When I was a teenager I experienced sleep paralysis several times; you do not want to. Not being in control of your body is horrifying.

The first few times this happened, there were no visual assosiations. The last time, however, a series of images appearered that were clearly not actually present because I could still see them when I closed my eyes. It was three images, one following after the other and they all seemed to be drifting towards me but never appeared to change location is space...if that makes sense. They weren't detailed images at all. They were the outline of a human figure, an open eye and a series of numbers, all of them white and transparent.

Each time was identical in sensation except for the images I saw the last time it occurred. I would just wake up as usual but when I went to move I couldn't. Then I would flush, feeling warm all over. I'm not sure if that was due to fright from the realization I was paralyzed, or if it is an effect of the sleep parylisis itself but it was probably the former.

Scared and confused I focused on one arm, I can't remember which at this time but I'm right handed so probably my right arm. I tried again to move it, to throw the blanket off me which felt like it was begining to be drawn tighter over my chest. It seemed so tight that I beleived I was being pulled down into my mattress. There was no pain assosiated with that sensation though.

I couldn't tell you exactly how long this would last but it wasn't long, likely not even over a minute. But I can tell you that not being able to move anything but your eyes while it feels like you're being pressed through your mattress seemed to last quite a lot longer.

It is an interesting phenomenon but is largely understood. It's basically you waking up during REM sleep before your brain relenquished voluntary control back over to your body. If your brain didn't inhibit motion during sleep, you would act out your dreams and that probably wouldn't be a good thing.This could also account for the things people see during this state because you are in a state inbetween sleep and wakefulness...but I'm not sure if that bit is fully understood.

If your brain didn't inhibit motion during sleep, you would act out your dreams and that probably wouldn't be a good thing.

I remember my mum complaining that my dad had kicked her very hard in the middle of the night. He told her he was playing rugby in a dream .

It is an interesting phenomenon though.

That sounds terrifying, but I'm still curious about it. I'd probably regret that curiosity the moment it happened.

Not sure whether to wish you luck or not... :p

But I get the morbid curiosity. It's an interesting phenomenon.

It's happened to me. Not in a while, but from when I was a kid to well into my 20s, it was a frequent occurrence. Sometimes it seemed to happen almost every time I'd sleep.

Never saw anything from what I can remember. Not sure why since it sounds like most people do. I usually heard unintelligible voices though. While those were always creepy, the single worst experience was the time it felt like someone was laying in bed next to me when I should have been alone. They weren't really doing anything besides laying there and whispering, but those sensations combined with the inability to turn over and confront them left me feeling weirded out for a while after I woke up.

That is very unsettling. Actually made me shiver a bit as I read that.

It happened to me a few times when I was a teenager. I don't really remember what I saw, but it was like I was caught between dreaming and being awake. Like I knew I was in my bed, and I wanted to get up, but I was still stuck in a dream state and was unable to move.

I have not had that happen to me, but I just wanted to say there's a Ray Bradbury anthology of short stories that has a painting on the cover, and the painting is apparently cited sometimes as a depiction of what people suffering from sleep paralysis experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_After_Midnight

This is about the painting itself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare

I know that painting! I didn't know the history of it, however. Thank you for sharing that!

That painting came up recently on Facebook, somehow. I don't remember exactly why the hell it came up, but someone was asking about it, asking if anyone knew who painted it. I knew, because of the Ray Bradbury book.

No wait, I just read Znep's comment and it made me remember. YES that has happened to me! Being unable to move, and feling caught between waking and sleep, and hating it... I didn't hear voices or see anything though.

Same as Tommix and Znep. Has happened to me a couple of times in the past but I don't recall any visions, just a feeling that I cannot move but it never lasted too long as far as I can remember.

No but I remember my cousin telling me a similar story. He also saw a creepy old lady. He was also in a state between sleeping and awake. He was in a situation when his life wasn't too bright though with lots of stress and perhaps some dark depressing thoughts.

I think of all the images people have said they've seen, the old lady would be the scariest to me.

Well years later he looked it up in a book about dreaming. Everything we dream, every object or being we see in there represents something. They are reflections of our emotions and experiences at that moment.

So to all, that replied are you aware that it's sleep paralysis while it's happening? Or are you not able to really think at that moment?

I'm really fascinated by this. I admit, it sounds scary as hell, but I am so curious about it.

Yes, at least somewhat. I've tried to move and knock myself out of it, usually by brushing my hand against what at the time I believe is my leg. It feels like I can only move my hand at a snail's pace though and I have no idea if I'm actually accomplishing anything.