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Breaking The Chains Of Sleep Paralysis: My Journey

 

I've come across numerous posts here about sleep paralysis, so I thought I'd share my own experience. My journey with sleep paralysis began shortly after I started working in 2008. Since the early days of my career, I've worked a variety of shifts - sometimes early mornings, other times late nights - and I believe that inconsistency in my sleep schedule may have contributed to my experiences. It wasn't long before I began facing bouts of sleep paralysis. The first two or three times it happened, I was absolutely terrified. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, unable to move, feeling a wave of panic wash over me as I struggled to regain control of my body.

At first, I didn't know what was happening. My mind raced with fear, and although I never saw any shadowy figures or sinister entities like many others have reported, the feeling of being trapped in my own body was scary enough. After those initial episodes, I gradually came to understand what was happening and learned to stay calm during these occurrences. The fear faded with time, and I managed to adapt, even if I couldn't fully prevent the episodes.

Interestingly, when I eventually moved away from shift work and established a more regular sleep schedule, the sleep paralysis stopped entirely. For several years, I didn't experience a single episode. But recently, due to my own negligence and disruptions in my sleep routine, it made an unwelcome return. I know now that it's directly linked to how well I manage my sleep patterns.

The reason I'm sharing my story is that I've noticed many people associate sleep paralysis with supernatural forces or evil entities. But in my experience, it's much more about how we take care of our sleep. I've never seen any entities or creatures during these episodes, which makes me believe this phenomenon has more to do with poor sleep hygiene and stress rather than something paranormal.

While this isn't meant to be a horror story, I do remember some intense nightmares during those periods. If anyone's curious, I can recall a few in vivid detail, but that's not really the point here. What I really want to emphasize is that many of the stories I've read lately about sleep paralysis focus heavily on the fear factor, portraying it as a deeply frightening experience connected to dark forces. In my opinion, it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, I've learned that with better sleep habits, sleep paralysis can often be avoided altogether.

It took me some time to figure this out, but once I made the connection between my sleep routine and the episodes, I took control of the situation. For anyone going through something similar, I'd recommend paying close attention to your sleep patterns. A consistent, healthy sleep schedule made a world of difference for me, and I'm confident it can help others too. Sleep paralysis may feel overwhelming in the moment, but with the right approach, it doesn't have to dominate your nights.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, MythBelieve, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Theomniscient (3 stories) (11 posts)
 
3 days ago (2024-10-09)
Thanks for sharing your story, it was really informative. I really appreciate it 😊
MythBelieve (1 stories) (7 posts)
 
2 weeks ago (2024-09-30)
[at] The_Last_Voyage_11 I agree, there have been numerous cases where people have described witnessing their own surgery, which makes me believe in spirits and the entire Hinduism is based on spirituality
MythBelieve (1 stories) (7 posts)
 
2 weeks ago (2024-09-30)
Sorry for the late response, but the whole point of what I wrote was, there's a fine line between genuinely experiencing a supernatural event and our minds playing tricks on us, something I realized when a close relative developed Alzheimer's alongside schizophrenia. He would see people and things where there was nothing but a blank wall. This has made me question whether ghosts truly exist, or if it's just our minds at work. Humans are known to see faces in random objects, like clouds, for example. When we enter an unfamiliar place, our fear heightens, and our senses become more alert than usual. Watching a horror movie, no matter how bad, is a perfect example - some part of our brain becomes more active. Prayers, too, often feel like a way to convince ourselves that things will be okay, even if they aren't necessarily connected to any divine intervention.

I enjoy reading ghost stories and do believe in spirits to some extent because unseen energies are often overlooked in modern science. However, we need a more logical approach to these topics, rather than immediately interpreting anything as ghost e.g. Most stories where people see shadows and think of them as ghosts.

Honestly, it's human actions that frighten me more than any ghost ever coups

[at] ladyglow: I agree and not fully deny the link between SP and paranormal, give that some people have given third person accounts of same

[at] Rajine ofcourse some SP can be very traumatic, I experienced one two weeks back and felt like someone pulled my blanket a little and I was in a hotel room but then I came to my senses and thinks settled down. Also one more experience where I experienced sleep paralysis inside sleep paralysis. But once it's over all of it feels like a bad dream
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (8 stories) (253 posts)
+2
2 weeks ago (2024-09-30)
Hello MythBelieve, great story! It's refreshing to see someone approach the phenomenon of sleep paralysis from a more curious and observational point of view.

I can offer another perspective that isn't quite as scientific. When we sleep at night, our spirit/soul tends to astral travel, (where it goes and what it does is a subject of speculation) while our physical body rests and recharges. When people consciously do this, they observe a cord attached to the body, it's what keeps the two connected.

When our soul/spirit returns, it reintegrates with the body, reenters it if you will. If the body wakes during this process, it can cause the symptoms associated with sleep paralysis.

Essentially the breakdown is: a person in astral form (spirit/soul) is half in and half out of the body when the body accidentally awakens before the process is complete. Since they still can see with their 'astral eyes' as it were, they can see all manner of spirits and entities as well as hear sounds not audible on the human listening range. Since they are not fully back in the body, they are also not connected completely to the nervous system and it seems as if they are paralyzed. They are at the moment in an energy body and a physical body but the two are not fully integrated.

Most people of course panic, the body and mind cannot comprehend what is going on and flashes Danger, Danger. This makes things worse as it slows down the person's reentry into their body. Not by much, but the spirit/soul/astral body perceives time differently than we do in our body. It's why the moment can seem to last forever. At some point, the soul/spirit is reeled back in completely and the person loses their extrasensory perception ability and the spirits and entities and sounds seem to vanish immediately and of course since they're back in their body they can move again.

This is basically what happens and many people report all kinds of experiences during these moments, though much if it can be tied back in the same way. You're right as to how your sleep habits actually connect with your experience. When you think about it, if you wake up at different times than you're used to, and at times your spirit/soul is used to 'journeying' than you would have such instances of sleep paralysis, as your body wakes up at times it's not used to and before reintegration is complete. Stress plays into it too, it's why people have it so much during stressful times, they typically wake up much more frequently and usually with anxiety already present.

Hopefully this helps in your understanding, and it sounds like you've already got a healthy perspective of the experience as it were, so stay curious and thanks for sharing!
Rajine (14 stories) (884 posts)
+1
2 weeks ago (2024-09-29)
For as long as people experience sleep paralysis, it will continue to terrify all of us, going through it can be very traumatic, some people believe that there's a more scientific explanation and some supernatural, me on the other hand am on the fence because I've experienced it both ways, so I believe that there's a fine line between the science and the supernatural.
lady-glow (16 stories) (3186 posts)
+1
2 weeks ago (2024-09-29)
Hello MythBelieve.

I really enjoyed your story, even though there are no ghosts in it.

I believe one should always try to think of all possible logical explanations before assuming an event to be paranormal in nature. Usually the scariest monsters are the ones a person makes with their mind.

Said that, I do not discard the possibility of a link between sleep paralyses and some paranormal encounters, specially in cases/places where paranormal activity has been documented.

I have randomly experienced SP several times in my life, not following any given pattern. On one of this occasions I felt, and actually saw, one of my cats climbing onto my bed, kneading the blankets and, lastly, seating on my chest; that was enough to end the SP. Then, when I tried to hug my cat, my hands went through his body and he disappeared once I was fully awake.

I'm not sure if I was dreaming or if my departed cat Tom came to help me to wake up. That was the last time I had SP... I wish I can have SP again just to see if my cat comes to my rescue.

Thanks for sharing.

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