Intense Sleep Paralysis And Breathing

Hey guys,

long time reader, first time poster.

I thought maybe someone could shed some light on my experiences - sorry to sound like a beginner.

I have had several lucid dreams before, mostly DILD's with a few brief WILD's -and I've been attempting to lucid dream on and off for about a year now. The way I stumbled upon the community online as so many of us do- was from researching my intense sleep paralysis.

I have always experienced intense SP, even before i knew about or attempted lucid dreams. I often awake in bed, unable to move but conscious. It's scary sometimes, as I'm sure most of you know.

After learning that is is completely normal and that I wasn't going to die in my sleep (ha) I began to care less about it, and focus more on lucid dreams. I even started using SP as a gateway to lucidity, and started having fun there.

The problem is this - lately my SP has become overpowering. I'm extremely busy right now. I rarely have enough time to put the effort into attempting lucid dreams at the moment- but regardless I will awake with INTENSE sleep paralysis.

I get the usual heavy weight feeling on my chest. When this occurs, I tell myself that it is completely normal, and to calm down. But I need air! My lungs wont work! Sometimes, if I attempt to breathe, the effect intensifies and i feel like i am suffocating. If I don't breathe, i begin to panic because I run out of oxygen. Sounds weird huh? It is, especially since I thought I overcame this little hurtle.

Do you think it may be stress related? Alcohol related? (I'm a college student, heavy drinker)

Starting to freak me out. Any suggestions/techniques for converting intense SP into LD's?

I can't even think when this happens it's crazy! :?

Thank you in advance,

the alchemist

Sorry, i can't help you, i've never really had SP. Sounds freaky though.

I used to suffer with this quite badly, until about 3 months ago when I realised what it was I was experiencing. I had told my new flat mate about my dreams and the fact i felt paralysed when I woke up and this is when I learnt that what I was doing was lucid dreaming and that I experienced sleep paralysis.

Until this point I had no idea what it was I was doing. I knew I could control my dreams and I knew I woke up feeling completely paralysed etc...

I read up about it and read about sleep paralysis being linked to Astral Projection - So I told myself when this happens again, I'm not going to think about the paralysis but more about the surrounding environment, I mean after all when you enter sleep paralysis you feel like you are completely awake and I concentrated my energy on being more aware of what was around me. This took away a lot of the panic and trouble breathing that I experienced. Instead I would think about where I was and what I could see around me and would look around my bedroom etc. It was quite interesting, and focused my mind a lot more, although since then, like with LDs I seems to have lost this 'gift'.

I have not since had a LD or experienced SP. Not sure why, I think it's because im aware of what I'm doing now so makes it harder for me to relax? Not sure...

Anyway hope this is of some use to you. The main thing is to know your in paralysis and know that you can focus outside the paralysis, although you cannot move. Try look around and try concentrate on what's about you. This should help.

Let me know how it goes :)

My suggestion is that if you have faith in god and you are a ture believer just have confidence he will proctect you...no matter what and you will Break Through into the LD.... I get intence SP but I have faith and I Break Through into the LD..........Try it out.

I never experienced a SP so intence, but I read somewhere that if you want to get out from SP all you have to do is to concentrate to move just a little finger. Once you do that you get out from SP automatically.

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Originally Posted by lupo7

I never experienced a SP so intence, but I read somewhere that if you want to get out from SP all you have to do is to concentrate to move just a little finger. Once you do that you get out from SP automatically.
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Yes that works, but moving that one finger seems to be an agonizingly slow process.

I used to get sleep paralysis (this was before I knew about lucid dreaming) and they were the most scary experiences in my life. I thought I was going to die, I couldn't breathe. The first time I had it I woke up with my face in my pillow - I really was asphyxiating! In fact, most of the times I had it I was in a position where I physically had trouble breathing. Back then I didn't know anything behind it, so I assumed it was related to lack of oxygen, and I really thought I was going to die, even when I woke up in normal positions.

I'd say your best bet is to see if you can judge whether or not your actually in a bad position. If you have SP often then you should be able to determine whether you are or not fairly quickly. If you feel as if everything is normal but you seem to have a great weight on your chest and have trouble breathing, there is honestly nothing to worry about, this is completely normal. If you feel like you may be sleeping on your side or on your stomach, or if you can actually physical feel an object around your mouth preventing you from breathing, then move that finger, and fast!

Yeah.... that's about as much as I can advise without going into the realm of bullshiting.....

:yumdumdoodledum: :yumdumdoodledum: :yumdumdoodledum:

SP generally sucks and is very frightening and there's not too much you can do about it once it kicks in except to move a finger as was said above. Then walk around a bit, get a drink of water and try sleeping again. The fear should gradually subside once you get used to the feeling of SP. You can help prevent SP by not sleeping on your back, but I've had it before whilst sleeping face down, soooo. I'd say stay away from anything caffeine related at least 4-6 hours before sleep as well. However, I've noticed that caffeine sometimes aides in LDs, although it does tend to induce SP, so it's a trial and error kind of thing with SP really. Good luck!

hmm I've only experienced SP in a light form waking up from a terrifying dream. Do you have any breathing problems in addition. If not it is probably just an effect since you are breathing. I for one have severe anxiety and feel sometimes that in an episode I am lacking air, yet breathing tests say I have perfect capacity. I wouln't worry, let it carry you, and just remember you are breathing and soon you will dream.

As a matter of fact, I've never been able to intentionally induce SP, perhaps I fall alseep beforehand. :?

Thanks guys, I havent experienced anything yet but appreciate all the feedback