Help in Understanding

Hello everyone. This is my first post here on this website. I am going to get straight to the point...

Today I was lying on the couch falling asleep when my whole body went completely numb and tingly and I could not move. I couldn't wake up and I couldn't scream. Once I stopped being scared of what was going on the numbness seemed to stop and it went pitch black. I still could not wake up. When I finally woke up I was fully awake and not groggy or tired feeling. This is the second time this has happened to me. The first time, I was lying in bed sleeping and when I started to wake up, I felt like someone was holding me down and I had the same feelings of being paralysed with the tingly sensation. I was able to scream that time. What woke me was the fire department pounding on my door at 3:15ish in the morning.

Can anyone explain to me what is going on?

I honestly have never heard of lucid dreaming until I did a search on why this was happening to me (today), nor have I ever heard of WILD. It is a really uneasy and slightly scary experience.

I have experienced both of these and I am not sure how they are caused, but I learned that when it happens you just have to realise you are sleeping and that nothing is holding you down, even though it may feel like it is even pushing on you, and relax and try to calm yourself and assure yourself you will wake up. Thats how I get out of these situations. Practicing Lucid Dreaming has helped me to instantly realise and calm when this happens and also has made it so I don't have nightmares any more.

If I'm not mistaken that feeling you are getting with your body feeling numb and being unable to move is called Sleep Paralysis. I remember experiencing it when I was sitting on the couch and decided to sleep with my head on my lap lol. When I woke up it, my vision was black but I could sense I was awake, I tried to move but my body was stuck in my position with me sitting. I started to panic but I remembered that I was experiencing Sleep Paralysis and told myself in my head to move, and sure enough I was able to move my body with ease.

I made a mental note to never sleep in that position again hahaxD

Moved to WILD subsection