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Originally Posted by ipollux
Interesting theory. I guess if one did get used to it, it could be somewhat of an enjoyable rush. It's just now happened to me so many times that I'm not freaking out quite as bad as before.
And speaking of weird rushes, I used to know a guy who would stay up for days because he enjoyed the hallucinogenic effects of being so tired.
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I know that impulses to do dangerous things for the thrill of it are linked to low dopamine levels because the excitement will stimulate dopamine production. That's what I'm basing it on. As for staying up to hallucinate, my experience is that that it's delerium rather than "fun" hallucinations like psychedelics produce. I wouldn't call any delerient fun (take a lot of Benadryl to sleep then fight against falling asleep and you'll know what I mean.)
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Originally Posted by vanblah
This used to happen to me a lot when I was in my 20s. Usually if I slept during the day as well as sleeping on my back. It got to the point that I actually looked forward to it.
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At least I'm not the only one. It's like a thrill ride in your head.
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Originally Posted by dlish
ive had this happen several times. the last time was about 2-3 months ago when i was in Yemen.
i was in the midst of falling asleep (my eyes were closed but i was still awake) when in an instant i felt like something jumped on top of me and was almost suffocating me murmurring gibberish and static in my ear.
it was really weird but freaky. i tried to wake up or open my eyes but i couldnt. it was almost like a succubus if youve ever heard of it. after what seemed like an eternity it 'jumped off', but i had bad dreams for the rest of the night.
ive had them several times but each time im aware of my surroundings and i try and force myself to wake up. it feels like you are pinned down and dont have any control of your body
but there is a thread on this about a year ago.
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This sounds like a classic night terror. I've had it happen twice and it's horrific, especially since one of them happened when I woke up while sleepwalking (which I don't believe I've done since then.)
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Originally Posted by Cernunnos
I've never suffered from sleep terrors or sleep paralysis, but a friend of mine would awaken without the ability to move any part of his body except the eyes, and he swore that shadowy figures would emerge from the walls and ceiling, hovering over him, flitting in and out of existence. He felt a malevolent intent from them, despite no apparent attempts at inflicting harm.
I don't know whether or not he exaggerated, but in either case, the thought is a chilling one.
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The difference between sleep paralysis and night terrors is that paralysis usually occurs in alpha sleep and is only disorienting while night terrors are brought on by a nightmare that stimulates an adrenaline rush in response to fear during delta sleep. It takes a lot more brainpower to come out of alpha sleep, and the nightmare continues until you're fully awake.
The most common visions during a night terror are shadow people, demons (mostly among devoutly religious people) and glowing red eyes. Emotionally, a sense of dread is universal, and physiological effects almost invariably include a perception of pressure on the chest and difficulty breathing because of paralysis preventing voluntary muscle movements and a discrepancy between the breathing rate in deep sleep and the need for oxygen to allow for the maximal flight-or-fight reflex to be maximized. It's a full-body dissonance between physically being asleep and mentally preparing to defend your life.
The visions and paranoia are a lot like what meth addicts see and feel.
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Originally Posted by clavus
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this, but there are those who say that sleep paralysis is the onset of an out-of-body experience. If one learns not to panic and to go with it, a really cool metaphysical experience may commence...or so they say.
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I used to think it had to do with OOBEs back when I believed in things. Now I'm sure it's entirely physiological. I think perception of it depends a lot on the individual's beliefs.