Waking up with sleep paralysis: anyone else?

maxur said:Just about fifteen minutes ago, I was posting about my experiences on another forum. After doing a little digging on Google, I stumbled upon this place by accident, so I figured I’d share what I wrote there with you all. C/P of my recent post: 😉

............

I tried my best to lay it all out clearly. I really hope someone reading this can find themselves in these words—and more importantly, I hope they don't feel like they're losing their minds if they've been feeling this way too (just like I was only a few months back 😁). It turns out this is actually a fairly widespread phenomenon that hasn't quite received a definitive explanation yet 😁

If I had to describe the experience I've had multiple times, I would do it in the exact same way I did above. It’s honestly hard to believe how perfectly what I went through aligns with these details... it's surreal to realize I was using the same exact words to describe this phenomenon to other people!!

maxur said:About fifteen minutes ago, I was typing out my experiences on another forum, did a little bit of Googling to see if anyone else felt the same way, and somehow stumbled upon this place. So, I figured I’d just share what I wrote there with you all, so here is a copy-paste of what I just put down 😉

I actually came to this forum specifically looking to start a thread about this, but it turns out someone beat me to it. 😁

I deal with this phenomenon quite frequently, and it wasn't until a few months back that I actually went looking for answers online, only to find that other people's accounts match mine almost perfectly. It usually plays out something like this...

First off, I should mention that this happens most often when I take a nap during the day and then try to go back to sleep at night, usually while lying on my back. Often, right before it hits, I get that sensation of falling as I drift off, which tends to spike my anxiety 😁. But moving on... so, I'm slowly sinking into sleep. The best way to describe it is being stuck in that weird gray area between dreaming and being awake; instead of slipping into unconsciousness, my brain stays completely alert and hyper-aware of everything. Essentially, my body has physically fallen asleep, yet I am fully conscious of it. Sleep paralysis is a documented thing—it’s basically the body's defense mechanism to prevent us from actually acting out our dreams, like running, so we don't waste energy or hurt ourselves. So, there I am, fully aware of my own body and the fact that I am paralyzed. But that’s when the "Old Hag" phenomenon kicks in. This intense wave of fear washes over me, and I feel a presence—the easiest way to put it would be an entity. It sounds silly or even ridiculous, but no matter how many times I've gone through it, the feeling is always identical: I feel something else there, and it feels inherently negative, something malicious that wants to cause harm. For some inexplicable reason, in those moments, I have this desperate urge to open my eyes, though I’ve never had a witness to confirm if I actually managed to do it or not. But that’s where the worst part begins. As soon as I try to force my eyes open, this buzzing sound starts—something I can only describe as terrifying because it amplifies the fear and feels like it's literally coursing through my body. That sensation feels like a sharp, intense electrical current, and it gets louder and more painful the more I struggle to open my eyes. I’d describe the pain as a kind of energy surging through me, straining my very nerves. In those moments, there's always this recurring thought—this feeling that if I keep fighting the paralysis, I might actually damage myself, both physically and mentally. It’s incredibly difficult to articulate, but I’m trying to use terms that come closest to what I actually experience. Basically, any attempt to resist—moving a hand, a leg, or even just trying to pry my eyes open—results in that electrical surge of pain and that buzzing, making it feel as though I'm hurting myself. Again, I want to emphasize that I am fully conscious of myself and my surroundings; this isn't a dream. At one point (though I can't say for certain if it actually happened), I manage to crack my eyes open just a little, and that's when the hallucinations start. Instead of seeing my room clearly (or rather, the ceiling, since I'm on my back), various images begin to overlay onto my vision. Sometimes they are objects, sometimes faces, but the strangest part is how seamlessly they blend into the actual scene of the room. Throughout the whole ordeal, I'm experiencing something that, in a traditional American religious context, I’d most easily describe as a demonic possession, because alongside the pain, there's this sense of a negative identity trying to exert control over me. It all sounds like an incredibly vivid dream, but the unbelievable part is that when I read accounts from people all over the world, the descriptions, the sensations, and the visions are absolutely identical! The only real difference seems to be the culture we live in, which dictates how we label the entity. In the West, we use the term "Old Hag" to describe the figure that seemingly sits on your chest and prevents you from moving. Since the paranormal imagery I'm most familiar with comes from a Christian perspective, I tend to view it as something akin to being possessed by a demon, though of course, I don't literally believe I'm being possessed; I'm just interpreting how it feels.😁
All in all, we’re talking about something that can drag on for several minutes, accompanied by this intense, piercing pain where any attempt to fight against it just makes everything feel infinitely worse. So, how does one actually break free?

