I was having a nightmare and suddenly I kind of woke up. I was able to open my eyes and didn't really try to say or do anything cause I think I knew it was just a dream. But then my eyes shut again (I guess I was really tired) and barely just seconds or minutes later I was back in the same nightmare exactly where I left off. I have looked up stuff about this, just because I was curious to know what was wrong with me and found "sleep paralysis" do I have this? Should I see a doctor?

How often does this happen? Was this the one and only time?

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Originally Posted by Alty

How often does this happen? Was this the one and only time?

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I think it has happened a few times before a couple years ago. But I can't really remember them very well because I thought nothing of it. But this one in particular was definitely the worst.

Hi, sleeping disorders happen to run deep in my father's side. We have occasional problems with apnea where we stop breathing in our sleep, sleep paralysis where we wake up but our brain leaves us in a dream-state where we see the real world that becomes intertwined with the hallucinations of our dreams (very very scary) and our brain keeps our body from moving though we are indeed conscious. We have some other sleeping problems too that include walking, talking, getting glasses of water in our sleep (one of my problems) and severe confusion upon waking up and we're screaming into the night (my poor father's problem).


It sounds like your brain just did exactly as you said, picked up where you left off in a dream. Ever have those days where you dream something so wonderful that you shut your eyes again and hope the dream keeps dreaming? Same thing with nightmares, if you wake up, remind yourself that you're okay, and allow yourself to calm down and think happy things... your brain might concoct a dream of everything in your day into bad things.

I'd suggest getting some water, to clear yourself up, and then going back to sleep to shake off the nightmare from lingering.
If you have sleep paralysis, try not to sleep on your back, try your sides or stomach, I find that helps a lot. Wake-dreams are very scary.
If you have apnea, sit up, breathe, unstress yourself, and then try to sleep again. My father made the mistake of going back to sleep after many apnea attacks and got rushed to the hospital one day because he wasn't breath for 5 minutes, luckily my mother was up and was baffled as to why he wasn't snoring.

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Originally Posted by J3R3D

I think it has happened a few times before a couple years ago. But I can't really remember them very well because I thought nothing of it. But this one in particular was definitely the worst.

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What you described doesn't meet the definition of sleep paralysis. It sounds more like you had a nightmare which woke you temporarily, and you just fell back to sleep and continued the dream you were having.

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...cCkrWMuLUF3x7g

You probably don't have sleep paralysis by the way, you'd know for sure if you did.

This is one of the more horrifying experiences of one of my sleep-attacks, and this is what happened: my eyes shoot open, I see my room, I see the door, I see my furniture, I see the time and I know that I am awake (in dreams, it is impossible to tell time correctly twice.). My body refuses to budge. My arms will not move, my head will not shake, my eyes dart and I hear my scream flood my head though I realize only after that I hadn't uttered a sound and no one heard me. There is a man at the foot of my bed. Eyes glow red like the numbers on my alarm clock and he watched, just watches. I suddenly shoot up from my bed, my arms free, my head shaking, and the man gone. He was just my half-dream, I am scared, but I am okay.

Other instances include black faces with goat's eyes at my windows. For my brother he's become more aware and doesn't get scared in his sleep paralysis anymore. Just wakes up, can't move, waits until he can, and sleeps again. These only ever happen when I'm stressed though. If you have sleeping problems again, you can talk to me? Someone in my family probably knows what you're going through.

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Originally Posted by jbhl

Hi, sleeping disorders happen to run deep in my father's side. We have occassional problems with apnea where we stop breathing in our sleep, sleep paralysis where we wake up but our brain leaves us in a dream-state where we see the real world that becomes intertwined with the hallucinations of our dreams (very very scary) and our brain keeps our body from moving though we are indeed conscious. We have some other sleeping problems too that include walking, talking, getting glasses of water in our sleep (one of my problems) and severe confusion upon waking up and we're screaming into the night (my poor father's problem).


It sounds like your brain just did exactly as you said, picked up where you left off in a dream. Ever have those days where you dream something so wonderful that you shut your eyes again and hope the dream keeps dreaming? Same thing with nightmares, if you wake up, remind yourself that you're okay, and allow yourself to calm down and think happy things...your brain might concoct a dream of everything in your day into bad things.

I'd suggest getting some water, to clear yourself up, and then going back to sleep to shake off the nightmare from lingering.
If you have sleep paralysis, try not to sleep on your back, try your sides or stomach, I find that helps a lot. wake-dreams are very scary.
if you have apnea, sit up, breathe, unstress yourself, and then try to sleep again. My father made the mistake of going back to sleep after many apnea attacks and got rushed to the hospital one day because he wasn't breath for 5 minutes, luckily my mother was up and was baffled as to why he wasn't snoring.

