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Originally Posted by jekylljuice
Thanks for the information, folks. I suppose that a shortage of oxygen seems a credible explanation for my misadventure, which may explain why biting onto the pillow only added to my stress levels. Lynnie: I usually try to incorporate some exercise into my daily routine, though I find it easier to do so during term-time when my lifestyle is a lot more active than when I?m here at home. I?ve also skimmed through a couple of sources on sleep paralysis pointing fingers at excessive caffeine-consumption ? if so, then maybe all those years of latte-binging have finally caught up with me. It probably wouldn't hurt the old circulation to start drinking more pure water.
It?s actually very interesting that the supine position should be the one most closely linked with sleep paralysis, because I?ve always found its exact opposite ? the prone position ? to be a lot more restrictive. I find it near impossible to sleep or even feel remotely relaxed when I?m lying on my front, as it usually produces the feeling that I?m being smothered. I also remember being tipped off once that it should be a lot harder to get properly relaxed whilst lying on your left side (the explanation being that it puts more pressure on your heart and circulation), though I?ve never really found that to be true in practice. Sleeping on my back or on my left seems to come a lot more naturally to me than sleeping on the front or the right.
I suppose I got off pretty lightly, all things considered. The experience was scary enough without an Incubus or an extra-terrestrial choosing to pay me a visit. 
That sounds to me like a phenomenon called lucid dreaming - when you realise in the course of dreaming that it's merely an illusion, which often gives you more of an advantage in dictating how the rest of the dream goes. The sleep paralysis aside, you're pretty lucky to be able to pull that off - I've been wanting to experience one for years, but it's never really worked out for me. |
I wouldn't try quitting caffeine "cold turkey"; that stuff is far more addictive than you may think, and you could wind up with a lot nastier feelings and experiences than sleep paralysis, like that feeling that someone has driven a railroad spike, heated white-hot, into your brain with a sledge hammer. If you have ever experienced a caffeine-withdrawal headache, it's about as bad as it gets without actually killing you. I've had experiences with sleep paralysis going all the way to my childhood, and it was MUCH worse as a child, when I didn't drink coffee and hardly ever drank soda(Kool-Aid and milk were the beverages of choice in our household). I drink STRONG black coffee and sugar-free energy drinks like they're going out of style now, but I only occasionally have experiences with sleep paralysis. With me, my emotional state at the time I go to bed seems to have more to do with it. If I'm upset, or just "wound up" over something, even something good, I'm more likely to experience it.
pitbulllady