Heart rate increase

[Taromon777]

Why does WILDing increase one's heart rate? A few nights ago I seemed to be getting there, I just started to get sleep paralysis but then my heart started pumping like I'd just taken furious excersize. I tried to persevere but I began to feel uncomfortable so I wriggled my toes (I can't have been that paralysed yet) and snapped out of the WILD attempt. Does heart rate always increase upon falling alseep, but normally you wouldn't notice because you'd be unconcious by then?

[Noogah]

Are you sure that it's actually speeding up, or are you just becoming aware of your heart beating?

[Taromon777]

I'm pretty sure it sped up, because it was still fast after I stopped trying to WILD.

[nina]

Your heart rate decreases as you fall asleep and typically remains lower with the exception of REM sleep, when it can increase to that of waking state. In the case of WILDing however, when your body enters SP/REM atonia the brain releases hormones which control the REM-on and causes your body to become paralyzed which may cause sudden spikes in heart rate due to anxiety or excitation. Typically, when people enter SP in an overly conscious state of mind their heart rate increases due to anxiety and awareness of certain physiological factors which are not commonly experienced during waking states and are therefore unfamiliar. Also common is excitation as a result of consciously entering SP or witnessing hypnagogic hallucinations and anxiousness to enter the dreaming state; again leading to an increased heart rate. This is why WILDing can be so difficult, because it is important for the mind to enter these states at a lower level of consciousness so that it will readily accept these changes without exciting the body. The key however is to keep the mind in such a lower state of consciousness without actually losing consciousness and falling to sleep. This is why WILDing can be a very tricksy business and takes a good amount of practice to master.

[Taromon777]

OK thanks! When my feet first started to feel numb I was kind of thinking, "Wow! Sleep paralysis!" which probably made me excited and increased my heart rate.

[BeenThere]

Great explanation Aquanina! Also, it can also seem that your heart is racing, but in truth it isn't...just like the feeling of suffocating, it isn't necessarily really happening.

[noiseissound]

I've had the exact same problem Taromon. I've finally been finding it easier to reach a state of sleep paralysis, but my heart rate increase and I panic, trying to calm it down, which usually ruins the whole process. Talk about exciting/frustrating, haha. We're both getting closer though! I think its just a matter of getting used to the feeling of SP, so that your body doesnt get to excited or anxious when it enters it consciously.

[nina]

I've had the exact same problem Taromon. I've finally been finding it easier to reach a state of sleep paralysis, but my heart rate increase and I panic, trying to calm it down, which usually ruins the whole process. Talk about exciting/frustrating, haha. We're both getting closer though! I think its just a matter of getting used to the feeling of SP, so that your body doesnt get to excited or anxious when it enters it consciously. This is why it is so important to time your WILD attempts properly. It will happen much much easier after several hours of sleep for example, during a WBTB. Your state of mind is really everything when it comes to success in WILDing.