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The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.
Sleep Paralysis Misdiagnosed As Sleep Apnea
by Rowena
(NYC)
I've been living with sleep paralysis since I was a little girl. But of course at the time I didn't know what was wrong with me -- all I knew was that at night I couldn't move or call out to my mommy.
In high school, I had 12 back-to-back episodes of sleep paralysis in one night, where I would break from it just to become paralyzed again. The doctor at the time diagnosed me as having "stress-induced sleep apnea" after a home sleep test and an EKG.
I lived with that diagnosis for almost 20 years, but it never sat right with me. I was (and still am!) a young, fit, healthy, quiet sleeper -- completely the opposite of the typical person with sleep apnea. So a few weeks ago, at the urging of my significant other, I went to NYU Sleep Center for another consultation. Within 10 mins, the nice doctor diagnosed me with sleep paralysis. Benign, non-threatening sleep paralysis. I am relieved, happy and no longer freaking out that I would be harmed from lack of breathing at night.
The best way for me to get out of a sleep paralysis episode is to try and make noise to wake up my boyfriend, who will in turn wake me up. It works like a charm every time. In instances when he's away, I find that trying to relax and move my fingers is the best way to cope. I still get sleep paralysis about once a week, but I now see it as just the way my body is, and something that I can live with for the rest of my life.
Thanks for letting me share my story.
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Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.
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Interviews With Sleep Specialists: Insights Into the Worlds of Sleep Medicine & Sleep Business
America's Most Dangerous Disorder: What Is Sleep Apnea Doing To Your Sleep?
Sleep Debt: How Much More Will You Achieve When You Reduce Yours?
The Stages Of Sleep: The Journey Through The Night
Delayed Sleep Phase: You Want To Sleep But You're Not Tired Yet
Paralyzed at Night: Is Sleep Paralysis Normal?
Sleep In Words: Smart, Strange, and Funny Quotes About Sleep
Sleep Disorders In Children: What's Keeping Your Child From A Full Night's Rest?
Attacks of Pavor Nocturnus (a.k.a. Sleep Terrors, Night Terrors, or Incubus Attacks)
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More Sleep Resources
The Zeo
A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.
Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide
Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.
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