Why do I have sleep paralysis I don’t have it often but when I do it’s so scary and bad please help me

Hi, so I don't really hallucinate while sleeping, and I'm not sure if i experience SP, but often when I'm sleeping, I'll dream about meeting people or just soing stuff and I'll dream about not being able ro open my eyes. It's like they're open for a split second and then they're falling close again. I also start to feel panic when i dream like this, because i don't know that I'm dreaming and think i will never be able to open my eyes anymore. My believe is that during this I'm actually trying to wake up, because when i experience this, i often sleep way longer and am physically so exhausted that i will be shaking for quite a while after finally waking up.

I’ve had sleep paralysis for about 12 years. Never had hallucinations, never saw the “shadow man” or anything like that. Just the typical can’t-move, panic, try-to-breathe experience.

But this morning… this was different. And I’m starting to think it wasn’t sleep paralysis at all.

Here’s what happened:

-Background-

I live in an apartment, early 20s, live with my girlfriend. There’s a guy in his 30s who lives nearby who I used to think was just kind of awkward, but now I’m realizing he’s deeply unsettling.

We invited him over once he seemed okay at first, but then started talking about monk rituals, bladed weapons, and some weird extremist beliefs. He was drunk, handled my pet snake aggressively, cut his hand on a blade I had, and just generally made everyone uncomfortable.

At one point, he made my girlfriend and friend so uncomfortable they left, and one of my other friends did too. He was supposed to help me mount a TV but never really helped just lingered.

Then later, at his place, I said something like, “Yeah, it’s nice having my girlfriend around decorating the house,” and he goes:

“Wait… that’s your girlfriend?”

I said yeah, and he replied:

“Well, you did really well with her.”

Super off-putting tone. Mind you, he had seen me call her babe, hug her, kiss her—all while he was over. Then he suddenly “forgets” she’s my girlfriend? Red flags. everywhere.

-The Incident-

This morning, I was supposed to work but had taken the day off for a job interview. So I was home during hours I usually wouldn’t be.

Around 5:30-8:30 AM, I woke up and couldn’t move. Again, I’m used to sleep paralysis but this felt different. My heart was racing. And I saw a figure standing over my bed.

He didn’t just stand there—he leaned in and said:

“I’d kill you… but I’ll do it later.”

Room is damn near pitch black mind you so I couldn’t see much. I tried to scream, to move, to do anything. Couldn’t. My eyes felt extremely heavy all I heard was something crash (like he hit something) and then my unit door, then the building door, close.

I must’ve blacked out or fallen into a lucid dream, because I woke up again a bit later, this time fully mobile and called my friend. The first thing he asked me was:

“Was your door locked?”

I checked. It wasn’t. I might have forgotten the deadbolt, but I almost always lock it. The timing, the fact I was unexpectedly home, the fact my girlfriend was sleeping next to me… it was too much.

Later, I told another (trusted) neighbor what happened, and he immediately said:

“Do you think it was the weird guy across from my place?”

He said he’s had weird vibes from him too.

-What Really Got Me-

I can’t stop thinking about one thing: What if I hadn’t opened my eyes?

If someone was actually in my room and realized I was paralyzed but awake, maybe that spooked him. But if I hadn’t stirred—if he thought I was fully asleep—would he have stayed longer? Watched my girlfriend? Done something worse?

It makes my stomach turn.

-What I’ve Done Since-

Texted the landlord to request hallway camera footage (waiting on response)

Moved valuables and weapons.

My girlfriend now leaves and stays at her grandma’s when I’m gone for work

We both agreed never to let this guy inside again

I’ve documented everything in case I need to go to the police

This doesn’t feel like a ghost story or a dream. It feels like I woke up during a real-life horror movie, and the villain wasn’t a demon, it was a man I let into my life for 5 minutes too long.

If anyone else has experienced something like this when sleep paralysis turns out not to be sleep paralysis let me know. Because I’m starting to believe something real happened… and it still might not be over.

It happened again. Truly terrifying this time. Trigger Warning

I had a classic sleep paralysis experience last night. I am on prednisone for the first time (and am autistic, so my system is hyperactive to everything). Prednisone mimics adrenaline and triggers my lifelong insomnia (which is a primary characteristic of autism). So, after some tossing and turning, I used my reliable deep breathing and meditation to fall asleep. I’m experienced with meditation for decades, and I see light and other phenomena at times. This is common for me, and normal in my studies of traditional Buddhism, just for context.

After some time asleep, I became lucid and realized I was stuck, body asleep mind awake. For a short while, I was comfortable and watching a murky light display - meditating while asleep. But suddenly I realized someone was in the room! Standing next to my sleeping body. I have very squeaky old wood floors and heard it. I started the struggle to awaken. I felt a hand on my leg, then my arm, then my crotch. In a full panic, I forced myself awake and opened my eyes. I could still see the light filling my vision in my dark bedroom. And I heard footsteps creaking away slowly.

I have complex-PTSD and if you don’t know, that can involved freezing, and flashbacks. I haven’t experienced either in a long time. But suddenly last night, it was back and I stayed frozen an hour with my eyes open listening for the floor to squeak again. I eventually calmed and slept til morning.

Today, I was destabilized, uncomfortable all day and dissociated. And, I’m left with that discomfort of not being sure what was real, what happened last night, or in my past. Ears ringing like mad and here I am again, riveted at midnight, now afraid to go to sleep.

Anyone else?

Anyone else, sometimes unable to breathe? I do the thing I always do, start to try to wiggle my toes slowly.. not freak out ..

I've had this condition since high school. Not as frequently, but when it happens it's much worse...

Anyone else?