A little confused about Sleep Paralysis

[deXtrous]

So.. Sleep paralysis... Is it total paralysis to the point where you CANNOT move or is it just paralysis to the point where you don't feel yourself moving at all but if you will yourself to move you can? Every time I thought I've been in sleep paralysis (heavy vibrations, numbness, no moving) I've still been able to 'click' out of it by willing myself to move a part of my body, usually my hand. Then when I do all the vibrations and numbness instantly fades away. So is this true sleep paralysis?

[BigFan]

So.. Sleep paralysis... Is it total paralysis to the point where you CANNOT move or is it just paralysis to the point where you don't feel yourself moving at all but if you will yourself to move you can? Every time I thought I've been in sleep paralysis (heavy vibrations, numbness, no moving) I've still been able to 'click' out of it by willing myself to move a part of my body, usually my hand. Then when I do all the vibrations and numbness instantly fades away. So is this true sleep paralysis? I would hazard a guess as to NOT the true sleep paralysis. It's what I call, the pre-SP stage. I've had vibrations, numbness, heaviness,etc... but I could still move. If you had full SP, then you wouldn't be able to move a finger. The only thing that you can move is your eyes. In order to move when you are in SP, it takes a great deal of effort from what I've heard

[mrdeano]

That's the 'Falling into' sleep paralysis stage. It's the moment where you are able to get out of it the easiest (in my opinion) Although, it is true that sometimes sleep paralysis can vary in difficulty. Sometimes I have a really hard time in getting out out it. Other times I can get out really quickly.

[Shift]

Yep, you're distinguishing between hallucinations and actual paralysis of your body. If you're actually paralyzed, that's SP. The hallucinations can occur during SP, or they can just occur on their own. They're most commonly just going to happen all on their lonesome.