Enormous pain during sleep paralysis

**frost458** · 09-25-2012 08:54 PM

Hi,

Since I'm 19 I experience sleep paralysis about 1-3 times per weeks (I'm currently 24).
Sometimes I wake up paralysed, and some times I go into SP while lying on my bed when trying to sleep.

Only once I was lucid, all the other times when being in SP I am convinced that what I'm experiencing is real.

By what I'm experiencing I mean hallucinations about shadow people, ghosts or just a feeling of a bad presence and soon to come death.

This never bothered me, in fact I kind of enjoy it, it's like watching a scary movie.

But 3 month ago it became different, now I never wake up paralysed, I only go into SP when lying on my bed.
And when it happens I'm hearing a ringing/buzzing high-pitched sound with a sensation of pressure inside my ears, as paralysis is growing stronger so is the sound and the pressure.

As this pressure is getting stronger it starts becoming painfull.
That's why up until now I always stopped the paralysis.

But not this morning, I wanted to see what was going to happen.
I let the paralysis take over, the pain was unbearable, but I couldn't move,
then when the pain was at it's higher level I heared a big snapping sound.
My vision then became black, but my eyes were open, after 1 seconds my vision came back and I wasn't paralysed anymore.

Wtf was that?
Any of you experiencing the same thing?
I want my old hallucinations to come back xD.

(I'm not under medication or taking any drugs).

**cmind** · 09-25-2012 09:40 PM

It sounds like you did have true SP when you wake up in the morning, however what you experience when falling asleep is not, I repeat NOT sleep paralysis. It's actually called NREM, or hypnagogia. Any pain or loud noises you feel while in this state are perfectly natural and harmless. If you ever find yourself in NREM, this is a great opportunity to visualize a dream scene and enter it to complete a WILD. Trust me, it's much easier than it sounds. You just have to try the next time it happens.

As for your real sleep paralysis, which is when you wake up paralyzed and hallucinating, this is an independent and unrelated phenomenon. It's impossible to predict or control when you will experience true SP, and no good will come of it so the next time it happens just try to wake yourself up. SP is not related to WILD or lucid dreaming.

**frost458** · 09-25-2012 09:58 PM

I see, well SP are freaky but interesting.

NREM is a pain in the ass

even if it's harmless it's still painfull.
But still, before this (when the pain started 3 month ago) NREM always lead toward the same thing for me : body paralysis with Hallucinations and feeling of soon to come death (I am unable to recall what is SP when paralysed).

Well next time I'll try to visualize something and see what happens.

**emilymarie** · 11-09-2014 10:50 AM

Yes! This happens to me to. The pain hurts so bad and it just gets worse until I give up. If I try to struggle and wake up it will just get stronger. I've also had a loud snap or crack before when I let it do its thing, then I woke up. Scary AF though. I've also had a thing where I hear a story in my head right before sleeping? Its like dreaming without the actual image just your imagination. I don't even realize its happening until I "wake up" / become a little more aware. (Like hey I'm not actually sleeping wtf is this story) its nothing I'm making up conciously it just comes too.

**LisaOnez2016** · 01-18-2016 06:26 PM

I too have felt this intense pain since forever! I have experienced sleep paralysis as well as sleep starts before, but I got scared when I started to feel pain, especially the pressure and zapping of something trying to 'get into my ear'! Strangely enough for me it only happens to one ear, the right one, which I also feel pain in while I'm awake. I've been told I have an ear infection, fluid in the ear etc, taken antibiotics, etc, it gets better for a minute, but the real pain while I'm awake always returns. Consequently this is the same ear that alway gets 'attacked' - I use attacked coz thats what it feels like - if I manage to turn my head during, it doesn't happen to my other ear, though the rest of it continues till I wake up to end it. Also I noticed it happens whenever I think too hard on a problem and become resolute on a solution or way forward. Whenever I fall asleep after I get 'attacked' and I wake up feeling rattled. Not sure if there's any relation, but it's nice to see that others have experienced similar and there' a name for it. PS hearing that it's perfectly normal doesn't make it any easier to experience! lol

**Spock** · 01-18-2016 06:59 PM

frost458, are you sure you're awake during these NREM hallucinations?

I've experienced about everything from hypnagogic jerks, to real SP (although very very rarely), to a bunch of weird-to-painful NREM hallucinations. To list some of the last category: jaw clenching to the point teeth start to shatter, having vibrations of complex patterns (like one emanating from the abs while another shacks the whole body), and even "floating" on top of the bed and being thrown from side to side... However, eventually I "wake up" to find out the I'm in the same position I was when trying to fall asleep just a few moments ago...

So, although these hallucinations might feel very bad, they are fake and really can't harm you. As cmind said, if they start to happen, it's an indication that you're sleeping, so by focusing on "pre-dreams" or creating your own visualizations (if there are no "pre-dreams"), you just wait them out until a dream starts. These hallucinations only intensify when you focus on them or don't have anything else to focus on.