Sleep Paralysis and Dysphoria

[fleurgirl]

I don't have sleep paralysis because of my dysphoria, but it's sort of a side effect.

Some nights, my dysphoria gets so bad and I'm in this weird mind limbo that I can barely sleep. Usually, I drift off but my mind still wants to stay awake. Anyways, this ends up with me having sleep paralysis. My gender dysphoria leads to bad sleep hygiene which leads to sleep paralysis.

I usually hallucinate with sleep paralysis. I'm not entirely sure if this is normal. Last night, I couldn't move and I kept trying to call for help. I saw my bedroom door open and a figure came into my room and whacked me on my genitalia (Yeah, I know, weird). When I could move again, I remembered that my bedroom door was locked and I realized it had not opened at all.

Anyways, before I get off track, does anyone have any tips for sleep paralysis? Is there something herbal I can drink, or some other things I can do before going to bed?

Thanks,
Fleurgirl

[Natsuki Kuga]

It's this paralysis something that comes upon you just as you're about in the final stages of drifting off?

If so, you might be having something called a "hypnagogic" (sp?) hallucination. These are very common, and a common form of them is a type of paralysis, or sometimes instead a weight on the chest that makes it difficult to breathe. Check out Fuseli's painting "The Nightmare."

Never heard of one of getting whanged in the nads, though. That's p cool. Good work.

[Natsuki Kuga]

Iirc, there's a good Straight Dope column about it from abt 200 years ago.

[gwencook]

Hey,
Sleep paralysis is such a scary thing for me. Each time I experience it the figure which comes into my room is my extremely abusive stepfather. Sometime it can be just a hand, other times I can hear his voice and sometimes I see him standing right above me.
I'm not overly sure on the whole process of sleep paralysis and I'm still looking into it but from my understanding it occurs in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and this is the deepest part of the sleep cycle where the individual dreams and the body is actually paralysed, until it leaves this stage by choice or not.
The only thing I can honestly suggest is that when the paralysis starts do one of the following:
A) do slow breathing exercises for 10 seconds and gently try and move your body
B) try and remember that if someone was to actually break in your mind will instantly alert you and wake you fully up, so as scary as it is close your eyes and try your hardest to ignore it.
I'm not saying its easy and it is definitely a scary period but you will get through it fine.
Hope this helps xox

[fleurgirl]

Thanks. I'll take the breaking in thing into consideration. It just feels so real, haha.