Time until onset of sleep paralysis...

Hi everyone, just a quick question, after focusing on something like heartbeat or something, how much longer after that does sleep paralysis set in?
And isnt the key to falling asleep consciously to ignore the body's signal to the mind? And is that the "kick" you feel when you think your about to fall, or trip?
Thanks in advance.

It really depends on how relaxed you are. If you're WILDing during a WBTB and are relaxed enough, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so, give or take a few minutes because everyone's different. I tried a WILD today during a nap, and it took me a good 50 minutes or so to achieve SP, but I don't think I relaxed as much as I could have.

You're right about ignoring signals that the mind sends to the body, but by focusing on your breathing or heartbeat, you're just maintaining awareness. You aren't moving or filling your head with racing thoughts, which is the key - you just want to let your thoughts come and go; when you find yourself drifting off, you bring back your attention to your breathing or whatever anchor you were using.

The 'kick' you've described is called a hypagogic jerk, and happens when your sleep schedule isn't as good as it could be, or when you're very, very tired. I've gotten quite a few of them and from my own experiences, it feels like I'm half-asleep, half-awake - I suddenly trip and fall forward, often imagining falling down stairs or flat on my face. Right when I hit the ground, I 'jerk' and snap out of my sleepy mindset. Hypagogic jerks don't really have anything to do with having a successful WILD, though. :)

If you have any other questions or need clarification, don't hesitate to ask!

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Originally Posted by Puffin

It really depends on how relaxed you are. If you're WILDing during a WBTB and are relaxed enough, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so, give or take a few minutes because everyone's different. I tried a WILD today during a nap, and it took me a good 50 minutes or so to achieve SP, but I don't think I relaxed as much as I could have.

You're right about ignoring signals that the mind sends to the body, but by focusing on your breathing or heartbeat, you're just maintaining awareness. You aren't moving or filling your head with racing thoughts, which is the key - you just want to let your thoughts come and go; when you find yourself drifting off, you bring back your attention to your breathing or whatever anchor you were using.

The 'kick' you've described is called a hypagogic jerk, and happens when your sleep schedule isn't as good as it could be, or when you're very, very tired. I've gotten quite a few of them and from my own experiences, it feels like I'm half-asleep, half-awake - I suddenly trip and fall forward, often imagining falling down stairs or flat on my face. Right when I hit the ground, I 'jerk' and snap out of my sleepy mindset. Hypagogic jerks don't really have anything to do with having a successful WILD, though. :)

If you have any other questions or need clarification, don't hesitate to ask!

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Thanks alot Puffin for the great info. So after sleep paralysis, you should float right into a dream, lucidly?

And about the "jerk", i usually only have it when sleeping in the afternoon. Very rarely do i have it during the night.

Thanks again.

You might have to wait a little bit for the SP to change into a dream, but it's not usually that long.

And no problem, good luck with your WILDing! :sleepmeditate2: