Sleeping problems

I had a very interesting and terrifying time falling asleep the other night, when we got back from Burning Man.

I would drift into a half-sleep state, which sort of felt like the swaying, pulsing of minimal oxygen deprivation. I would become aware that I was in this state, and that I was paralyzed. Sleep paralysis, I guess. I would try to scream, which would eventually wake me up fully, breathing hard, heart racing. The half-sleep state was scary; I did not want to be in it. I became afraid to fall asleep for fear that I would enter that state again. My paranoia extended to a (pretty irrational) fear of locked-in syndrome.

Eventually I willed myself to calm down by meditating, and then fell asleep.

It was a bit scary, but reassuring that I could calm myself down so easily.