5 ms·

About 15 or so years ago I had an operation on my arm following me breaking it in 3 places on my elbow (I was about 7 and fell off my bike without letting go of

About 15 or so years ago I had an operation on my arm following me breaking it in 3 places on my elbow (I was about 7 and fell off my bike without letting go of the handlebars). While not nearly as severe as a lot of the stories mentioned here, at one point into the operation I became aware. I couldn't feel anything thankfully, but I strongly remember just calmly working out that I couldn't move or sense anything. I probably would have started freaking out, but I suddenly felt myself become incredibly sleepy and I fell back under. I did have a very occational nightmare where I had a similar sensation of complete paralysis for a few years following it, but it took me a while to link that to the operation. I'm just incredibly greatful that I didn't become any more aware.

meric 14y ago
Did it feel like it lasted a few seconds or more like a few minutes? There are times when I 'wake up' during the night, but I feel paralysed and unable to move any part of my body. It only lasts a few seconds before I either fall back into a dream where I thought I woke up or I managed to move something and actually wake up.
- rallison 14y ago
  Sleep paralysis is actually pretty common, affecting around 6% of the population: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
  - meric 14y ago
    Yes, I want to see if it felt anything like it.
    - JoshuaRedmond 14y ago
      I think it was about 30 seconds or so, as it was long enough to realise that I was conscious and try everything to realise that I couldn't move. My experience of it in dreams doesn't seem to be sleep paralysis, as it was normally part of a bad scenario (i.e. the old hollywood thing of you being taken to cooking in a pot by canibals) where my paralysis made sense to the situation, but was part of a full dream that had lead to that point. I could be wrong, but that's the way I've interpretted it.
      - Chris2048 14y ago
        I've gotten the same thing, usually when sleep deprived. Often, during the paralysis, I experience weird things that are part of the dream-like state I'm in; The feeling of something like a cat thrashing and hissing on top of me, or a strange spider-like leggy thing being on top of me, or the sensation of being watched, surrounded or having something near me. This feeling disappears as soon as I can move.
        hcarvalhoalves 14y ago
        > Often, during the paralysis, I experience weird things that are part of the dream-like state I'm in; The feeling of something like a cat thrashing and hissing on top of me, or a strange spider-like leggy thing being on top of me, or the sensation of being watched, surrounded or having something near me. That's probably your primal brain freaking out for being paralyzed in the dark.

meric 14y ago

Did it feel like it lasted a few seconds or more like a few minutes? There are times when I 'wake up' during the night, but I feel paralysed and unable to move any part of my body. It only lasts a few seconds before I either fall back into a dream where I thought I woke up or I managed to move something and actually wake up.

rallison 14y ago
Sleep paralysis is actually pretty common, affecting around 6% of the population: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
- meric 14y ago
  Yes, I want to see if it felt anything like it.
  - JoshuaRedmond 14y ago
    I think it was about 30 seconds or so, as it was long enough to realise that I was conscious and try everything to realise that I couldn't move. My experience of it in dreams doesn't seem to be sleep paralysis, as it was normally part of a bad scenario (i.e. the old hollywood thing of you being taken to cooking in a pot by canibals) where my paralysis made sense to the situation, but was part of a full dream that had lead to that point. I could be wrong, but that's the way I've interpretted it.
    - Chris2048 14y ago
      I've gotten the same thing, usually when sleep deprived. Often, during the paralysis, I experience weird things that are part of the dream-like state I'm in; The feeling of something like a cat thrashing and hissing on top of me, or a strange spider-like leggy thing being on top of me, or the sensation of being watched, surrounded or having something near me. This feeling disappears as soon as I can move.
      - hcarvalhoalves 14y ago
        > Often, during the paralysis, I experience weird things that are part of the dream-like state I'm in; The feeling of something like a cat thrashing and hissing on top of me, or a strange spider-like leggy thing being on top of me, or the sensation of being watched, surrounded or having something near me. That's probably your primal brain freaking out for being paralyzed in the dark.