I experienced this strange event for the first time in my life this morning and after praying about it in my morning devotions, decided to do an internet search and I felt its worthy of sharing.

Sleep paralysis is the terrifying feeling of being held down after just waking up or going to sleep. You can’t move or scream, and sometimes this paralysis is accompanied with the certainty that someone –or something — is in the room.

Quite simply, sleep paralysis is one of the most horrifying experiences in life, because we feel awake but can’t believe what is happening to us.

The truth is, sleep paralysis is a biological event and there is nothing to be worried about. You’re not dying. It’s a hiccup in the brain’s chemical soup as we transition from sleep to wakefulness.

Recurrent sleep paralysis can often be prevented by attending to lifestyle choices, but making new habits can take time.

So how do you control this strange event even when it appears uncontrollable?

1. Don’t Fight

If you feel like you are being held down and you can’t move, do not fight back. This actually will intensify the experience. Not only is fighting back likely to increase the feelings of being held down (so much that it may seem like you are being crushed), but fighting back will also increase the fear, thus triggering the emotional centers of the brain and strengthening this lucid nightmare. Controlling fear is the most important skill during these moments.


2. Surrender and Go with the Flow

Instead, try to relax when you notice SP starting to happen. Prepare an affirmation like “This is SP and I am okay.” If you feel pressure on your chest, see if you can “go with” the pressure rather than against it. It’s like winning a fight by having no resistance. For example you might often feel like you are being pushed into the mattress when you have SP. Let yourself go, and mentally “pull” in the direction you are being pushed. What happens is you then “pop” into a full-on dream, or you can wake up directly.

3. Wiggle your Toe

Another excellent tactic that works for many people is to try to move an extremity, such as a finger or a toe. Most of the feelings of paralysis are in the belly, chest, and throat. So focus all you attention on the toe and try to move it back and forth. In many cases, this will break the paralysis.


4. Clench your Fist

This is a variation of the toe wiggle method. Clench and unclench your fist.

5. Focus on your Breath
An easy way to stop these nightmares is to do some controlled breathing. Controlled breathing does several things at once. For starters, it lessens the feelings of chest pain that sometimes accompany SP. Breathing is autonomic like the heart’s beating or digestion, so it’s not paralyzed like the big muscles in our arms, chest and legs. But breath can be controlled with attention or be affected by severe fear, which may be why SP sufferers “forget” to breathe when under attack. If you can control your breath, you can control your fear. Simply draw your breath in at a normal rate, and exhale fully, using all of your lung capacity. Notice that you can breathe fully without obstruction. This technique will keep you calm as the SP runs its course and then you will wake up without any trouble. A few moments of focused breathing with a strong intention to wake up is effective.
6. Lean into Love to Find Courage
Now is also the time to lean into unconditional love. For many, the surest path is in religious or spiritual beliefs. Regardless, focus on a figure that you admire and love. Think of someone who calms you down—someone who you associate with peace, love and safety. This could be Jesus, (About my first experience this morning, I was shouting the name Jesus and it couldn’t just come out loud. After calling the name for about 3 times, I then called Holy Ghost fire, dramatically it was like a certain sound barrier was removed and I woke up into reality).
7. Getting Help from your Sleep Partner
If someone shares your bed, you can tell them about your SP attacks and what to look for when you are having a nightmare.
You could also have your partner respond to a verbal request. This only works some of the time, because some people cannot speak in paralysis. But some can. Choose a short word that is easy to say. “Help” is a good choice. When you’re in paralysis, focus your attention on your throat and say “Help.” Don’t try to say it as loud as you can; what may happen is that your imagination will take over and you will only say the word in your dream. Instead, say it forcefully but without screaming.

8. Coughing for Help
A variation of using your voice is to try to cough into wakefulness. Like breathing, coughing can be autonomic or consciously regulated. By coughing on purpose, you can jar yourself awake.
9. Write out the Plan
The suggestions above all have helped hundreds of people get out of SP and get some sleep. Not every tactic will work with you. But having too many tactics in your mind can actually be counterproductive. So it is important to make a plan, almost like the fire escape plan you may have for evacuating your family home in case of emergency. Write it out; this will cement the plan in your mind and make it easier to remember when the paralysis comes on strong.
10. The Ultimate Method This is the single best way to wake up from sleep paralysis and it’s really in a class of it’s own. When you realize you are in SP, scrunch up your face. In other words, make a face like you just smelled something bad. Snarl and squint. Do this two or three times in a row and the paralysis will break IMMEDIATELY. I’m not sure why it is so effective, but unlike the pinky wiggle, this method is foolproof.
After you wake up, get out of bed immediately and turn on a light. Wash your face with cold water. If you just stay in bed, the chance of sliding right back into sleep paralysis is pretty high.

with help from: http://dreamstudies.org/2010/04/29/9-ways-to-wake-up-from-sleep-paralysis/

See this op, all these ones na Oyinbo something o hmmmm we talk say witches dey hold you for bed, you dey talk wiggle your toe and don't fight it smh you go tey for that bed.

davdandam: See this op, all these ones na Oyinbo something o hmmmm we talk say witches dey hold you for bed, you dey talk wiggle your toe and don't fight it smh you go tey for that bed.

Na you sabi oo , so u don see witch hold person for bed? I carry y.ansh for u oo

tejpot:
Na you sabi oo , so u don see witch hold person for bed? I carry y.ansh for u oo

The guy dey talk like say he see the witch abi na village witch for real holding person for bed.

This shiitt happend to me on many occasion. I later conclude its my ex that is pinning me down. Itz too real.

Ceasar1:

The guy dey talk like say he see the witch abi na village witch for real holding person for bed. Me self they hail.

You are so on point! I dont want to guess where the guy is from . Sleep paralysis is biological

thanks op.. sleep paralysis purely biological. you dont need to shout holy ghost fire!

Just to add a little more...

Biological Ko!Biological Ni!