Sleep Paralysis [View all]
Sleep paralysis is when you wake up from sleep but can't move. You may also fell like you can't breathe. Some people may also have hallucinations associated with the phenomenon. It's common to feel a dark presence in the room, and to feel like someone wants to harm you.
I've had experiences of sleep paralysis going back to my childhood. The first time I can remember it happening I was about 10 years old. But it only happened a handful of times in my entire life until recently. It has happened four times in the past year. It can be quite frightening, but as it has been occurring more frequently to me I've started to become less frightened when it happens, and also been able to retain a logical thought process through the experience.
I looked it up and sleep paralysis can be a symptom of several different things- irregular sleep patterns, alcohol consumption, narcolepsy, and mental illness. Specifically, bipolar disorder is mentioned in several places. I have bipolar disorder. However, I have had the illness for 26 years and I don't know why the sleep paralysis is just now appearing if it is due to my bipolar disorder.
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