Attacked in my sleep- Terrified.

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   I used to suffer from sleep paralysis.  It was terrifying.  I was soon afraid to fall asleep!  I had to see a doctor and go to a "sleep clinic" for an evaluation.  
Here in an interesting article which accurately describes what all goes on during this horrifying experience:

Relations among hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences
associated with sleep paralysis*

J . ALLAN CHEYNE, IAN R. NEWBY-CLARK and STEVE D . RUEFFER
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Accepted in revised form 11 May 1999; received 16 November 1998
SUMMARY The Waterloo Sleep Experiences Scale was developed to assess the prevalence of sleep paralysis and a variety of associated hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinoid experiences: sensed presence, felt pressure, floating sensations, auditory and visual hallucinations, and fear. Consistent with results of recent surveys, almost 30% of 870 university students reported at least one experience of sleep paralysis. Approximately three-quarters of those also reported at least one hallucinoid experience, and slightly more than 10% experienced three or more. Fear was positively associated with hallucinoid experiences, most clearly with sensed presence. Regression analyses lend support to the hypothesis that sensed presence and fear are primitive associates of sleep paralysis and contribute to the elaboration of further hallucinoid experiences, especially those involving visual experiences.

KEYWORDS fear, hallucinations, hypnagogic, hypnopompic, sleep paralysis

INTRODUCTION 1962; Ness 1978; Penn et al. 1981). More recent surveys have yielded somewhat more consistent rates of 25�40% 

Relations among hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences
et al. 1998; Fukuda et al. 1987, 1998; Spanos et al. 1995; Wing

associated with sleep paralysis
Often, however, investigators have asked about hallucinoid experiences and sleep paralysis in the same question. Sleep paralysis occurs immediately prior to falling asleep or upon waking. During these episodes, individuals are conscious Simple counts of sleep paralysis alone, or assessments that conflate sleep paralysis and various combinations of of their surroundings and able to open their eyes, but unable to move (Hishikawa 1976). An acute sense of fear and various experiences, leave open many questions. 
How many cases consist of only paralysis? How many consist of paralysis with hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences often accompany sleep paralysis, although little systematic evidence is available additional experiences? What is the prevalence of the most common hallucinoid experiences? Do particular constellations on the prevalence of different experiences within a sleepparalysis episode. Sleep paralysis may occur during sleep onset- of experiences co-occur? 
The latter sort of question is particularly interesting as it opens up the intriguing possibility or offset-REM (Fukuda 1994; Hishikawa and Shimizu 1995) and the hallucinoid experiences may result from neurological of exploring the structure and dynamics of the hallucinoid experiences. Moreover, understanding even basic issues such events associated with REM dream imagery (Hishikawa and

Shimizu 1995). These experiences include a sensed presence, as the prevalence and nature of sleep paralysis requires a more detailed and systematic assessment of both sleep paralysis and auditory and visual hallucinations, unusual bodily sensations including floating, and feelings of pressure on the body associated experiences. 
The Waterloo Sleep Experiences Scale was designed to assess the prevalence of sleep paralysis and (Hishikawa 1976; Hufford 1982).

Early reported rates in clinical and nonclinical populations associated experiences, as well as to permit the analysis of relations among such experiences. Related research with this vary dramatically � from a low of 3% to a high of 62% (Goode instrument has discovered a high degree of structure in the patterning of hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences.
* This research has received ethics clearance from the Office of Human (Cheyne et al. in press). This structure is consistent with cultural

Research of the University of Waterloo.
accounts of the �Old Hag�, �Kanashibari�, and ghost oppression Correspondence: J. Allan Cheyne, Department of Psychology,

that have been linked to sleep paralysis and associated University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. E-mail:

[email protected] experiences (Fukuda 1994;
In plain language, hallucinations also occur during sleep paralysis.  This would be the reason for "seeing" evil things, etc.  It is due to "misfiring of some of the neurons in the brain.  I take a low dose of a tranquilizer, and I don't have them anymore at all.  It is such a relief to be rid of them, because I was truly terrified too!!  It is really not a laughing matter for anyone who has had them.  There are some good, and safe, medications which control this ailment.
I hope this might be of some help!
God's Peace.

Edited by Patty