Sleep Paralysis

I don't recall having had a Sleep Paralysis incident for at least four years.  But last night, very shortly after going to bed, I was having a dream about my Dad, which is also rare, when I woke myself up and couldn't move.  At all.  Unusually this actually led to a rather touching moment, which I won't go into, rather than the usual fear and cold sweats.  

Sleep Paralysis is thought to be the reason for many an old witches tale and also, more recently, alien abduction stories.  Basically what happens is that your mind wakes up, at least partly, but your body remains firmly asleep and you can't move.  There's also a feeling of being pressed down into the bed, usually in the middle of the back, which is why so many sufferers become convinced there's someone else in the room.  Like I said, last night wasn't unpleasant, although I was freaked enough to reach for my iPhone (once I'd recovered) and tweet about it.  Well it is me, that's what I do right?!  In the past though, I have been unnerved.  Big time.

No that my sleeping has ever been normal.  Don't get me wrong, I sleep, really well, but there have been sleep walking incidents and bizarre, seemingly wide awake conversations, that I have no recollection of etc etc.  The Sleep Paralysis thing though seems to be very much related to stress, rather than just a random occurrence and this week the levels of stress, worry and shock have probably been as high as they were when I lost my Dad.  I suspect this is why I started dreaming about him and why that led to me being frozen in my bed.  Funny thing the brain isn't it?  The way it processes and copes with stuff. 

So there you go, that's something I haven't told you about before.