Then that wasn't sleep paralysis..you can't speak during sleep paralysis..i have sleep paralysis and trust me it doesn't involve you being able to speak..maybe you got pannic attacks..they have rather similar symptoms..
Sleep paralysis, is also known as Old Hag syndrome and is a phenomenon that is known, to some extent, by all cultures throughout the world.
Sleep paralysis is a condition in which someone about to fall asleep, or just upon waking from sleep, realizes that they are unable to move or speak, but can still breathe and move their eyes. I like to call this the "twilight" stage. Your conscious mind has begun to drift into sleep but is not yet there, therefore you still retain a small amount of your waking conscious. It is a very transitory stage indeed, and one that seems to leave you open to certain experiences you would not otherwise be receptive to when fully conscious or fully asleep. It is also accepted by most researchers that although this can happen in any sleeping position, it most commonly occurs in the supine position.
Once the person realizes that they are unable to move, they usually, but not always leave this "twilight" stage and become fully awake, but remain paralyzed. At this point the experience can go either way. The person may only experience a temporary paralysis, and after several seconds or up to a minute or so would then regain their movement and the event would be over.
But the other scenario is much more frightening. Upon realizing one is paralyzed, a whole gamut of hallucinations may occur. Many people report hearing, seeing, and/or sensing a person or people in the room with them while they are paralyzed. There is also the common experience of a usually sensed, malevolent presence (or SPM). Note that not all sensed presences are felt as being malevolent, but very frequently they are. These SPM's usually seem to be just out of view of the person experiencing the SP, who from here on I will refer to as the "subject". Sometimes it is reported that the subject feels crushed, smothered, or pushed into the bed. There are auditory hallucinations as well. A voice may be heard, as well as footsteps.
During SP the subject may try to cry out or "fight" the presence they believe is responsible for causing them to be paralyzed. This however does not help, in fact it may cause said person to fall into a deeper form of SP.
The hallucinations are called hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations. They are given these names because they occur at the onset of sleep, and the period just before waking. It is very hard to believe that it is just a hallucination, but after all, that's what a hallucination proper is. This however does not make the experience any less terrifying. However this is only a scientific theory not a fact. In some cases people report seeing, feeling and hearing the "said presence". This is why some researchers believe that people with the more rare HSP are gifted.
Finally, one last subject that needs to be looked at here is how does one avoid HSP? There unfortunately is no way to prevent HSP. All advice I can offer is to avoid sleeping in the supine position. However HSP can occur in any sleeping position but most commonly occurs while lying on your back.