When I went through this during those first few times, I was honestly shell-shocked; my reaction was hovering right on the edge of a full-blown panic attack. Now that I’ve had plenty of experience with it, I tend to approach it with a much more laid-back attitude, though all those symptoms mentioned above remain completely unavoidable. Anyone who has been through this has felt that singular, overwhelming urge to just wake up as fast as humanly possible! But here’s the catch: you aren't going to wake up by straining, by "fighting the entity," or by trying to force your eyes open through sheer willpower.
The trick, if you can call it that, is to squeeze your eyes shut even tighter, surrender completely, and let both your body and mind go limp; you have to stop dwelling on the situation you're trapped in and instead try to actually fall back asleep in that hazy threshold between being awake and dreaming. If you can relax enough to let go of every stray thought and just drift off, within moments you’ll find yourself awake, and that pain and ringing in your ears will vanish instantly. As for the fear—well, when you're experiencing this for the first time, you'll be too terrified to even consider closing your eyes. It even happened to me once where the whole thing repeated itself just as I was drifting back under. Once you gain some "experience" with it, that fear eventually fades away during the waking process.

I tried my best to lay it all out here, and I really hope someone finds themselves reflected in these words, so they don't feel like they're losing their minds if they've been feeling this way—just like I was until just a few months ago 😁. It turns out this is a fairly widespread phenomenon that still hasn't quite received a definitive explanation 😁

heh, I can't believe someone else is going through the exact same details that I am. I'm 17, and this started happening to me about two years ago. Nowadays, it hits me practically several times a week, usually during afternoon naps after school, which I suspect is due to stress. To me, it all makes sense—the REM stages and that half-asleep state and all that—but I just don't get why there's this constant ringing in my ears, or WHY everyone starts hallucinating creepy stuff like witches or boogeymen and such. 🤷

It’s what people call sleep paralysis...
There isn't some magical cure for this, nor is there a definitive medical explanation that settles the matter once and for all...
It shows up quite frequently in those suffering from narcolepsy, a specific sleep disorder...

There is no need to spiral into a pointless panic! 😉

So, this has been happening for about six months now. I wake up and—bam—completely paralyzed. My whole body just tightens up from the inside. It usually passes in like thirty seconds, but at first, I was freaking out like, "What the hell just happened?" Then I did a little digging online and realized it’s actually pretty common—basically my body lagging behind my brain, not realizing I'm already awake and conscious. It’s happened a few more times since then, always the same thing: can't move, some tingling sensations... though instead of panicking like the first time, I just kind of roll with it and enjoy the "spiritual awakening" vibe. Until just now. That's why I'm posting. I was exhausted, so I laid down thinking I'd grab a quick hour of sleep before getting stuff done. And what happens? I wake up in that half-asleep state, ready to get up, but nope. Nothing. It starts to pass slowly after about half a minute, I'm finally moving my hands and feet, and then suddenly—round two. But this time, it was brutal. The tightening was so intense my tongue went numb and I felt like my lungs were going to explode. I seriously couldn't catch my breath. So yeah, back to feeling like I was meeting my maker.

I feel like a new man now, well, by my standards anyway. But that second round was a whole new level of this "sleep paralysis" phase. Just wondering, is there actually reason to worry here? 🙂

Matthew Anderson4 said:So, this has been happening for about six months now. I wake up and—bam—completely paralyzed. My whole body just tightens up from the inside. It usually passes in like thirty seconds, but at first, I was freaking out like, "What the hell just happened?" Then I did a little digging online and realized it’s actually pretty common—basically my body lagging behind my brain, not realizing I'm already awake and conscious. It’s happened a few more times since then, always the same thing: can't move, some tingling sensations... though instead of panicking like the first time, I just kind of roll with it and enjoy the "spiritual awakening" vibe. Until just now. That's why I'm posting. I was exhausted, so I laid down thinking I'd grab a quick hour of sleep before getting stuff done. And what happens? I wake up in that half-asleep state, ready to get up, but nope. Nothing. It starts to pass slowly after about half a minute, I'm finally moving my hands and feet, and then suddenly—round two. But this time, it was brutal. The tightening was so intense my tongue went numb and I felt like my lungs were going to explode. I seriously couldn't catch my breath. So yeah, back to feeling like I was meeting my maker.

