Sleep paralysis, has this ever happened to you? Options

[*nightmare4taki*]

Alright so check it, last night I'm sleeping and Im dreaming about pokemon. But this wasn't just a dream it was a nightmare. So anyway there was this big star pokemon Starmie, and he was absorbing all the other Star pokemons. So after he absorbs them he transfroms into some deformed looking star. Then the pokemon turns to me and says "you're next". And I'm like , so anyway as it gets ready to absorb me I try to wake up, only thing is for about a good 10 seconds I was Paralyzed, I couldn't move a single muscle no matter how much I tried. I thought I was going to die or something LOL.

So have you ever been paralyzed in your sleep ? Just curious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_Paralysis

[Retrogressive]

I've experienced it before in an attempt to astral project. In astral projection this is a strange, but expected side effect because sometimes your astral self leaves or is "half out" but your conscious self is still awake. This creates temporary paralysis until your astral self is returned to your body. This of course is just the belief that comes along with astral projection and I know most people don't buy it.

Wikipedia explains this phenomenon as:

Possible causes
Little is known about the physiology of sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post-synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarization current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles.

There is also a significant positive correlation between those experiencing this disorder frequently and those suffering from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sleep paralysis at least once or twice in their lives.

Some report that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include:

Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards)
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation
Increased stress
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode

I've recently been studying dreams. Dreams are of great interest, you explore your inner self through your dreams. I found wikipedia's information on dreams interesting as well (although it's most likely irrelevant to this thread). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams

Something else interesting, and I'm sure most of you have experienced it, is when you wake up and believe you are somewhere else. This temporary memory tricks your waking mind. IE: a few days ago I woke up and for 5 minutes I believed that I was at my grandma's house that she moved out of 7 years ago.