Sleep Paralysis:
Basically it is waking up (sometimes very briefly) in the middle of REM sleep, and is said to happen in about half the population at least once in an individual's lifetime.
I get it once in a while. Mine is due to heavy pain medications. It is not life threatening and is actual fairly normal, but it is one of the scariest experiences that I have ever had.
I just finally came out of one.
Today I was extremely exhausted. Frankly, I have been this exhausted over the last few days. I feel as though I may have run a marathon over the weekend.
Here is what my episode tonight consisted of.
I had been having nightmares all night. Being chased and having to flee and hide in this massive building. I finally got away and got home, and my mom was staying with me. She left the room though, and I went to go after her and talk with her. I could hear her talking but I couldn't move. And that's when (as far as I can tell), I 'woke up' mid REM. People explain sleep paralysis as literally waking up in a nightmare. That's what happened. I could see my dresser, but I couldn't move. I could see a couple of small lights coming from my Scentsy burner, but they were displaced and were out in the hall, and there was a shadow in my doorway. I knew - and told myself - that it was the usual shadow from my storage shelf, but I could not physically turn my head to see clearly. I couldn't move at all. I tried moving my feet and I tried moving my arms. I managed to grab my phone that was directly beside me, but when I tried to call for help, I could feel the phone in my hand, but when I looked at it, it was a blur. Not a blur like it was nonexistent, but the blur as though it was meant to be hidden from my sight even though I could feel it in my hand. I don't know moving my arm was a dream, real, or hallucination.
I could hear Decker moving around. I could feel the bed shaking violently - and I still do not know if Dex had gotten on the bed, if I was having some sort of convulsion, or if I hallucinated that part. I just remember feeling paralyzed and terrified and hearing an ominous sound from outside my bedroom.
I wanted to call out for help. I wanted to phone call for help. I could not move.
Then finally I saw Decker moving to the other side of me. This finally woke me up completely.
Now, of course, I am sitting awake, wide-eyed, not really wanting to go back to sleep.
Hallucinations, sleep paralysis, literally waking up in a nightmare and being completely incapable of moving.
This is going to make me lose my mind.