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I have been experiencing this phenomenon for 15 yrs and yet I'm puzzled by this 4 ft figured gray creature of the night. I have seen this several times, but not with in the last year or so. Instead I awake to find the room cold or even a tap on the shoulder. Once i could of sworn my bed was shaking violently. Or maybe i awoke suddenly and it startled me, I dunno. But in do respect. I'm usaualy not quite alseep when this occurs. NE 1 else have this strange problem????
I dunno maybe, everyone else who has experienced sleep paralysis? :roll:
Firstly, everyone goes into sleep paralysis every night when they go to sleep; you have to in order to fall asleep. I mention this because; are you asleep or awake when you are in paralysis? If you are awake every night as a result of paralysis, you have a severe sleep disorder which deserves immediate attention and study (as that would be very rare).
If you are awake during this paralysis, then nothing you can do would seemingly give you lucidity because you are stuck in conscious paralysis. However, in ther alternative that you are unconcious, then you could use it as a signal to become lucid very easily (ie. "when I can only move my finger, I am dreaming, thus, lucid dream now!").
Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain enters slow-wave sleep. The period of slow wave sleep is accompanied by relaxation of the muscles and the eyes. Heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature all fall. If awakened at this time, most people recall only a feeling or image, not an active dream. This also explains the groggy "slow" feeling when awakening. During this time, the afferents responsible for movement are paralyzed in order to keep the body from injuring itself or taking involuntary action during sleep. The somatosensory cortex (the part of the brain primarily responsible for movement and motor control) is essentially, deactivated.
Quite simply put, sleepwalking occurs when the pathways that are closed off during REM sleep to prevent neurotransmitters from reaching the somatosensory cortex, or any other motor lobes of the brain, open up and allow neurotransmitters to reach these areas, which will then cause the body to act out actions done throughout REM sleep.
Periodic limb movements of sleep are intermittent jerks of the legs or arms, which occur as the individual enters slow wave sleep, and can cause arousal from sleep. Other people have episodes in which their muscles fail to be paralyzed during REM sleep, and they act out their dreams (sleepwalking). This REM behavior disorder can also be very disruptive to a normal nights' sleep. Both disorders are more common in people with Parkinson's disease, and both can be treated with drugs that treat Parkinson's, or with an anti-epileptic drug called clonanzepam.
Overall, 6.2% (5.7 to 6.7%) of the sample (n = 494) had experienced at least one SP episode in their lifetime. At the time of the interview, severe SP (at least one episode per week) occurred in 0.8% of the sample, moderate SP (at least one episode per month) in 1.4%, and mild SP (less than one episode per month) in 4.0%. Significant predictive variables of SP were anxiolytic medication, automatic behavior, bipolar disorders, physical disease, hypnopompic hallucinations, nonrestorative sleep, and nocturnal leg cramps.
(Journal of Neurology, http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/6/1194 )
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Well, it's not unusual to be awake for a short amount of time and still have paralysis, but that's when you wake up too quickly
That's where hallucinations of demons come from ... succubus constricting your chest, etc - because of hypnopompic phenomena and the restrictive feeling of paralysis
But yeah, if it's something that happens regularly for a fair amount of time, then you need to get it sorted out
If you're completely awake when you're paralysed, that is
As for what sensations you have, as Onus indicated, that varies from person to person, and limb jerks or cold sensations aren't unusual
In my case, I have a feeling of sinking into the bed/chair and sometimes spinning
PS: This isn't an alternative sleep pattern. Although if you're polyphasic, you tend to have it more often. At least I do.