Sleep paralysis

[jaycee444]

Ive had a few episodes of this lately and havent had a problem in the past so could it be to do with my being on a low dose now of Prednisolone ? (4mg). Im presuming it’s sleep paralysis and it’s a bit scary. I hear a noise when Im asleep and think Ive got intruders so I try to wake up and I cant . Im struggling to properly move my limbs but simply cant. When it eventually clears (think only 5 mins or so) I end up with a headache which lasts through the morning.

[SnazzyD]

It horrible isn’t it? I tend to get it if I’m failing to get into proper sleep and hovering in between sleep and half sleep with some awareness but not enough to think sensibly.

[piglette]

I have heard about people getting it in the media. It sounds quite frightening.

[Hightower62]

This sounds like a condition known as ‘old hag syndrome’, (look it up!). I used to experience this quite often in my late teens/early twenty’s.

I’ve only experienced it a couple of times in the past 30/40 years but for me it felt as though I couldn’t breathe and was suffocating which is quite frightening. These episodes were a long time before I started taking medication for my inflammatory illness so for me were not connected.

SnazzyD and yourself have described the onset of this horrible Syndrome perfectly, just as I experienced it & hopefully won’t again!

[Vaddy]

I also suffered from Old Hag ,when I was in my Teens ,now 78!. My Doctor at the time was a old wise man, he told me to go with it, don’t try and fight it, say to yourself it will go in a minute.

I eventually managed to do it, but it’s a horrible experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

[Lenore58]

I had multiple episodes of that when I was university-age. My dreams had a spiritual context and were very frightening. It’s disturbing to be having a nightmare and have a conscious awareness that it is a nightmare. I remember I used to say to my dreaming self, “Wake up, wake up; just move your arms and that will wake you up!” But as you say, you’re paralyzed. Sorry it’s happening to you, but I doubt if it has to do with the low-dose of prednisone.

[AtopicGuy]

It is totally normal to be paralysed during sleep: the medical term is 'muscle atonia'. We evolved the strategy to stop us falling out of comfy nests in the trees while we dream. The thing is, the paralysis is meant to cease before we wake up and try to move; especially if a sabre-toothed tiger comes sniffing around during the night!

Sleep paralysis is when there is a short delay in the process; it's usually a few seconds, and is rarely more than a few minutes. Being wide awake but still unable to move can be scary if you don't know why it's happening. It's really just your brain waking up while your body is still asleep; nothing more. The opposite condition - sleepwalking or acting out our dreams because we're not paralysed when we should be - is much more worrying.