People say it's scary how this works... I literally had a night terror/sleep paralysis experience. Didn't realize I had fallen asleep and was overcome with fear, tried ripping my headphones off but they wouldn't come off and opening my tent door but it was stuck solid. Felt like something evil ws in here with me. Then I finally snapped awake and took off my headphones and realized I was dreaming. Never felt like I fell asleep I thought I was still awake. So wild.
Sleep paralysis happens every time you go into REM sleep. It's an important feature -- otherwise you'd be kicking and flailing every time you dreamt about running. Thankfully, it's very rare to be dreaming AND awake at the same time... it's a weird experience for sure!
Ian Brown