Pinned Down in Bed

For the past three nights I have been experiencing this pinning down and it is really starting to scare me. The first time it happened was Friday morning at about 6.15am, just before I was about to get up.

My dog had woken me, at about 5.30am, barking to be let out of the kitchen so that she could come upstairs (which she does from time to time, but hadn't done for a while) I went back to bed and was laying on my back, all of a sudden I felt as though someone was laying on top of me or the duvet was being stretched down evenly over me, I couldn't move or speak. I managed to cough quietly and the pressure lifted, almost instantly. I laid there too scared to move for about ten minutes, then reached for my mobile phone to see what the time was and it felt as though someone kicked the end of my bed. I leapt from bed and put the light on and ran downstairs.

The next night I had the same feeling of the pressure about 4 separate times, but couldn't be sure whether I was dreaming it or not, so didn't get too worried.

Last night however I woke at about 4.48am and put my light on rolled over, turned the light back off and went back to sleep. At 5.19am I woke to this pressure again (it was just on the top half of my back this time, I was laying on my front) and I was fighting for my breath as I woke. I managed to switch my bed side lamp on (I had gone to sleep with the switch in my hand) seconds after the light went on the pressure lifted.

I laid there for a few minutes, with the light on, but started to feel really un-easy. I went downstairs to sleep in the living room with our dog for a couple of hours, with no interference, then decided to go back to bed (with the curtains open as daylight was breaking). I was woken at about 8.00am by the pressure again which seemed to keep varying in strength from the strongest I had felt to barely anything, then it got stronger, then weaker, stronger again and then lifted all together.

I'm feeling really apprehensive about going to bed tonight and would appreciate any advice.

Also I took a photo in my room last night and could see two very feint circles of light, I don't know if there is any connection here.

We have lived in this house all of my life, I am 24. There hasn't really been anything like this before, although my sister did think she saw a dark shadow watching over her one night, but she only experienced this once about two years ago.

I have had the occasional nightmare in the past and woken all sweaty and breathing heavily, but always assumed that was pretty normal.

I'm really into rock and metal music and I do like horror films. I had been to a gig of a gothic metal band two nights before the first experience. Does anyone think there could be any connection to this perhaps? Have I somehow attracted whatever is causing these experiences with the music I listen to?

I do get scared that 'it' may win, so to speak, it is getting quite persistent.

My mum has had strange experiences when she was around the age I am now, but not the same sort of thing.

Please help if you can.

P.S. My parents never got around to getting me christened as I was the fourth child, my older siblings were all christened.