Talk to Me Thursday! Sleeping, Dreams, & Sleep Paralysis!

FAILING TO FAIL!

Joseph Brann

           For today’s “Talk to Me Thursday!” post I’ll be talking about sleeping, dreams, and sleep paralysis! Ever since my wreck my sleep has been all kinds of messed up. I’ve had nights where I don’t think I slept at all or at best I slept an hour. I’ve laid in bed with my mind spinning and it just wouldn’t quit. For over 14 years after my accident I was beyond terrified to go to sleep because I was beyond terrified to wake up to my reality and that might be one reason I’ve had so much trouble sleeping. On multiple occasions, I’ve had sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is terrifying. What happens is your mind wakes up but nothing else. All you can do is think and breathe. Once I realized I can control my breathing, I realized I can wake myself up by making myself breathe as loud as I can, I hear my breathing, and then I wake up. Sometimes take longer than others, but breathing wakes me up. Hopefully YOU never have sleep paralysis but if you do, once you realize you’re in a state of sleep paralysis, try to make yourself breathe as loud as you can and if you’re anything like me, you’ll wake up soon.

             Some have told me sleep paralysis is just a dream but I don’t believe this. I believe it happens when you sleep very very deep but it is not a dream, it’s a nightmare, but not a dream! Now onto dreams. I really don’t like to dream! Most every time I dream, I’m either being attacked by someone and having to fight, or I’m on a date with a beautiful woman. Both are nightmares believe it or not. When I dream I’m dating it’s a nightmare because I wake up and the beautiful woman everything was going so great with, turns out to not be real. However, one time I was out on a date with a beautiful woman and she was really digging me. Things were going magnificently and it was a real piece of heaven. I think we were just about to kiss and then I had a thought I didn’t really want to have. The thought was something like, “Man this is awesome! I’m out with this beautiful woman and it’s obvious she’s loving being with me and she’s really digging me! Okay, I know this is a dream, I can wake up now.” And then I woke up! It hurt so bad realizing that was a dream. But hopefully one day I’ll be in love with a beautiful woman who loves me too and the dream will finally be real. My sleep has improved dramatically lately but I still don’t like to have dreams when I’m asleep. I do stay positive though and do push myself to find the good in the horror of my dreams, though. Until reading my next blog and even after, remember keep FAILING TO FAIL!