A few months ago, I have experienced the worse nightmare I've ever had as of now and it's so horrible and scary that I thought I might be going crazy. So, I finally found out that it is called Sleep Paralysis. I just want to share this for those who experienced this so that they would have the knowledge and educate themselves about sleep paralysis that it is just a horrible state of dream and nothing's harmful about it.

What is Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep Paralysis is a horrible feeling where you awake but still stuck in a state where you cant even move a muscle or talk. You almost feel frozen and the only think you do is just think.   Having to be or experience this state is extremely frightening on the dreamer, and some people report hearing and seeing things that are not actually there.  Some lucky people would experience this terrible feeling once or twice in there lives, but some don’t get off the hook that easy. A small percentage of people get stuck in this state several times a week. Sleep Paralysis can really spook you out and make you feel like you just hallucinated. Studies have found out that it is normal and causes no damage on the human body. Sleep paralysis can happen before you go to sleep or awakening up from REM sleep. The team to describe Sleep Paralysis before going to sleep is called “Hypnagogic”, and as your awaken up from REM its called “Hynopompic”. Sleep paralysis has other names that it can be referred to such as predormital, hypnologic, familial, and hypnopompic but all relate to the same issue.

Is Sleep Paralysis Dangerous?
Anybody who experiences “Sleep Paralysis” for the first time usually wants answers right away. They feel like they actually experience a nightmare awake. You wake up feeling like you were actually living in a bad dream for a couple of seconds or even up to a couple of minutes. As scary as it seems the good news is that nobody has even died from sleep paralysis or had any psychological issues. This is just a very scary and uncomfortable feeling that we never want to experience again. The worst part about sleep paralysis is that you feel stuck and have no idea why your frozen in this state. Some issues people who suffer from sleep paralysis have trouble getting a good night sleep in fear that it would happen again.  The more you learn and become aware of sleep paralysis the easier it gets when your trapped in that moment of hell. When you are stuck in sleep paralysis and know that you are and it would be over in a matter of seconds it helps calm the mind.  Most of the time the sleeper is awakened by a sound, a touch or snapping right out of the state.
Symptoms of Sleep Paralysis:

- Vivid images – feels like the dream of all dreams
- Hallucinations – people experience a large bug or insect trying to eat them
- A devil, demon or scary ghost is in your room
- Unable to breath – Somebody sitting on your chest or being suffocated by the covers
- Falling to the ground
- Life like sensations – Impending doom
- Smells
- Intruder in the room

Causes of Sleep Paralysis:
There is no exact cause on why some people get this horrible sensation called sleep paralysis. Its doesn’t matter if your male or female it all depends on the factors below that we listed. Sleep paralysis is very common and happens to 40% of the general population. You will find younger children experiencing this feeling then most adults.
Common Causes Include:

- Not getting enough sleep
- Drinking access alcohol
- Medical conditions ex narcolepsy
- Leg cramps
- Change in your sleep pattern
- Passed down from family
- Low levels of melatonin
- Change in your lifestyle ex eating habits etc….
- If you sleep on your back

How Can I Stop Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep Paralysis doesn’t harm or effect your body in anyway, but getting this can be quite traumatizing and wish you never got it again. Stress plays a big role when your dealing with sleep paralysis so make sure you take time to reflect things you need to change in your life. Have a look below for ways you can stop sleep paralysis from happening again:

- Change your sleep patterns. Get your 7 to 8 hours a night sleeps
- Your anxiety levels might be very high. Find out ways you can stop anxiety from taking over
- Change your environment around you. Did you make a sudden change in your life that’s not working out
- More likely to experience when you sleep on your back
- You might be depressed? Find ways to snap out of your depression
- People who suffer from Narcolepsy are more prone to sleep paralysis
- Check your family history. Most of the time your parents might have the same issue
- Work out at the gym or meditate

Source: Dreamdictionary

1. Every human dreams. There are tons of people who can’t remember their dreams when they wake up, but they still get them
2. Human beings spend roughly around 6 years of their lifetime dreaming
3. Sometimes we dream outside of our REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)
4. Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians were the first to create adream dictionaryin 4000 B.C.E
5. We roughly spend around 1/3 of our lives sleeping
6. People who suffer from apersonalitydisorderlack dream activity
7. Our brains tend to be way more active when we sleep, than when we’re awake
8. Humans tend to have around 3 to 7 dreams a night. We dream around 2 to 3 hours in a whole night
9. 90% of the dream is lost the first minute we wake up
10. Men tend to dream about men more than women, and women dream about people of both genders
11. Drug withdrawal can cause more intense dreams. People who also quit alcohol and smoking experience heavier dreams and nightmares
12. You can lucid dream for up to 30 minutes if trained properly
13. It’s impossible to dream when you’resnoring
14. Babies don’t dream of themselves until they reach the age of 3
15. More women than men experience deja-vu in their dreams (eg. you have been in the dream before)
16. People who experience Sleep Paralysis hear voices and see strangers in their rooms
17. Nightmares happen more to kids than adults
18. Blind people dream. Their dreams are auditory if they were born blind. If they became blind at an early age, they still dream of what they remember
19. Did you know around 100 000driversa year crash going in and out of sleep in their cars
20. Thousands of people suffer from sleep apnea in America
21. Men get erections in their REM sleep and women have an increased blood flow to their vaginas
22. You can translate over 5000dream symbols
23. The word “Nightmare” was used a long time ago for a female spirit who besets people at night while sleeping
24. On average, dogs sleep around 10 to 13 hours a day
25. The colder your house is, the worseyour dreamsare. They say that if your room is at an averagetemperature, you have better sleeps
26. Your body burns more calories sleeping than it does in the day time
27. Information that we learn before we go to bed tends to stick with us longer than information any other time
28. On average, cats sleep 10 to 15 hours a day
29. If you avoid your sleep for more than 10 days, you will die
30. A giraffe sleeps for only 2 hours a day