Where's Moshkito to tell us why we need to listen to Klaus Shulz and Amon Duul 2?

Seriously though. I've never had this. Insomnia yes. Fall asleep almost anywhere yes.
 
That sounds scary. 
 

I'll never complain about my nighttime leg cramps again.

I sleep well. I'm normally out in 5 to 10 minutes max after my head hits the pillow, and sleep all night. It's rare for me to wake up in the middle of the night for any reason.  I rarely remember any dreams and frankly have no clue what y'all are talking about but it does sound scary as all get out.
 
 

Sounds brutal.  I have some bizzaro dreams sometimes that I have a hard time shaking, and my sleep is generally all messed up, but NOTHING at all like what you're experiencing.
 
 

Guitarhacker
I sleep well. I'm normally out in 5 to 10 minutes max after my head hits the pillow, and sleep all night. It's rare for me to wake up in the middle of the night for any reason. 
 
 

 
I dream of being able to do that.

Thank you all for the input. I've read all the post. Yes, it's terrifying. But there are different levels and I was in unknown territory the other night. I didn't sleep too much but it was thankfully uneventful. I do believe my case has something to do with anxiety, stress and medications.
 
Some people will never experience it and that's great! Its good to hear other people story either way and nice to know some sleep well. I stayed up all night in the studio and fell asleep some time this morning. My wife is worried about me since she works nights so she's looking for a day job.
 
Just good to talk. Can't thank you all enough!!!!

My understanding of sleep paralysis (from my deep research listening to the Monster Talk podcast) is that it's an extension of what happens normally when you sleep: your muscles are temporarily disabled. That's a good thing, because it's what keeps you from strangling your wife when you dream about that. But sometimes your brain wakes up before your body does, instead of both happening concurrently. You haven't been able to move all night, but were unaware of it. 
 
One factor that could be at play is you're not getting enough sleep and have to wake up before your brain is ready to. Most people don't get enough sleep.
 
Another factor could be caffeine. If I drink coffee late in the day, I'll have technicolor dreams, lucid dreams, and even compose melodies. Even though it's not keeping me awake, it's keeping some part of my brain active that should be chilling out. The next day I'll often wake up prematurely and feel like I've been up for hours already.

I believe you're right on all counts bitflipper. I can see your body need to shut down so you don't act out your dreams. I'm sure we've all had at least one dream that made us jump up or kick our legs because they can seem so real. I do intake too much caffeine in the form of energy drinks. All that is going to change! My first episode happened when I was in middle-school. I'm 50 btw. So it's something that I probably was prone to from birth.
 
My paralysis happens almost exclusively as I'm going to sleep. I may have had one waking up. Maybe. But again, the other night was like no other! It was very intense and I had three nightmares within a nightmare just like the movies.
All I was missing was "Freddie".
 
And the two times I collapsed in my dream I could actually feel it, ya know? I've had one lucid dream in my life. It was kind of cool :) I believe Craigb studied how to use his dreams and make himself lucid. Cool! Right now I wouldn't study anything for fear I'd open Pandora's box. I can't imagine what that would mean....

bitflipper
I'll never complain about my nighttime leg cramps again.

God do I hate those!  As soon as they start I have to jump out of bed and stand up.  The weight of my body causes them to stop, but if I'm not quick enough I'll actually end up with bruises and sore legs for hours!
 
I've never heard any good reasons for getting them either.  "Some" element is missing from your diet (like potassium) or you aren't drinking enough water, etc.  I know it's not either of those, but still haven't figured it out.