Recognizing Sleep Paralysis

I've tried WILDs the last few nights (no success with LDs, though), and I can't really tell what SP is. I've read about it on this site, but I can't tell if it's happening to me or not. Am I falling unconscious too quickly? It just seems like if I stayed conscious while technically trying to fall asleep, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Yet everyone says to stay conscious until you're in your lucid dream. I'm confused.

Okay, I sound totally newbish... and I guess I sorta am, to this, so any help would be appreciated! Also, any other tips for remembering dreams (already keeping a dream jounal) would be cool, too. ;)

I'm no expert or nothing like that, but that doesn't sound like the kind of sleep Paralysis i've ever had, seems like exhaustion to me, that's just me though.

I've never had sleep paralysis intentionally. But if you aren't expecting it it can be scary. Normally it happens when you're lying on your back and you can't move no matter how much you try.(For me sometimes I move very slowly.) Another sensation is a buzzing feeling or numbness. Some people have hallucinations along with sleep paralysis like seeing aliens performing experiments. All of my cases of sleep paralysis were when I wake up in the night. I don't know how it would be when falling asleep but I imagin that if you can stay calm it would be a pretty awsome experience.

Thanks for the help. I'll pay attention for any of those sensations.

You should be able to completely tell when you're in SP with no doubt. So if you have any doubt about wondering if you achieved SP or not then you probably didn't lol. Most people underestimate the FILD technique and I would recommend you try that sometime.

Sleep Paralysis is not hard to recognize. Like Newbiedreamr said, you will not be able to move your body (paralysis) and in some cases, you will be consumed by numbness (I have never experienced this part). As far as I am aware, SP is a chemically induced state, therefore it is not simply reversed when you want to leave the state, it will take a brief period of time.



Good Luck

A friend of mine experienced sleep paralysis and he said he couldn't move but he was sort of still asleep and he felt as though bugs were crawling all over his pillow but there was nothing he could do about it.

Hi, welcome to Dream Views.

I'll not repeat what the others said. But about the conciousness, it sounds preposterous when you read and try to understand it but it's entirely possible to keep your mind concious while your body falls asleep. It takes practice but it's possible. I've WILDed many times and I rarely ever feel the sleep paralysis or get the odd sensations everyone else talks about. I just go from watching my hypnogogic imagry right into a lucid dream, (usually)

Unless you're a natural, it WILL take practice to go from wake right into a dream. Just keep at it. You'll make it eventually with practice and persistence.

Ive also wondered about SP. Sometimes Im sure Im experiencing it, I can feel my body kind of vibrating, or a numbness as others put it. But I always feel as though I definitely could move if I wanted to. Though there were times in School where the bell would ring and I'd just be stuck to my desk just telling my body to move but I couldnt. Once again, I still had the feeling that if I was really trying, I could. Maybe it is SP and Im just fooling myself into thinking I have control over it.

Okay, last night I was completely still in bed for the better part of 20 minutes, and I was trying really hard not to fall asleep. Trying to look at the imagery in my head wasn't working, and using the alphabet method (see Clairity's WILD tutorial) wasn't working, so I just took deeper breaths and made sure I could hear them a little bit, and that kept me awake. After a while, I suddenly heard a really loud ringing in my ears, almost like a high-pitched beep, and I couldn't feel anything. My hands were laying across my stomach and it felt as if they weren't even there. Then my body started... I dunno, trembling I guess, and I was taking really shallow breaths. I didn't even try to move in fear of 'waking my body up', so I'm not sure if I could move or not. It only lasted a few seconds, then I realized it must have been sleep paralysis and just knowing I'd gotten that much closer to lucid dreaming excited me... then I just woke up all together... and tried again. It happened again, but it wasn't as strong as the first one.

Thanks for the tips, guys! I think my problem was just staying conscious long enough and keeping my body completely still.

It sounds like you're getting closer :D

keep practicing and you'll have your first lucid very soon

I got SP second time I tried to WILD. It wasn't scary, but it was really annoying. My muscles tensed up as if I was doing it conciously, but wasn't abl to let go. It's not comfortable, heh.

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Originally Posted by Zotoaster

I got SP second time I tried to WILD. It wasn't scary, but it was really annoying. My muscles tensed up as if I was doing it conciously, but wasn't abl to let go. It's not comfortable, heh.

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I thought it was sorta cool the first time, but I can already tell it's going to get annoying fast. 'Specially because it kept waking me up. And I know what you mean about your muscles tensing up like it was a conscious movement. That's sorta what the vibrating sensation felt like for me. It almost felt like it would if I was doing it on purpose, but I wasn't. :?

I guess it might be pretty hard to recognize sleep paralysis I've been attempting Lucid Dreams for a while mainly WILD (Which involves what your talking about) and I guess Sleep Paralysis is just when you feel a sudden loss of movement, You'll start to notice your moving into sleep paralysis when you feel an energy fill you up and chances are your heart rate will increase and your breaths will become more shallow.

Btw if your attempting WILD when you do achieve sleep paralysis your probably gonna freak out and lose your concentration, It happened to me I was in Sleep Paralysis and felt like, holy shit am I gonna have a heart attack!? then I lost my concentration.

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Originally Posted by SephTheG

I guess it might be pretty hard to recognize sleep paralysis I've been attempting Lucid Dreams for a while mainly WILD (Which involves what your talking about) and I guess Sleep Paralysis is just when you feel a sudden loss of movement, You'll start to notice your moving into sleep paralysis when you feel an energy fill you up and chances are your heart rate will increase and your breaths will become more shallow.

Btw if your attempting WILD when you do achieve sleep paralysis your probably gonna freak out and lose your concentration, It happened to me I was in Sleep Paralysis and felt like, holy shit am I gonna have a heart attack!? then I lost my concentration.

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Yup, I was definitely taking very shallow breaths. SP did wake me up the first time. I actually thought it was sort of cool and just a little freaky, but it did wake me right back up.

I got SP on accident when i was just trying to DILD, All of my body except my feet were numb. I could move a little bit but it was hard so i tried to look at imagery in my head. It didnt work out too well, after 20 mins i gave up because it was so uncomfortable. I might try it again though tonight.