The Weirdest Shit Just Happened

[Rustee]

Alright, so I've had trouble sleeping all my life. I lie in bed for like two hours every night before I get to sleep, so I'm always tired. I go to bed around 10:30, lie in bed 'til around 12:30, then wake up at like 7.

I decided to try and get to bed real early because I have an exam tomorrow, so I went to bed at 8:30, and just turned the lights off and jumped into bed. I was lying on my back with both my arms stretched back and my hands tucked under my pillow. And my legs were like crossed over each other. Real comfy.

Then it started to get real dark, it was like my eyes were closing but they weren't. All of a sudden, I felt really relaxed. But I couldn't get up. I wasn't panicking or anything (and this wasn't lucid dreaming).

Then my head start spinning. It wasn't like vertigo or anything, I wasn't dizzy, my whole damn body felt like it was rolling around like a crocodile. It was like I was falling into a deep pit, and just rolling around as I fell. Every now and again it felt like I'd almost slip in unconsciousness (not a bad unconsciousness, just like I was about to fall asleep), but I'd always come back out of it at the last minute.

Then soon enough it wore off and I was just lying uncomfortably in bed.

So yeah any idea what the hell just happened to me?

Also, any tips for sleeping in general? What are your routines for going to sleep? It's frustrating as hell not being able to sleep.

 

[Murmel]

Sounds like some weird sort of sleep paralysis.

I also suck at going to sleep, I just think of a sentence like "empty your head" over and over. I say it all the time in my head until I fall asleep, and as soon as I start thinking about other things I force myself to think about the sentence again.

 

[Jakke]

Sleep paralysis, a not too common, but natural occurence. The body enters a state of paralysis when we sleep (otherwise we'd act out our dreams), but sometimes it backfires and people are semi-awake when it happens. Since we are half asleep, we can also hallucinate. It's most likely from sleep paralysis that stories about alien abductions, succubi, witches and demons come from.

There is not really way to avoid this, as it is random, but going to sleep at a resonable time is a way of minimizing the risk.

 

[Oddkid]

Yeah, as said, sleep paralysis. I have trouble sleeping too, i think its something that's pretty common these days. It's a real shame really, its like the way average life is these days stresses everyone out one way or another. I feel for you man.

 

[Fiction]

I just go to bed and stop thinking, It takes me probably 30 minutes to fall asleep normally, but it's not that my minds clouded with thoughts, just happens.. But when I go to bed it's sure as hell not to get caught up on whatever is happening in my life, so I tend to just think of nothing.

Do you read? you should read!

A dimly lit room and a good book is perfect to put me to sleep as well.

 

[flexkill]

When you go to bed, think of anything but actually sleeping. If you lay there thinking of sleeping you will never sleep. I put some cool tunes on and drift away.

I don't know how old you are but if I'm having real trouble I drink a beer...helps a lot.

 

[splinter8451]

This sort of happened to me once but not as severe as you described

I woke up around 3-4 AM in bed because the cat wanted in the room and he was banging into the door. I was on my back laying flat arms at my side. I tried to sit up and I couldn't move at all, just my head sort of lifted up. So I was like shit guess I'll use my arms to get up. Nope arms won't move. I would have started freaking out at that point but I had read about sleep paralysis before so I knew it was just a thing that happens

So I laid there until I felt my body wake up and then I got up and let the cat in

 

[straightshreddd]

Is this sleep paralysis?: I woke up yesterday for like 10 mins and started falling back asleep. As I was drifting back into unconciousness, I started dreaming that I was walking through a field and I walked into a long line of very strong, sticky spider web. It felt like spider web/fishing line. I couldn't get it off me and I couldn't break it and a huge spider started climbing the web towards me at a very fast speed. I yelled briefly as I fully came to.

My sleep pattern has been atrocious lately and this occured while I was beginning to drift off, not when I had fallen back asleep. I was still kind of awake so I'm just wondering if this is also considered sleep paralysis. It was rather intense.

 

[Rustee]

I just go to bed and stop thinking, It takes me probably 30 minutes to fall asleep normally, but it's not that my minds clouded with thoughts, just happens.. But when I go to bed it's sure as hell not to get caught up on whatever is happening in my life, so I tend to just think of nothing.

Do you read? you should read!

A dimly lit room and a good book is perfect to put me to sleep as well.

I used to read so much, but not anymore. It seems like the more schoolwork I get, the less time I actually have to read a nice book. I really should get back into it. But I have about five weeks of high school left then I'm all done. And three months of holidays so I'll have plenty of time then.

