Sleep paralysis

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Sleep paralysis

Posted by Wonkawoman on January 17, 2002 at 10:00:20:
In Reply to: near death experience? posted by Claire on January 15, 2002 at 15:07:13:
This is pretty common and is referred to as sleep paralysis, or sometimes Old Hag Syndrome.
When you are in dream-stage sleep, your body is paralyzed to prevent you from acting out your dreams and possibly hurting yourself. If you wake up during this period, your body may still be paralyzed, including the chest muscles. This is why you feel that you can't breathe. No wonder you feel panicked and frightened! Also, the hallucinations you sometimes see are from the mind still being in a semi-dream state. I have a friend who once thought she saw a troll standing on the bed trying to stab her husband!
This happens to most people every now and then, but your experience appears to be abnormally frequent. You might want to see a physician if it would make you feel more comfortable.
Here's a good link for more information.
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P.html#tabcon

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Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.