@Fawlty @tonni @JDragon
I've got sleep paralysis as well, sounds like Toni's and I's are pretty similar. Happens on average about once per week, but can be 3 or 4 nights in a single week (which sucks royally) or not happen for a month and leave me wondering when it's going to strike again. Whenever I have an epsidoe, if I try to just fall back asleep, I fall right back into sleep paralysis. I have to go out to the living and do push-ups to fully wake up each time I get one.
I've seen some messed up things, but thankfully only rarely. Few times would see small humanoid creatures run out of and into my closet just past where my eyes could properly focus on them. The worst was a time I saw the bunny from Donny Darko (years after I'd seen the movie), but with glowing green eyes and black goat's legs and hooves. Extremely satanic. It slowly walked in from from my bedroom door, me unable to move or call for help. It stood next to me bed and looked over me, then reached out a paw and put it over my mouth. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, and I could TASTE the fur! I snapped out of it and woke up screaming with college roommates actually coming to check on me. I was scared to sleep for a while after that.
It was sleep paralysis that kept me out of the naval academy (had congressional nomination) due to me going to the Dr. for it when I was 12. The first time it happened, I remember thinking "when they say someone dies in their sleep, this must be what it is". Tried to appeal the decision but denied due to (valid) concerns I wouldn't be able to wake up in an emergency.
After that, I often had extremely realistic dreams of someone
almost waking me up when I was in sleep paralysis. I wanted to know so badly if I'd snap out of it if something happened that would have woken me up anyway. I'd hear my mom gently knocking on my door, me wanting her to just knock louder, and she'd go away. Never happened. I'd be in sleep paralysis, and see my dorm roommate quietly getting ready for the school day and leave, but never make a loud enough noise to wake me up. Wake up and he was still in his bunk. I'd see the girl I fell asleep with on the futon watching a movie very gently get up and leave without disturbing me, and sadly wouldn't. I'd eventually come out, and be very confused why she was still here because her getting up seemed so real. Lots of other types of things like that. Like my brain knew it couldn't trick me with something crazy, but if it was very plausible, it could fuck with my mind more.
Very nice thing about being married now? If my wife is still awake when I have one, she can recognize my breathing change and shakes me out of it which works. So nice to be woken up in 10 seconds rather than suffering through a minute+ of it that feels like 20.