Since this is my dream journal kind of, I also talk about when I get sleep paralysis. I should prolly explain what it even is if anyone decides to read this. There is a stage in your sleep where your body paralyzes its self. Sleep paralysis is when your body paralyzes its self but you are conscious.
I normally get it as I fall asleep. It feels e x a c t l y like when you're drifting off to sleep but have that short dream of falling and wake up. But that pit in your chest/stomach doesn't go away.
It can also happen as you wake up, which I believe is scarier. You wake up with breathing difficulties then open your eyes to reach for your phone but you can't move no matter how much strength you put into it. The reason I think this one is scarier is because I am super groggy and moody in the morning so every time I get it waking up I don't know what's happening.
In both situations, it feels almost as if something is sitting on your chest and limiting your ability to breathe. In some cases, you may even see something sitting on you. You can see random things and/or something you fear the most. Maybe your closet door opening and a shadowy figure slowly walking out. Maybe a ton of spiders crawling towards you. You can hear stuff too.
Of course, you can close your eyes and try to shut everything out. If you do this without freaking out, you may fall asleep into a lucid dream. A lucid dream is a dream where you are aware of your state and can pretty much control what you do in the dream. If you do fall asleep and realize you're lucid dreaming, stay calm. If you flip out, your heart rate will go up and you'll probably wake up. On the other hand, you can keep your eyes open to watch out for things. When it's over, you'll be awake and able to move freely.
There is a way to get out of sleep paralysis but it doesn't work all the time. Start by trying to move your toes and move upwards. Toes, ankles, legs, etc.
One more thing. Don't try to call for help, as nothing but a slight whisper comes out. lolol
I actually remember the first time I had it. In 7th grade ELA, everybody had to do a research project on different things. My teacher gave everybody a topic and I got sleep disorders. At first I was mad because I didn't want to do some boring project on insomnia or sleep apnea. He was kind of a bitch so he didn't let anybody switch topics.
I did some research on different sleep disorders and came across sleep paralysis and I was intrigued. Maybe a week after I started digging into the disorder, I had it. Super scary. At the time. I was like 13. I had it for maybe 3 days in a row? It's part of the reason I had insomnia. I don't think all the fucking monster I drank in middle school helped though.
My mom calmed me down a little, said she had it a couple times when she was my age. But not enough. Man, middle school me was a pussy. I wanted to go to a fucking sleep psychologist or whatever. Fast forward, I kept on having it. I still have it occasionally. I enjoy it a lot. Mainly because I can lucid dream and do shit yaknow
