Question: Since I was a kid I have been experiencing sleep paralysis, but I never knew what it was until I heard Dr. Sanjay Gupta talk about it on CNN.
In my case it occurred both when I have just fallen sleep and when waking up in the morning. The first time I can remember it happening, it was the most terrifying experience I ever had, and for years I was afraid to go to sleep.There was a period in my life when I suffered these episodes several times during the night. Most of the time there was someone there but I could not see his face. As he was approaching me, I would start to scream and try to move but nothing happened. It was like someone had cut my tongue, and paralyzed my body from head to toes.I struggled intensely, and just as I felt the man touching me, I would wake up covered with sweat and a racing heart.Over the years I thought something was terribly wrong with me. After learning what it was and doing some research, I have learned to control it and be less terrified since I know that it’s just a bad dream and sooner or later I’m going to wake up.