First, a video from YouTube user Viper93000 recreating an episode of sleep paralysis he experienced.

Thus far, this is the most accurate portrayal of an episode of sleep paralysis I have found. Although this video clip does not show the fear experienced while one is paralyzed (well, maybe a little bit), it does allude to the psychedelic and possibly spiritual experiences SP can have.

Here are some of the symptoms of sleep paralysis I have experienced:

• Inability to move
• Tingling
• Pressure
• Levitation/falling
• Hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations
• Panic / Sense of impending doom
• Strange odors
• Noises
• Tastes

Let’s go into a bit of detail about each of those symptoms.

Inability to move

Just like it sounds. You literally are paralyzed, thus have no control of your body. However, the eyes still retain their ability to move. I believe this to be the link to what REM (rapid eye movement) sleep consists of, or rather why we move our eyes while asleep.

In Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge, he goes into detail regarding the sleep research he did at Stanford University. One section talks about the correlation between eye movement and where the dreamer is looking in the dream, mainly that his studies found the two to be linked (i.e. the direction the dreamer looks corresponds to the direction his eyes are moving).

You also have no control of your vocal cords while in sleep paralysis. You can try to scream, but no sounds will come out. Maybe you’ll be able to get out a squeak (or at least imagine you are).

Trying to regain control takes a lot of focus. I find it’s easiest to focus on one finger or to try to cough; that usually helps if you want to break free.

Tingling

Right before your body becomes fully paralyzed, you may experience a series of tingling vibrations, beginning from my toes and going up unto the top of the head. Others have reported a heat sensation that starts from the toes and goes up to the head.

I think this symptom actually feels pretty good but is mildly awkward. If you let yourself go, you may find that this tingling sensation feels somewhat like an orgasm (probably why I like it).

Pressure

It may feel like there is an immense pressure on your body (especially the chest) while experiencing sleep paralysis.

I’ve felt as if a ton of bricks were on my back (when sleeping in the prone position). I’ve also experienced the sensation of being underwater (such as ears popping and an overall pressure on my body). These were uncomfortable positions but not painful, at least not for me.

Levitation/Falling

This one actually feels pretty cool. It’s like your bed vanishes and you just start falling into a pit (well actually it can be quite scary in that case). Or you may find yourself levitating above your bed.

I’ve had pretty fun experiences once I got acclimated to the strange feeling of suddenly falling or levitating.

Visual hallucinations

This is the fun/scary stuff.

While experiencing sleep paralysis you may hallucinate. What you see while hallucinating is entirely up to you. Your personality and experience with SP will determine what the apparitions can be.

The first few experiences I had with sleep paralysis were terrifying, mainly because they happened unintentionally.

Once I “got stuck” and after about 5 seconds concluded that Death had condemned me. I saw a small, doll-like Grim Reaper fly through my wall and into my room. It was hovering around my bed until I closed my eyes. Suddenly, it was inches from my face staring at me with a blank white skeletal face. Oh the terror!

But on the flip side, I’ve also had many positive experiences with sleep paralysis.

Another time, after getting the tingling sensations and hissing noises, I focused my mind on positive thoughts, namely a girl very dear to me. I watched as my room transformed into a wooden villa situated on a pristine beach, staring at said girl. A feeling of ecstasy engulfed me. How could this be? She was right in front of my eyes! Every last detail perfectly represented. I spoke with her as I caressed her hair. After about 2 minutes the scene started to fade and I had to focus very intently to keep it from vanishing. This bought me some time but eventually I lost control and woke up.

Basically, I’ve realized that once in sleep paralysis, your mind can wander and your superstitions and fears can haunt you. If you are scared of aliens then you’ll probably imagine that you’re being abducted. If you believe in ghosts then a ghost will come and haunt you. This probably explains all the people who have claimed to have been abducted by aliens or have seen and been attacked by ghosts or other creatures of folklore (just a thought since I don’t necessarily subscribe to paranormal stuff).

Panic / Sense of impending doom

You may believe you actually died or that your death is approaching rapidly.

I believe the initial panic leads to the frightening hallucinations. The key is to stay calm when sleep paralysis presents itself, unless of course, you get a thrill out of being eaten alive by zombies.

Strange odors

You may smell phantom smells.

This hasn’t happened to me many times but a few times I smelled strange stuff; can’t really explain what I smelled so all I can say is they were strange. I believe if I were to focus on the sense of smell while in SP, I could possibly smell whatever I wanted (the same way you see things you think about).

Noises

During sleep paralysis you may hear buzzing, static or even high pitched frequencies (or anything for that matter).

I’ve heard voices before while in SP. I often realize I’m experiencing SP when I hear a phantom person say something to me then try to look but can’t move. It’s usually stuff I’m thinking about in my head and it suddenly makes the transition into being said aloud (but not by me).

More often I experience a series of buzzing and high pitched frequency noises.

This YouTube user, AKMetal666, posted a clip of the noises he heard during an episode of sleep paralysis (remember, this is one person’s representation of the noises heard).

Pretty intense stuff.

Tastes

Some people report tasting odd things while in sleep paralysis.

I normally don’t have a sense of taste while in SP (or at least I don’t taste anything strange). However, I’ve done a bit of experimenting and have found that it is possible to taste anything while in SP. I once just thought of sushi and instantly had the taste of salmon sashimi. I decided to push it one step forward and experience the sensation of eating wasabi, only to discover I could replicate it faithfully. I haven’t done too much more experimentation besides that but I’d imagine you can taste anything you desire while in SP.

These are the most common symptoms of sleep paralysis. If I missed anything please drop me a comment and I’ll be sure to include it.