How can I tell when I'm in sleep paralysis?

[JohnnyBoi]

Today at 3:00 pm I attempted to go into sleep paralysis. After doing the 99 breaths relaxation method, I just counted down from 100 regularly then just stopped after that. Then I started making a dream scenario for myself and fell asleep, when I woke up I didn't remember going to sleep nor did I remember anything from my dream (I have to work on regaining my recall). I did a series of reality checks just to make sure I was in fact awake. So how can I tell when I've entered sleep paralysis? What does it feel like? And what does it feel like to actually go into SP?

[Puffin]

I often feel a "shift" in my awareness, as if I'm suddenly hyper-aware or have started to pay more attention to my immediate surroundings (as well as my physical body). I wouldn't base knowing you've entered SP solely on that though, because you could also start feeling vibrations (onset of SP, or in SP itself) and getting hallucinations. Long story short, there's a good chance you'll know when you're in it, so just take it as it comes. Don't try to move to test if you're in it or not, because part of what makes SP scary for some people is knowing that they can't move - but how do they know this unless they've actually tried to move whilst in it? Another reason not to move is because you want to forget about your physical body; at this point you should be paying minimal attention to it, hallucinations or not.

[Zoth]

Remember that sleep paralysis may differ from people to people, so until you really experience, you can't tell really exactly how it feels. About me I usually don't hallucinate. Most of my few WILDS I felt being "pushed out of the body" with hyper-awareness like puffin refered, but it I don't really notice until I'm entering in the dream. What you have to aim for is falling asleep, aka relaxing as much as possible. If you can relax while awake, you will eventually notice that your body seems less and less physical, like you were wearing some kinda of suit. This is when I know I'm performing the technique properly, and usually at this point I already have HI going over my head. Personally, I think WILD is all about balance: relaxing your body to the point where you can easily fall asleep, but awaken enough to know what's your purpose