Sleep paralysis

[Macropus]

Did you use the chance to jack off with "someone else's hand"?

Hmmm. Fuck... 

[Vibe]

HAHA once I had slept on my arm, under my head, and when I sat up I slapped myself (gravity slapped me really) as my hand fell. I was fucking freaking out that someone had cut my arm off and slapped me with it. Then I finished waking up and massaged my arm back to life, but it still makes me chuckle to this day.

How do you slap yourself with your arm that was under your head when you sit up (with gravity at that)? I call bullshit.

[Paul]

It works. Had something similar before. While sitting up with the arm locked behind the neck, the still working pecs pull the upper
arm forward und the lower arm swings downward like a flail, hitting the face on the way down.

[Vibe]

I was presuming that by the time you're in sitting position your arm would have already dropped, but I guess if you lodge your arm far behind neck it can stay there until you sit up.

[Macropus]

He didn't say his arm slapped his face though, it could hit the knee or whatever else, no?

[Overdriven]

I've done the opposite. Woken up and punched the wall next to me because I was dreaming I was punching someone just as I woke up.

Never had sleep paralysis though. Sounds terrifying 

[FleetFox]

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person, either falling asleep or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak or react. It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by complete muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (such as an intruder in the room) to which one is unable to react due to paralysis, and physical experiences (such as strong current running through the upper body). One hypothesis is that it results from disrupted REM sleep, which normally induces complete muscle atonia to prevent sleepers from acting out their dreams. Sleep paralysis has been linked to disorders such as narcolepsy, migraines, anxiety disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea; however, it can also occur in isolation.

Hot damn, that does happen to me sometimes, I honest to god believe there is an intruder in my room about to get me... pretty fucking scary when it happens I must admit. But then I realise its just me in the room and then back to my dreams of rainbows and forests 

[Jona]

I was presuming that by the time you're in sitting position your arm would have already dropped, but I guess if you lodge your arm far behind neck it can stay there until you sit up.

Not sure what position my arm was in exactly, but one time while rolling over in my sleep I pulled off the same thing, so it could happen. Needless to say getting bitch slapped awake "by someone else" is quite startling, especially when you realize you're alone in your room. 

[Leshma]

Never had sleep paralysis though. Sounds terrifying 

That's because you are good muslim.

[Daunt_Flockula]

Actually in Muslim faith, sleep paralysis does exist. It is called karabasan (literally the dark invader). It is explained as a dark being, mostly a malicious genie, sitting on top of you. And it is not associated with being of poor or adequate faith. It might just happen and you are supposed to say out loud the two evil-repelling surahs to get rid of it (which apparently works wonders in terms of fully waking your mind and knocking the awkward sensation off).

[Macropus]

I actually wonder that not only I've never had this sleep paralysis thing in my life, but I've never even heard of it before.
Is that a cultural thing?

[Daunt_Flockula]

Nope, not really. What I wrote above is cultural obviously. But it is only a religious way of explaining a normally occurring phenomenon.

It doesn't necessarily have to happen to everyone. It might happen in rare cases when part of your brain wakes up but the rest is still asleep. This partially distorts reality and causes you to see things or fail to temporarily move until you fully wake up.

[Kafein]

If you look around there are mythical interpretations of the phenomenon in almost all cultures. Makes sense as you are absolutely convinced there's a supernatural intruder when you wake up.

[darmaster]

Am I the only one afraid that your limb goes into gangrene when you sleep on it?

[Jona]

Am I the only one afraid that your limb goes into gangrene when you sleep on it?

No.