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Wait. Are night terrors different to nightmares? The way you're describing it sounds that way, I always assumed night terrors were just the American term for nightmares.
Sleep paralysis to me doesn't have a "demon" so to be speak. Its more that im semi awake, in darkness and aware that I can't open my eyes, or move or talk and then panic sets in until hyperventilating kicks in and fully wakes me.
Comment by mdf7g at 05/02/2025 at 15:00 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Nightmares are more similar to normal dreams -- there's a weird fragmentary plot, you might see people you know, etc.
Night terrors are vaguer and more schematic, but also often more vivid and intense. There's usually a profound feeling of being chased, caught or trapped, maybe a sensation of running or being grabbed, or sometimes even being kind of ripped apart, but not a lot of visual or auditory imagery.
Then you (or at least I) let out the most ear splitting scream until I wake myself up and lie there sweating for a while. Got the cops called on my parents in a hotel once that way.
Sleep paralysis is, if I recall correctly, more similar to night terrors, except some people also see a demonic or threatening figure, or even feel it sitting on their body.
I've never had sleep paralysis, but I've had nightmares and night terrors a few times a week for almost 40 years now. Much prefer nightmares.
Though I do find that sometimes I'll wake from a nightmare or -terror and see a threatening figure or group of figures, but I can always still move. Usually I'll either just turn on the bedside lamp or throw a pillow at the figure to make it go away. If I'm woken up from them by someone else, though, that person is typically perceived as the demonic figure, and being half-awake I'm not always rational enough to realize it isn't real. I've definitely frightened off a few ex-boyfriends that way.