The Tangerine Fog: My First Sleep Paralysis.
My very first time having sleep paralysis, I saw nothing but orange and felt heat.
I was living at White-row, in those old apartment buildings you get through work housing — not ideal, especially with how bad the airflow was. My room was tiny, downstairs by the front door. In the winter, the cold would bite, so I used a mini plug-in heater just to stay warm. It was either freezing or suffocating — no in-between.
One night, I forgot to turn the heater off before going to sleep. I woke up sweating, totally still, completely locked in. But that wasn’t even the weird part.
My body? Frozen.
My mind? Awake.
My eyes? Unsure if they were open or shut — but I saw orange.
Not just orange — pure, tangerine-like, blinding orange.
I’ve heard people describe sleep paralysis like it’s a horror movie. Monsters in the corners. Demons crawling across the ceiling. Screaming shadows, pressure on your chest. I expected terror.
I braced myself.
But nothing came.
Just… the heat. The glow. The silence.
And instead of panicking, I sat with it.
I accepted the restraint my body had given me — like it was asking me to pause.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.
But I wasn’t afraid.
I was… curious.
“Why orange?”
“Is it because I’m overheating?”
“Is this forever or just now?”
Eventually, that curiosity turned into frustration. The stillness felt boring, even annoying. So I remembered what someone once said: “Try to fall back asleep.”
So I did. It worked.
When I actually woke up hours later, tired and sticky, the feeling stayed with me. Not the fear; the weird calm. The way my body had made the decision for me. The way I sat with it instead of spiraling.
Since then, every time I’ve experienced sleep paralysis, I’ve carried that same attitude.
Not scared. Just aware.
Just… listening. Questioning.
My Advice?
If this ever happens to you:
Don’t panic.
Seriously.
You might feel stuck, like your body’s betrayed you. But it hasn’t.
It’s just still catching up.
🧠 Shift your focus. Be curious.
👂🏽 Listen to your body.
😴 If you can, go back to sleep.
🦶🏽 Some people say start by moving your toes. I don’t. I just feel it out.
Sleep paralysis doesn’t have to be terrifying.
It can just be a weird glitch in the night that teaches you how to sit with discomfort.
Or you’re stressed out: try to relax and ask questions why it’s happening.
Or how to slow down.
Or how to vibe when your limbs don’t.
Not everything mysterious has to be scary.
Sometimes it’s just your body saying, “Not yet.”
So next time you feel trapped?
Just chill. Focus on your breathing. Make up stories in your head. Ask questions in your mind to plant for later: it’ll stick with you.
And if you start seeing bright orange — hey, maybe we’ve been to the same dream portal 😌🧡
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