AugustRaine

I too suffer from sleep paralysis. Stress and lack of sleep will bring it on. It is more severe if you lie on your back. I never fall asleep on my back. You have to just remember when you are having an episode to breath through it, and focus on getting a part of your body to move. I usually try to wiggle my toe, then I can get the rest of my body to move. It is basically the opposite of sleep walking. People who sleep walk have a switch in their brain that does not turn off when they are dreaming, thus they sleep walk. Sleep paralysis is the opposite. Our switch has a harder time turning back on. There is no harm associated with the disorder, but the panic that ensues at the time doesn't help the situation. The bright side, if their is one, is that if you have it frequently, then you are less likely to suffer from the hallucinations that come with a different form of it. It has been around for 100s of years and is documented even in Shakespear. It was also called the Old Hag Syndrome.....I believe anyway. I cannot remember if that is 100% correct, but you get the drift. Good luck with it, and know you are not alone on this one.

Well, one good thing is I do know what brought it on. I just don't know how to overcome the anxiety part. I lost my father when he was 28 years old. I was 7 at the time. When I had my son at the age of 24. I kept telling doctors that something was wrong with him. They didn't listen. 3 days later he quit breathing. He is fine now, but it reinforced those irrational fears that I have.

Hello everyone, I am new here and I have never been treated for my anxiety or whatever it is. I am a mother of 2 teenage boys, married for 15+ years, and anxiety has always been a part of my life. When I was younger (teens), it wasn't nearly as bad. As I have aged, it has progressively gotten worse. To the point that if my husband is 30 or more minutes late, I am afraid that he has been in a bad wreck or something. I have scary thoughts and scenarios that play out in my head. Since I have never been diagnosed, I am not even sure that I have come to the right place. I am just guessing this is my problem. I thought that a support group maybe a good place for me to start seeking some kind of peace. This may even be a long shot. I don't know. I have never used a site like this and am very hesitant about doing this.