I feel like a new man now, well, by my standards anyway. But that second round was a whole new level of this "sleep paralysis" phase. Just wondering, is there actually reason to worry here? 🙂

Thank God it didn't happen to me like fifteen years ago.😁
I didn't get any numbness or anything like that. It was just straight-up total paralysis. I was wide awake, fully conscious, but the only thing I could move was my eyes. I kept trying to call out to someone, tried to force my mouth open, but no matter how hard I fought, I couldn't make a single sound. Just a complete, terrifying blackout for a few minutes. Absolutely brutal.😢
Could be some kind of sleep disorder or whatever. If this has been messing with you for months, I’d be you—just head straight to a doctor. Better safe than sorry, right?👍

Man, just thinking back on it...
I haven't dealt with this in at least five years, but when I was going through that phase, it was nasty..
The whole thing—I'd wake up, fully conscious, but my body wouldn't move a muscle.. and everything hurt, just tight.. like tiny thorns. It felt like I could actually feel my own circulation, and every pulse or pump through my veins just felt stronger, more painful, more intense.. and all I could think about was how much I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.. or how I wanted to run, but I couldn't..
When it happened for the first time, I honestly thought I was being abducted by aliens 😬 🤣
I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or if I was actually awake.. I'd just stare around the room.. watching the clock.. minutes passing by.. it was terrifying 😲
I did some reading on the subject later and saw that it’s actually pretty normal and harmless, but I absolutely hated the sensation.. I knew exactly when it was "starting to happen"
The only way I found to get out of it was to focus entirely on waking up my body.. trying to move just one small thing or forcing my brain to kickstart everything back to life..
It was a total nightmare, honestly..
It used to hit me quite a bit from ages 15 to 25.. it came in intervals.. sometimes nothing for months or years, and then a few times in a single month..
Thankfully, it's been a long time since it last happened 🙏

If anything helps you figure out why—it usually happened most often when I had overslept or when I was chronically exhausted 😉

I dealt with this stuff all the time when I was a kid, but once I hit adulthood, it completely vanished.

There was no internet back then, obviously... and I never told my mom about it either. I can't even be sure if I thought to tell her; I just assumed it was my own private struggle and left it at that.

I’d just lie there with my eyes wide open, doing nothing while tears streamed down my face from pure frustration and helplessness.

It’s pretty unsettling, honestly—that moment when you finally manage to twitch a hand, then a leg, and then...👋

First off, I’m not trolling—though I realize how hard that is to swallow. Believe me, I know.

Anyway, about ten minutes ago, I laid down and drifted off, but it wasn't exactly sleep. It was more like total paralysis. Suddenly, this strange energy started surging through my body toward my head while I remained completely frozen. My teeth even started chattering—just a few seconds of being stuck there, unable to move. It was a terrifying sensation. The same thing happened earlier this afternoon, though it felt more like my whole body was tingling. I've had similar experiences before where I was paralyzed during sleep and fully conscious, but there were no physical symptoms like the teeth chattering or the tingling—it was more like being tortured mentally. It's hard to put into words, but it's a foul feeling.

If anyone actually knows what the hell this could be, I'd appreciate it.

Well, we finally got them: :zubo : what a relief. I just hope I don't have to deal with this kind of mess again—having six of them out of ten people is more than enough for one lifetime.

So, this happened to me for the first time last night. I'm 24. Basically, I straight up pissed the bed 😱. First, I was in this weird half-awake state with my ears just absolutely pounding, and then after maybe 10 or 20 seconds, total paralysis hit. It lasted about half a minute. The only thing crossing my mind was grabbing my phone from behind my back and dialing 911 🤣 🤣, but I couldn't even twitch. Once it passed, I had no clue what just happened. I just gripped my phone and laid there for maybe two hours because I was too terrified to even try closing my eyes again. Man, I really hope this isn't a recurring thing 🙂
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By the way, I was sleeping with headphones on, which isn't really my usual thing—just some low-volume jazz playing. Sometime during the night, I woke up halfway and pulled them off my ears, and shortly after that, this whole nightmare started 😁
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Has this happened to any of you guys before? Was it less terrifying when it happened again, and were you actually aware of what was going on while it was happening?

Oh, and for the record, I didn't even dream.

