Question: My name’s Hannah and I’m currently eighteen years old; my first episode of sleep paralysis happened about a year ago, and it’s happened many times since that day. When it happens to me, I can’t move, I feel like I’m going to suffocate (although I do keep breathing, I feel like I have absolutely no control of the breaths I’m taking), I can only make soft noises, and unlike many people I can’t open my eyes or move them at all.
After my first occurrence of SP, I did some research online and learned that it was not an unusual phenomenon, however; many of the techniques advised to help me wake up (for example moving small body parts, taking deep breaths, etc.) did not work for me in later occurrences (mostly because I can’t move even the smallest parts of my body or control my breathing). I, personally, have found that when I just relax and go back to sleep, I’ll soon wake up without the SP symptoms.It’s a terrifying experience the first time, but after you learn the technique that’s easiest for you to “wake up,” it’s manageable.