When Sleep Becomes a Prison: My Sleep Paralysis Story

Hey guys! Hope you're doing well. In this post, I want to share something that really scared me, my experience with sleep paralysis.

It started in 2023, on a quiet Saturday. I was alone, lying in bed, scrolling through Instagram. I fell asleep without even realizing it. Then, out of nowhere, it happened. I woke up, but my body was completely frozen. My mind was awake, but I couldn’t move a single part of my body. My arms, my legs, even my eyes, nothing worked. Panic hit instantly. I felt trapped, like something was holding me down. Then, as if by a miracle, my phone rang. The moment I picked it up, I woke up for real, like someone had unlocked a cage. My heart was pounding, and I couldn’t shake the fear. I quickly Googled it and learned that I had experienced sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis happens when your body is stuck between sleep and wakefulness. It only lasts a few seconds or minutes, but it feels like forever when it’s happening.

After that first time, I was too scared to sleep alone during the day. But one weekend, around 10:30 AM, I fell asleep again while scrolling through Instagram. And once again, it hit. This time, though, I knew exactly what was happening. I tried to move, tried to open my eyes, tried to grab the curtain beside me, but nothing happened. It felt so real, like I was really moving, but I wasn’t. I was still asleep. The fear came rushing back. It was terrifying.

That afternoon, I decided to ask ChatGPT about it. It told me sleep paralysis is common and usually caused by stress and a messed-up sleep cycle. But then, it told me something that made my heart race again: in some cultures, sleep paralysis is said to be caused by a daemon sitting on your chest. After reading that, I was even more scared.

There were a couple of other experiences in between, and each one left me feeling helpless. But over time, I learned one important lesson: Don’t panic. During my next sleep paralysis episodes, I stayed calm. I didn’t overthink it, and after a few minutes, my brain would fall back asleep. It wasn’t easy, especially when I felt stuck, but it helped. Still, I couldn’t help wishing someone was there beside me. The fear of being alone, trapped in my own body, made everything worse.

I also started adjusting my sleep cycle and reducing stress, and it worked. The episodes became less frequent. But just two weeks ago, it happened again. This time, I stayed calm, and after a few moments, I fell asleep again.

This is my sleep paralysis experience. Nothing to worry. Sleep paralysis is very common in India. Did you also experience anything similar? Then share your experiences in comments below.