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Thank you so much for your help. I'll definitely try these things whether I have a sleeping disorder or not. But is it just coincidence that the nightmare I was having was also taking place in my room? Almost like I was laying in bed watching it happen. It terrified me.

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Originally Posted by Alty

What you described doesn't meet the definition of sleep paralysis. It sounds more like you had a nightmare which woke you temporarily, and you just fell back to sleep and continued the dream you were having.

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...cCkrWMuLUF3x7g

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I hope you're right. Thank you for your reply.

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Originally Posted by J3R3D

Thank you so much for your help. I'll definitely try these things whether I have a sleeping disorder or not. But is it just coincidence that the nightmare I was having was also taking place in my room? Almost like I was laying in bed watching it happen. It terrified me.

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Aahhh well in that case let me offer some more of my sage advice. Start making a habit of checking the time before you sleep. When you dream, your body obviously can't tell time, so in a dream state, look at a clock twice. The time either is nonsensical or it is never the same twice. This is how I identify what is real from what isn't. You can do other things like count your fingers... oddly enough you'll have a strange number of fingers. I remember having trouble counting them because they kept moving, that how I knew it wasn't real.

And once you know it wasn't real, you suddenly have something to stand on, to assure you that just a little longer you will be back where you belong. Once everything is real or not real, you'll know what to do and how to feel.

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Originally Posted by jbhl

You probably don't have sleep paralysis by the way, you'd know for sure if you did.

This is one of the more horrifying experiences of one of my sleep-attacks, and this is what happened: my eyes shoot open, I see my room, I see the door, I see my furniture, I see the time and I know that I am awake (in dreams, it is impossible to tell time correctly twice.). My body refuses to budge. My arms will not move, my head will not shake, my eyes dart and I hear my scream flood my head though I realize only after that I hadn't uttered a sound and no one heard me. There is a man at the foot of my bed. Eyes glow red like the numbers on my alarm clock and he watched, just watches. I suddenly shoot up from my bed, my arms free, my head shaking, and the man gone. He was just my half-dream, I am scared, but I am okay.

Other instances include black faces with goat's eyes at my windows. For my brother he's become more aware and doesn't get scared in his sleep paralysis anymore. Just wakes up, can't move, waits until he can, and sleeps again. These only ever happen when I'm stressed though. If you have sleeping problems again, you can talk to me? Someone in my family probably knows what you're going through.

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Wow that sounds horrifying. I hope you're right though. I really don't want to have any sleeping problems like this. It was just weird how I woke up saw everything in my room, closed my eyes and seconds later I'm in the same nightmare laying exactly the way I was on my back watching what was happening. The nightmare was about some old woman was sitting at the foot of my bed and she was eating something or taking pills but when she was about to turn her head and look at me I woke up but this time I immediately turned my TV on.

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Originally Posted by jbhl

Aahhh well in that case let me offer some more of my sage advice. Start making a habit of checking the time before you sleep. When you dream, your body obviously can't tell time, so in a dream state, look at a clock twice. The time either is nonsensical or it is never the same twice. This is how I identify what is real from what isn't. You can do other things like count your fingers...oddly enough you'll have a strange number of fingers. I remember having trouble counting them because they kept moving, that how I knew it wasn't real.

And once you know it wasn't real, you suddenly have something to stand on, to assure you that just a little longer you will be back where you belong. Once everything is real or not real, you'll know what to do and how to feel.

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I will keep that in mind. I'm just hoping it doesn't happen again. I don't know what it was about that dream that terrified me the most but I just felt terrified and unsafe.

Fun fact to scare you at night... folklore in many many different cultures say that sleep paralysis is the result of an old woman trying to eat your soul as she sits on your chest. That's why you ought to turn as you sleep so she can't sit on you hahah

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Originally Posted by jbhl

Fun fact to scare you at night...folklore in many many different cultures say that sleep paralysis is the result of an old woman trying to eat your soul as she sits on your chest. That's why you ought to turn as you sleep so she can't sit on you hahah

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Holy crap man, I just got so many chills when I read that it's unreal. Haha are you serious? That has to be a coincidence.

No no, I am being serious. Research it haha try it, you'll see there is actually plenty of lore about haggard women and demons sitting on your chest. Freaky huh

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Originally Posted by jbhl

No no, I am being serious. Research it haha try it, you'll see there is actually plenty of lore about haggard women and demons sitting on your chest. Freaky huh

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Yeah that's really freaky. I hope that was just coincidence. Haha. I'll definitely look some of that up though. It sounds interesting. Thanks for all your help man. I really appreciate it.