Interesting Experience...

[Marty]

Last night I was drifting off to sleep and became unconscious. I was starting to dream about work when it hit me that I learned a manager's password recently. (they know I'm not stupid enough to use it or tell other people) At this point I became lucid and decided to test it out. I used my thumb to hit a button on the computer, and felt my real life thumb jerk. Then the image faded and SP started up soon after. I started hearing strange noises and almost backed out, but I kept still and listened to them hoping to return to the dream. Then the noises stopped and my body wasn't numb anymore. I don't understand how I could have moved my real life thumb while dreaming and be aware of it. I would've been in SP, right? Has this ever happened to anyone?

[Xaqaria]

Sleep paralysis only exists during the hypnogogic(just before sleep) and hypnopompic(just after sleep) stages. Once you are asleep and dreaming there is no paralysis, which is why it is possible to sleep walk.

[Phalangees]

Sleep paralysis only exists during the hypnogogic(just before sleep) and hypnopompic(just after sleep) stages. Once you are asleep and dreaming there is no paralysis, which is why it is possible to sleep walk. I'm 90% sure that you are incorrect. I learned in psychology that there is a a part in the brain that basically switches off the movement nerves that go throughout your body and it stays like that until you wake up. Sleep walking is completely different. It's when you enter a very very very deep sleep and sleep paralysis malfunctions. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[MisterHyde]

I'm 90% sure that you are incorrect. I learned in psychology that there is a a part in the brain that basically switches off the movement nerves that go throughout your body and it stays like that until you wake up. Sleep walking is completely different. It's when you enter a very very very deep sleep and sleep paralysis malfunctions. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I'd say you were right. From the very little I know about SP, I believe it is in effect from sleep to waking, to prevent you acting out your dreams. I believe you are right that sleepwalking is effectively a malfunction in SP, but I am in no way an authority on this...

[Acertine]

if your in SP the entire time you are sleeping, then how do you explain people that toss and turn at night, and hit and kick things in their sleep, or hell, even talk in their sleep me being a frequent sleep walker, talker, kicker and toss and turner, will tell you that if all this is because SP is malfunctioning than I have had malfunctioning SP every single night that I have been on gods green earth

[nayrki]

Typically when i toss and turn im not really asleep... because i only ever move if im uncomfortable (ie cold) enough that i need to wake up and move... if you dont open your eyes you dont even realize you're doing it but i believe you are actually awake. Sleep walking can also occur if you are extremely tired and you pass directly from consciousness into sleep without time for your body to go into SP, or if you wake up and go back to sleep immediately, such as people that sleepwalk and wake up at work in their pjs.

[Acertine]

tell that to the broken toes i got from kicking the wall during a particularly intense soccer dream

[Redrivertears]

Hey there, First, notice that Sleep Walking is not a common thing. Very few people sleepwalk. And its generally attributed to a disorder in your sleep mechanisms. In order words, you're right, sleep paralysis does not set in for sleep walkers... but that's the exception, not the rule. Tossing and turning is another thing. Remember that sleep goes in phases, with some phases having a very deep sleep, and other phases making you only sleep very light. For some people, sleep paralysis sets in immediately, but for some, it doesn't set in until they go into deeper sleep. Additionally it's quite common to have very short 'almost awakenings' during the night, which last only heartbeats, and you're not fully awake, but at that time sleep paralysis would not be 'active'. Most of us recognise this phenomenon. Haven't you ever had a friend, or family member or partner tell you that you awoke for a moment and replied to something they asked or did something, of which you have absolutely no memory anymore. You were awake but in such a 'half state' the waking never really registered. So I think, as is often the case in biology or psychology, that a 'yes' or 'no', it's either there or its not discussion doesn't really match up with the complexity of sleep when it comes to sleep paralysis. Most of us would be paralysed for most of the night, but there's likely to be phases of sleep where the paralysis is less strong or even inactive, and additionally there's a lot of variation between individual people. Hope that helps! -Redrivertears-

[Acertine]

this sounds to me like sleep paralysis doesn't exist at all if its that flip floppy on when it works and when it doesn's who is to say that we are just sitting still for the "sleep paralysis phases" he kicked in his sleep - sleep paralysis wasn't working then because he woke up a little bit he is sitting still - sleep paralysis is working because he is in a deep sleep bogus! its like that one ghost hunter that came to our school and showed us a picture of "spiritual energy" which was just a ball of light on the film and I asked how he knew that was "spiritual energy" and he replied "cause thats what spiritual energy looks like" and so I asked how he knew what "spiritual energy" looked like, and he pointed at the picture and said "its right there", kinda dumb huh? yep, so is the theorie of SP

[G0MPgomp]

Always...

[TempleGuard]

I remember (Before years) i was in my grandma's house (for real) and i was sleeping there. But in my dream i was sleeping at my real home. Than i tried to touch the walls but i felt like i cant touch so far cuz something is stoping me and when i got awake i saw i was toching the walls that was at my grandma's house. And i am pretty sure that this thing happend like at least 2-3 times, and i felt like i am seing my home through my dream and i move in both real life and dream. I am not sure if i had these recently.

[Moonbeam]

this sounds to me like sleep paralysis doesn't exist at all Haven't you ever heard of things that usually work, but not always? Some people have good sleep paralysis, some don't. Or it changes for some reason sometimes in an individual. Kids are more likely to sleep-walk than adults. Sleep paralysis doesn't affect all parts of the body equally. It's not that mysterious--not exactly equivalent to somebody taking pictures of ghosts!

[1342576]

this sounds to me like sleep paralysis doesn't exist at all if its that flip floppy on when it works and when it doesn's who is to say that we are just sitting still for the "sleep paralysis phases" he kicked in his sleep - sleep paralysis wasn't working then because he woke up a little bit he is sitting still - sleep paralysis is working because he is in a deep sleep bogus! its like that one ghost hunter that came to our school and showed us a picture of "spiritual energy" which was just a ball of light on the film and I asked how he knew that was "spiritual energy" and he replied "cause thats what spiritual energy looks like" and so I asked how he knew what "spiritual energy" looked like, and he pointed at the picture and said "its right there", kinda dumb huh? yep, so is the theorie of SP When we are asleep certain cells in the pons send messages to the spinal cord, inhibiting the motor neurons that control the body's large muscles. A study was done with cats with a lesion to the floor of the pons. They still had a natural sleep cycle, but during REM sleep their muscles were not relaxed. In this stage they behaved as if they were chasing an imagined prey, jumped up as if something just scared them, etc. Sleep paralysis simply means the motor system has been inhibited. Sometimes we are conscious enough to notice this. Tossing and turning in bed and sleepwalking indicate a failure of inhibition of the motor system during REM sleep, thus making us "act out our dreams". In this case the spinal cord is going "lalala I can't hear you, pons". I hope that cleared things up.