 

[Robrecht]

I've experienced sleep paralysis too a couple of times. Simply put, the switch that connects your brain to your muscles is off (as it's supposed to be when you’re sleeping, to prevent you from moving around), but your consciousness is awake. They usually catch up with each other quickly. It also happens the other way around: sleepwalking!

I've had the other thing a couple of times as well, the sensation of actually spinning around. It's very weird. I don't know what causes it exactly, but in my experience it's connected with extreme fatigue.

Sleep paralysis is said to be a possible source of the incubus/succubus myth, where people reported being visited in their bed by a demonic presence (male or female, respectively) which sat on their chest, immobilizing them, and performed some kind of unspeakable act of a sexual nature. So hey, you might get lucky next time!

 

[Fiction]

Yeah I don't read anymore for the same reason, but its the easiest way for me to get that straight away falling sleep feeling.

 

[larry]

Fap, or hump your girl. seriously, after ejaculation the
male brain produces hormones that basically make you
relax/sleep.

 

[wrongnote85]

just get in bed, turn off the lights, close your eyes, and listen to Burzum.

 

[ZEBOV]

I take a sleep aid to go to sleep. If I don't, I'll be awake for about 24 hours straight, sleep for 1 or 2 hours, be awake for another 24 hours, sleep for a couple more, repeat. The sleep aid doesn't always work though. There was one week in particular where I was awake for 5 days straight despite taking sleep aids, and I ended up injecting a tranquilizer into myself and slept for 22 hours. Since my bladder couldn't hold it in for that long, I pissed myself.

 

[flexkill]

I take a sleep aid to go to sleep. If I don't, I'll be awake for about 24 hours straight, sleep for 1 or 2 hours, be awake for another 24 hours, sleep for a couple more, repeat. The sleep aid doesn't always work though. There was one week in particular where I was awake for 5 days straight despite taking sleep aids, and I ended up injecting a tranquilizer into myself and slept for 22 hours. Since my bladder couldn't hold it in for that long, I pissed myself.

You win, your sleep habits are even metal!

 

[MythicSquirrel]

Definitely sleep paralysis, happened to me once when I was on vacation. It felt like my body was being submerged in water, and I couldn't move or anything, and then the scenery around me changed from a drab hotel room to an outdoor pavilion. Then some birds flew off the top of the pavilion and it felt like the water was flowing off my body and then I "woke up" despite being very conscious throughout the whole ordeal.

Before I sleep I always listen to a couple ambient songs and give a half-assed attempt at meditating. Usually helps falling asleep.

 

[BlackMastodon]

Something like that happens to me every now and again and I just assume it's me about to fall asleep but as soon as I realize that it's happening I kind of snap out of it and am awake again. Whenever I work day shift or need to go to bed early I always just lay flat on my back and make sure my limbs aren't touching each other (for some reason I can't fall asleep if my hands or feet are touching a wall or each other) and just slow down my breathing with long deep breaths until I am very relaxed. I usually know this is working when I can barely feel my arms and legs. I just lay there almost perfectly still for about 10 minutes and then I'm out like a light.

 

[Skyblue]

Happens to me too every once in a while, though not exactly in the same way I guess... I get the whole dizziness and vertigo-like feeling, like the whole world starts spinning, but I can move freely and there's no paralysis. So I'm afraid I can't give much advice about that...
About helping you sleep, when I was younger and had trouble sleeping I started reading before trying to fall asleep (I read in bed, so when I felt tired I'd just turn off the light and close my eyes) and that helped a lot. Another thing was something my mom thought me I guess, basically, just lie on your back, arms and legs free and relaxed by the side of your body (don't cross them or anything) and then just focus on your breathing. Don't think of anything besides breathing in and out. if you can, don't even think about that, and just clear your mind.
I know it's not easy to do at all (these days I just can't do it), but when I did manage to do it I slept great.

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

I get sleep paralysis almost every night as a side-effect of medication I take and its pretty scary every time. Last week I thought I heard my little brother screaming for help and I tried to get up but had sleep paralysis. Shit is horrible. I've tried everything to minimize the chance of it happening but at best I only get a few days with out it.

 

[ZEBOV]

You win, your sleep habits are even metal!

But to be honest, I don't think I get sleep paralysis. I'm occasionally in a state of subconsciousness when trying to sleep, but I'm sort of awake and I know what's going on around me and I can move.