Anyone else experience reoccurring Sleep Paralysis?

Ha

Ha

I know this is a long shot because it seems pretty rare to begin with but any other mommas noticing it get worse during pregnancy? It started when I was 12 years old and has been pretty consistent my whole life. I’m in my second trimester and I can’t get any sleep because it has gotten much worse than it used to be. I am not stressed so I don’t know if it’s maybe the hormones? I always sleep at the same time every night, I don’t drink coffee, I sleep in a dark room with earplugs in and never on my back but it seems like I can’t shake it anymore.

For anyone that doesn’t know what it is, there is a chemical that your brain releases during REM sleep that’s basically a mild paralytic so you don’t act out your dreams. For some people it prevents us from moving, speaking, sometimes even opening our eyes when we wake up. Personally I can’t open my eyes and it usually lasts for a minute. Usually I can’t move while I’m sleeping either. I will wake up in the exact position that I fell asleep in, and yes, that does cause for a lot of aches and pains. My aunts and cousins stayed at my mom’s house last winter for a weekend to make Christmas cookies and the aunt I shared a room with told my mom the first morning “I’m pretty sure your daughter is dead because she did not move one inch” and my mom was like “nope, that’s just how she sleeps”.

Anyway, there isn’t really a treatment for it but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and found ways to deal with it.

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COMMENT (3)

Ro

Posted at
I've always had sleep paralysis ever since I was a teenager- there's not much information about SP and pregnancy. But sometimes it's caused by lack of sleep or stress. Or for example; when you wake up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and immediately fall back asleep again then SP will likely to occur. Other than that don't sleep on your back as well.. I don't know if there's a cure for it. I still have them all the time as well. When it occurs just lay still and don't panic otherwise it gets worst. Slowly get yourself out of it. Sorry there's not much I can do to help you.

Ro

Ro • Apr 6, 2018
You can always go seek a sleep doctor if it's bothering you. Don't know if they can do much ☹

Ha

Ha • Apr 6, 2018
It’s happened since I was twelve so I know how to cope when it happens and I don’t sleep on my back. There isn’t a cure or treatment for it. But all of those things aren’t helping anymore and I’m not stressed so I was hoping that I was missing something 😞