I've never been all that good at introductions, so as my first post, I'd like to share a personal story with all of you in the steemit community. It will give you a far better insight into who I am than any post about my hobbies or interests ever could. I hope you enjoy!

PART 1

Ever since I was a teenager, I've always had an issue with sleep. Many a time have I woken up having racked up only a couple of measly hours of rest, baggy eyed and irritable. However, if I had known the nature of the nights which awaited me in the not so distant future, I would have laughed at the triviality of such a complaint.

The first night

The first night that I noticed something strange, I was sleeping at a friends house on his guest bed. We had decided to go out that night and thought that it would be best to take a quick nap. My friend slumped onto the bed in the corner, and I slunk into the bed at the center of the room where i closed my eyes and entered a dreamless slumber. 

When my eyes finally creaked open, and i attempted to engage in my post nap ritual of a full body stretch, my body denied me this satisfaction. I was confused. I made a second attempt, this time more earnestly. Nothing. My body refused to respond producing a sensation similar to muscle failure at the pinnacle of a particularly grueling workout. 

That's when my anxiety began to take over, triggering a pattern of haggard breathing and darting eyes. An irrational terror washed over all of my senses, drowning any rationality in a cloak of what could only be described as a sheer existential angst. The inability to move any of my limbs resulted in a sense of extreme claustrophobia. If I had to describe the sensation, I would say that it was probably similar to awaking in a coffin: I felt alone, trapped, helpless and terrified. The more I attempted to move, the more anxious I became. I began to try and call to my friend who i assumed was nearby, but after a couple of minutes of strenuous effort, all i was able to muster was an inaudible groan. 

When my body finally became mine again, I recounted my friend of my silent struggle which had only occurred a couple of meters away from him. It turns out I had just gone through a pretty intense episode of something called "sleep paralysis". Little did I know, however, that i was about to find out how lucky I had been on this particular occasion. I hadn't even hallucinated.

Thank you so much for reading! If you want to find out how bad it got, click that follow button. Part 2 should come out in a couple of days. If any of you have experienced Sleep Paralysis, say so in the comments below.

The photos, in chronological appearance, can be found at http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com, http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com. The last photo was a stock photo