark, But this one time and my last scared me the most is when I was trying to sleep I was paralysed but I could see everything in my room and I couldnt move at all but how my head was turned I could see up into ceiling toward a corner and their was like a figure in a black drape in a way it like the supposse grim reaper but I couldnt see the face it wasnt my curtains or anything finally when I was unparalysed the figure was gone I really didnt think much of maybe my mind was playing games on me but, I was defintely awake and it wasnt a dream

[Unregistered]

When I was 3 I would wake up every night around the same time and run into my parents room and say that a prescene was hovering over my bed, I would sometimes have dreams where I would run from it through my house. Sometimes I think that I was haunted because I strongly believe in ghosts. But I have had very strange sleep patterns, I have lucid dreams often and though from what I've read they're supposed to help to overcome nightmares but some of mine have been extremely scary. Sometimes I can control the dream state and other times I have no control but I am aware that I am dreaming. I had a dream last year where I would wake up, look at myself in the mirror, and run with the covers over my head and turn on the light really quick completely terrified. This happened over and over agian until I actually did it. Another time I was walking through a cemmetery and I woke up paralyzed with what I believed to be half a deck of cards in my hand that I swore I had just thumbed through but I couldn't move and when I could finally move I searched my entire bed for those cards that obviously were not there. Another time I saw a girl sitting in my dressing room looking into the mirror and she looked at me and I heard the most horrifying noise I've ever heard and woke up in terror. I used to dream about being in the cemmetery a lot, one time climbing up a hills stacked with mirrors. All of my dreams are extremely vivid, I remember one or several every morning. I go in and out of spells of insomnia. This morning I had a vivid dream where I was on the phone with my friend telling her I was having a vivid dream (I was not actually on the phone) the dream faded in and out from my house to a bar and then suddenly someone was knocking on my front door, and I screamed in a voice that was not my own "Just ******* come in" and (God it scares me to even remember it, because I feel like it's going to happen) this girl without a face, topless, with no nipples came running at me through my house and I heard this sound that sounded like as if you put a blanket out of the window of a car that was moving very fast. I opened my eyes really quick and it appeared as though my blanket was flapping but it wasn't. Oh and the dream before that blood filled up in my left eye.

[kandi]

Hi Gael,
I was really excited to read your story. I have had the exact same thing happen to me. It occured about 4 summers ago. I had laid down when my kids went swimming. My husband was upstairs I was downstairs. I fell asleep right away. Some time later I heard the phone ring and heard my husband talking to the kids and heard him leave. When they came through the door I could hear everything perfectly, I knew I was awake, my eyes were open but I could not move my body. I tried so hard but I could not move. I closed my eyes for a few seconds,reopened them and then I could get up. I had another episode that same summer. I have not had one since but it is very scary. Were you a sleepwalker at any time in your life. I was as a child and I wonder if it has something to do with this. Or maybe stress.