Sleep Paralysis

I "suffer" from sleep paralysis about 2 - 3 times a year since I was about 10 or so, though I wouldn't exactly call it suffering.

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which people, either when falling asleep or wakening, temporarily experience an inability to move. More formally, it is a transition state between wakefulness and rest characterized by complete muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It can occur at sleep onset or upon awakening, and it is often associated with terrifying visions (e.g. an intruder in the room), to which one is unable to react due to paralysis.

Via Wikipedia 

It sounds freaky, and it can be. I usually experience SP when waking up, but never when waking up when I need to (i.e. when my alarm goes off). It happens most often during a nap, and it usually takes a few moments for me to realize that I'm in some sort of dream-conscious state of mind.

But if you think about it, the act of sleep paralysis is actually kind of cool. Because you are awoken during REM sleep, you are experiencing it in semi-conscious form, and the natural paralysis caused by REM sleep.

So it may not be all that freaky, but it is frustrating. You can barely open your eyes, let alone move any extension of your body, and all you want to do is continue in real life the dream you were just experiencing (because you haven't quite yet figured out you're not truly awake, and that you were just dreaming). 

I've had to come to terms with the fact that there's not much I can do when experiencing SP, and that there's not much point to trying to fight it. So, I lay back down, say "screw it," and wait to wake up again normally. Some people say they can wake themselves up from SP, but that's their thing.

Before today's naptime SP, I'd been dreaming that I was going to make a collage for my boss, and wanted to send a mass message to coworkers to get pictures gathered together. When I half-woke, I wanted to reach for my phone, but realized I couldn't. I even tried to sit up. When I couldn't do that, I "caved" and went back to sleep. I then hallucinated my parents coming home, and was surprised to find they actually weren't home an hour later (when I actually woke up).

Have you ever had sleep paralysis? What did you do?

Welcome Back

Well, hello there. Hope your Easter went well, pain-free, and that you could enjoy your time with family. I felt pretty lazy all weekend, and wasn't really motivated to write about anything. But no news is good news, right? :)


Spring has been teasing us lately, but I think the hints of it in the air are helping me feel better in general. The larger and more regular amounts of sunshine are definitely giving me a mental and emotional boost.

The melatonin experiment didn't exactly go as hoped; I'd been taking melatonin for a few nights in a row, and was noticing less headaches in the mornings. It must have been a coincidence, because I haven't noticed any significant changes lately, and seem to be regressing back to where I was before. It seems that if I get less sleep at night (6 - 7 hours), I'm less apt to wake up with a headache. I can do this with no problem for a few days, especially if I'm getting a steady 7 hours every night, but eventually the lack of sleep starts to take a toll. But I'd still take being tired over having a headache.

How was your Easter weekend? We're you able to do everything you wanted to do, or make any new discoveries?

Melatonin

I wish I'd thought about using melatonin a long time ago, and that I would've known my boyfriend already had some stashed away in the medicine cabinet.

This past weekend was a long one: Working early every morning + a St. Patty's Day party at our apartment = stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Fortunately, I found the melatonin in the cupboard Friday night and had at it.

Normally, when I work early in the morning, I don't sleep well the night before. I get jumpy, like I'm afraid that I might miss my alarm (that, and I just dread the thought of working early). The melatonin helped me relax and drift off without freaking about my alarm going off in 5 short hours, and I was able to wake up without drowsiness or a headache!

That was the best part.

I don't want to take melatonin all the time, but it was great for the weekend and other instances like this one. Granted, I woke up with a headache again this morning (no melatonin last night), but at least I know there is a temporary solution to use while working on finding a permanent one.