I honestly don't even know where to start. I’ve been jolted awake four times now, and here I am, sitting in front of my computer, just staring at the screen and wondering what on earth to do about this... It’s hard to describe. These tremors pass through me, a weird mix of reality and dreams, and it usually happens right when I realize there’s an "intruder" in my dream. That’s probably the best way to put it. Four times in a single hour... it's enough to mess with anyone's head. During the third time (I think), I actually got some advice on why this might be happening. In the dream, this pleasant girl told me it might stem from some unresolved issues in my life 🙂. This isn't my first rodeo; I thought I had learned how to live with it. I convinced myself sleep paralysis was just a normal thing, maybe even a little bit interesting at times. But this time feels different. I fall asleep, the dreaming starts, and then this figure appears—someone who just doesn't belong, someone doing something wrong or looking completely out of place. I can never see their face. As soon as I notice them, the struggle begins. I wouldn't even call it sleep paralysis anymore; it feels more like a desperate attempt to wake up or break free. The last time, I just lost it and started shouting at the figure, and the craziest part was that it shouted back twice as loud. Not even words, really—just this echo, like you're trying to yell at an animal. It was intense... The only solution I can see right now is to turn on the TV and try to drift off that way, since I have work in the morning and I have to get moving. Anyway, I’ve wasted an hour just typing this out and scrolling through things online 😁. Now that I've had a good cry 😉, I wanted to ask the reason I actually came here. Does anyone else who deals with sleep paralysis also have trouble waking up in the morning? I’m struggling with it, and I wonder if they're connected.

I’ve been dealing with this crap for ages, and honestly, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone because I didn't want them thinking I was losing my mind. 🙂

The first time it hit me, I was maybe 12 or 13. I was absolutely terrified—I literally ran straight to my mom crying, telling her that while I was sleeping, someone was trying to steal my soul. 🙂

Back then, she hadn't heard of anything like it either, so the very next day she went to talk to our local priest. He just told her to put a cross by my bed, say a prayer before sleep, and not to worry. That calmed me down for a bit, but then it happened again soon after. 😢

It’s kept happening all through my life up to now, and I'm 26. Sometimes it happens more often, sometimes less.

And it varies too—sometimes it’s super intense and lasts forever, other times I snap out of it fast. 🙂

Sometimes I can actually sense it coming, so I just stay awake to avoid it.

Anyway, everyone has already covered the basics: total body paralysis. I can never manage to open my eyes, even though I’m totally certain I can see everything in the room exactly as it is.

One time, I actually managed to pinch my boyfriend while I was stuck in that state; he was lying right next to me, wide awake. I was hoping he’d save me 🙂, but he had no clue what was going on—he just thought I was pinching him because I was being affectionate. 🙂

Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting off some kind of evil presence, so I try with everything I've got to force myself awake. But then that buzzing sound—which someone described perfectly earlier—gets so unbearable that I just have to let go. The worst part is the feeling that if I don't fight back, I'm basically surrendering to evil forces. 🙂

I guess that’s why I told my mom way back then that my soul was being stolen. 🙂

To be fair, I'm pretty used to it by now. It doesn't freak me out like it used to; I know it'll pass, so I just relax and wait for it to let me go so I can finally get some sleep.

Man, that’s intense. I was already thinking if this keeps up, I might need to go see a therapist or a priest.

It happened to me four times. The first time was ages ago, and I was dead certain I’d had some kind of supernatural encounter. Then it hit me three times in a single month. By the fourth time, I finally figured out what was happening and tried to take control. It worked once, but how am I supposed to keep this up? For me, it’s triggered by exhaustion and stress. I deal with insomnia and stuff like that anyway. Then, around 2 or 3 in the morning, I get stuck in this limbo state. That’s when the paralysis hits: it feels like someone is sitting on my chest, I can’t breathe, I can’t move, and I can’t even scream. I don't have hallucinations, and it’s honestly terrifying seeing everyone on these forums posting about how this happens because of this disorder.
So, here’s how I manage it: I love sleeping on my stomach, and that’s exactly how it caught me. Now, I always sleep with one leg tucked out so I can flip over fast when it starts. I make sure to have hot milk before bed. I don't sleep alone, either. I know, sounds stupid, but I don't want those demons creeping up while I'm by myself 😢. I try to stay active and get some fresh air. I try not to let anything rattle me. You know that feeling when it's 3 AM, you head to the bathroom, and you start sniffing the air to see if there's a smell of smoke...? Yeah, no thanks!

Kenneth Vaughn73 said:If I had to describe the experience I've had multiple times, I would do it in the exact same way I did above. It’s honestly hard to believe how perfectly what I went through aligns with these details... it's surreal to realize I was using the same exact words to describe this phenomenon to other people!!

