When I know

I have an odd instance in my dreams at times and I want to know if it's normal or something I should worry about. It started up a long while ago when I first got into lucid dreaming. Well, I was always into it but this was when I'd started researching it. I would be in the middle of a dream and I would catch on suddenly, at first I'd get really excited and my mind would make me believe I'd woken up, but really it would switch the dream. After a bit more web surfing I learned to keep calm and collected, after this I go into the dream, realize it's a dream and am suddenly unable to do anything. It's not Sleep paralysis - though I know I have it - but it somewhat feels like I'm being pushed down. Not by anyone or anything, just that I'm suddenly heavy and can hardly move. I keep telling myself to remain calm and to seize control of the dream, but my dream will just make me believe I've woken up again and it will continue as such.

But it does sound like SP? Like your awareness makes your dream-body feel like the paralyzed, waking body. Try focusing on something else to make it go, either that or try moving slowly, what I do when that happens is first move a finger, then the hand, then a toe, the leg, and then continue on with the whole body.

I assume it's not sleep paralysis because normally sleep paralysis is slightly painful to me, I easily freak out because of it seeing as my sides start hurting and I can't concentrate even on my breathing to wake myself up. I will try that the next time it happens, but it's quite the odd feeling. I'll start moving really slowly and eventually end up on the ground in my dream. Maybe it's only when I sleep on my back that I feel sp pain...

I should also add that after sleep paralysis I always wake up, in this my mind tricks me into thinking I've awoke. I'm not sure if that's anything to do with it, but the differences have me wondering.

Oh, SP is when you are awake so you are right, it would be apnea (sp?) I think, the one that is present while we are asleep.

I'm not really sure, I've never had much issues with breathing, would that really lead me to have a really heavy body only when I've found out I'm dreaming? This happens maybe once or twice every four months or so.

For now I think I should attempt this again, thanks for the help. I think talking about it will help me to remember better that it triggers a false awakening and I should try moving my hands or feet or something like that slowly instead of trying my full body.

You can get trapped in a void when in lucid dreaming, it is where you are so focused about the fact you are dreaming that you lose concentration the dream itself. (Well that's what I think).
Just try and imagine if you have a body, picture a dream scape and step into it.

You could just be in SP.

It will likely be a while until it happens again, but when it does I'm going to be trying this out. Thank you for the advice, I'm sure you'll understand my not thinking it's SP, though ^^;