What is Sleep Paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is a temporary inability to move or speak that happens when you’re waking up or, less commonly, falling asleep, according to the NHS.

Although you’re awake, your body is briefly paralysed, after which you can move and speak as normal. The paralysis can last from a few seconds to several minutes.

Sleep paralysis doesn’t cause you any harm, but being unable to move can be very frightening.

Some people have sleep paralysis once or twice in their life, while others experience it a few times a month or more regularly.

Sleep paralysis can affect people of all ages, but it’s more common in teenagers and young adults. Men and women are equally affected. 

They may prescribe an anti-depressant medication for a short period such as Clomipramine which is known to alter your REM sleep, and therefore help with reducing the paralysis and hallucinations.

Throughout my life I have always dealt with sleep paralysis and night terrors. At least that’s what I thought it was. They said I had suffered from PTSD at a younger age. I was 13 when they first diagnosed me. Im in my early 20’s now.

My dreams were all the same at first. The same black figure crawling through my window and wrapping it’s twisted hands around my neck trying to force what air I had struggled to inhale out of my chest. But when I got older they changed. There would be, what seemed like hundreds of shadowy figures in my room. They would just whisper, something they would say ” they’re coming” or “he’s watching”. Now I don’t scare easily, My movie collection is made up of only horror movies. And I’ve lived in the middle of nowhere surrounded by corn field my whole life. But the way they sounded terrified me. It’s like they were waiting for something to happen to me. They knew what was going to happen next.

This went on for a few months. I thought it was the medicine, sort of helping my sleep paralysis, but not really.

The first time I saw something while awake is one I will never get out of my head.  It was early afternoon I was up stairs watching Netflix in the living room with my two dogs. Half way through through my 6 episode of Supernatural. When I heard the garage door close downstairs. Thinking that I was just my mom or dad I didn’t think anything of it. After 10 minutes past and neither my mom or dad came up. I was a little concerned so I went down to see what was going on. Nothing in life can ever prepare you for what I saw standing in my garage.

 When I opened the door the the garage I saw it. The figure was black. With no eyes. I don’t mean it had black holes I mean it’s eyes were removed. You could still see nerves and tissue in the eye sockets. It arms were long and skinny. Its hands had claws, not like a bird’s or a cat,  they were straight not curved. And It’s legs were bent backwards.

I locked the door the the garage and  ran upstairs locking my dogs and myself in my bedroom. And frantically tried to call my mom and dad telling them what I saw in the garage. 30 minutes past before I saw my mom coming down the drive way. Thinking what might have been in the garage is still there I called my mom telling her not to open the garage door.

Running outside to meet my mom by her car I have her press the button to open the garage door. And there was nothing there… The creature I saw was gone. Thinking maybe it was hiding me and my found cautiously walked in the garage. But it was gone. The door was still locked from the other side. Feeling defeated and that nobody will ever believe me I start to head up stairs. That when I hear my mom yell for me. And what she found is still in that garage to this day. There were three deep scrapes and large footprints that were burnt into the cement.