I'm with you on that... there was a stretch where it felt constant, but lately, things have quieted down. Let's hope it stays that way.

Honestly, finding out that I’m not the only one going through this makes things feel a little less heavy... though it doesn't exactly make the experience any better. For me, this has been happening for three or four mornings in a row now—just one of those mornings where it hits me three or four times back-to-back every single time I try to drift back to sleep. It’s like I’m completely paralyzed, unable to move an inch, while this incredibly loud, jarring noise rings in my ears... it's so intense that you can't help but feel terrified. I usually manage to jerk myself awake after about 20 seconds or so, but then, if I close my eyes again, it just grabs me all over again. At that point, I have to just get out of bed because the panic is too much. I’d love to just relax, really, but when you’re stuck like that with that sound... there's zero chance of staying calm. I just spend the whole time trying to fight it and force a movement, but no matter how hard I try, I can't break free for at least 20 seconds. Looking at what everyone else here has posted, it seems like some of you deal with this quite often, but for me, it's been four or five days straight, multiple times per night. I find it hard to believe it's stress-related or anything like that—I haven't been stressed at all lately, actually... I’ve been spending my time outdoors and playing soccer, so I don't buy the "you just need more nature" argument for a second 🤷. If it happens again tomorrow—and let's be real, it probably will—I'll try to just breathe through it and relax, but I highly doubt it'll work 🙂

Once you hit that sleep paralysis stage, just relax. After that comes the ringing in your ears and those vibrations running through your body. Once you reach that point, feel free to get out of bed. When you actually do, everything will look totally real, except things might be shifted around a bit differently. Just to be safe, try pushing your hands into a wall or doing something else stupid that wouldn't work in the real world—just to make sure you aren't hallucinating. Once you nail that, you’ve stepped into astral projection or lucid dreaming. Enjoy it. When you want to wake up, just wish for it, give yourself a little twitch, and boom—you're back.

You hit paralysis more often if you sleep on your back or take afternoon naps. It also happens if you wake up and immediately drift back to sleep. Nothing scary about it. It’s a shame our doctors here in the States aren't better educated on this stuff...

I haven't heard anyone else mention experiencing anything like this in conversation, so I figured I'd ask around here.
Lately, over the last few months—and actually more frequently recently—this strange thing has been happening to me.
Basically, during almost any stage of waking up, whether I wake up on my own or someone shakes me awake,
I "wake up" and become fully aware of everything around me, but my body is still technically asleep.
I can't move my arms or legs (it feels like they have zero strength), and I can't even pry my eyelids open (though I can see a bit
when they are slightly squinted)... and sounds seem muffled too.
After a little while, when I try to move my hands, they start to twitch slightly. I can't say for sure
how long it lasts, but if I'm waking naturally, maybe 2 to 3 minutes, and if someone wakes me, it's less than a minute.
At first, I was totally panicking, but now it’s just become part of my routine, though it’s definitely not
normal. I'm thinking my chronic sleep deprivation might be the culprit. Should I go see a doctor?
Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

So how exactly do we have "wet dreams" if our bodies are totally paralyzed while we sleep? 🤷

So, I was telling my buddies about this stuff last night, and one of them actually had the exact same thing happen to him later that same evening (he sent me the link to this thread)... The first time it hit me was about a month ago. Everything was identical—that pure fear, the vibrations, the buzzing, and just this heavy feeling that *something* or *someone* was right there. Honestly, getting chills just typing this because remembering those moments is terrifying. To make matters worse, the very first night this started happening, my neighbor passed away... He lived next to the house my brother bought from a guy who ended up taking his own life there. Since we’re all kind of immature like that, we always joke around when we're over there, saying his spirit is still hanging out and stuff. But lately, with these episodes starting, I don't even want to think about it. It happened again about a week ago. I felt that presence in my room, even though it was already morning—around 5:00 AM. I woke up, felt this massive chill run through me, and I literally thought to myself, "Here we go again." I jumped straight out of bed and yanked the blinds open to let the light in, but it didn't help. It still felt eerie. When I finally laid back down, it felt like I was paralyzed; my head was forced toward the closet, toward that dark shadow behind it. It looked like the door had sucked the shadow in and then spat it right back out (it sounds crazy, I know)... After about 15 minutes, everything just went quiet, like nothing had ever happened.

maxur said:About fifteen minutes ago, I was sharing my experiences on another forum, did a little Googling, and stumbled upon this place. I figured I’d share what I just wrote here, so I'll just c/p my previous post 😉

I actually came to this forum specifically hoping to start this exact thread, but it looks like someone beat me to it. 😁

I experience this phenomenon quite frequently. I started looking into it online a few months back and realized that other people's stories align almost perfectly with mine. It usually goes something like this...

First off, this happens to me pretty often when I take a nap during the day and then try to go back to sleep at night, usually while lying on my back. Occasionally, I get that sensation of falling right before I drift off, which can be a bit startling 😁. But anyway... so I'm slowly drifting toward sleep. The best way to describe it is being stuck in that gray area between sleep and wakefulness; instead of slipping into a dream, my brain stays completely alert and I become hyper-aware of everything. Basically, my body has physically fallen asleep, but my mind is wide awake. Sleep paralysis is a known thing—it's supposed to be a defense mechanism so we don't actually act out our dreams and hurt ourselves. So, I'm fully aware of my own body and the fact that I'm paralyzed. But that's when the "old hag" phenomenon kicks in. I get hit with this intense wave of fear and feel a presence—the best word for it would be an entity. It sounds silly, I know, but no matter how many times it happens, the feeling is identical: I sense something else is there, and it feels overwhelmingly negative, like something malicious that wants to cause harm. For some reason, in those moments, my first instinct is always to try and open my eyes, though I've never had a witness to confirm if I actually succeeded. But that's where things get really intense. As soon as I try to force my eyes open, there's this buzzing sound—it's terrifying because it amplifies the fear and feels like an electric current running through my body. That sensation feels like actual pain; it's incredibly intense and seems to surge along with the volume of the buzzing and my struggle to open my eyes. I'd describe the pain as a kind of energy coursing through me, straining my nerves. In those moments, I always get the same feeling—that if I keep fighting the paralysis, I might actually cause physical or mental damage to myself. It's hard to put into words, but I'm trying to use terms that come close to what I felt. Essentially, any attempt to move (shifting my arms, legs, or especially trying to open my eyes) results in that electric pain and buzzing, making it feel like I'm hurting myself. Again, I am completely conscious of my surroundings and this isn't a dream. At one point (though I'm not sure if it actually happened physically), I manage to crack my eyes open just enough to see hallucinations. Instead of seeing my room (or rather, the ceiling since I'm on my back), various images start overlaying the view—true hallucinations. Sometimes they are objects, sometimes faces, but the strangest part is how perfectly they blend into the actual scenery of the room. Throughout the whole ordeal, I feel something that, in traditional religious terms, I might call a possession, because alongside the pain, there's this sense of a negative identity trying to control me. This might all sound like a very vivid dream, but the incredible part is that when I read accounts from people all over the world, the descriptions, feelings, and visions are almost identical! The only real difference seems to be the cultural lens used to describe the entity. In some places, they call it the "old hag" who sits on your chest and prevents you from moving. Since my perspective is shaped by a more traditional religious upbringing, I'd describe it similarly to a demonic encounter, though I don't necessarily believe it's literal—it's just how the sensation feels.😁
Overall, this can last several minutes while you deal with waves of pain, and I guess any attempt to fight against it just makes things worse. So, how do you actually break free?

When I first went through this, I was completely caught off guard, and my reaction was pretty much bordering on panic. Since I have quite a bit of experience with it now, I tend to handle it much more calmly, though all those symptoms mentioned above are inevitable. I think anyone who has experienced this has had one overwhelming desire: to wake up as fast as possible! The thing is, you won't be able to wake yourself up by straining, "fighting the sensation," or trying to force yourself awake.
The trick, I suppose, is to squeeze your eyes shut even tighter, fully surrender, and relax both your body and mind. You should try not to dwell on what's happening and instead aim to actually fall back asleep during that hazy space between being awake and dreaming. If we can manage to relax enough to let go of all thoughts and drift back into sleep, then in a few moments, we'll wake up, and the pain and buzzing will stop immediately. As for the fear, when you're going through this for the first time, you might feel totally shocked and hesitant to fall back asleep. It actually happened to me where the situation repeated itself just as I was drifting off again. Once you gain some "experience," I think the fear fades away as you wake up.

I tried my best to describe everything here. I hope someone finds this relatable and doesn't feel like they're losing their mind if they've been feeling this way—just as I was until a few months ago 😁. It seems to me that this is a fairly widespread phenomenon that still hasn't really been explained 😁

It's the same thing, except for my sleeping position. I never sleep on my stomach.

I agree 👍😁

Is this the start of astral projection?

What do you think about fear winning out during a dream?