Do you ever feel paralyzed in your sleep?

[vermicious knid]

Occasionally when I am asleep, I will suddenly become aware that I am sleeping. But I am paralyzed and can not do anything. It is a very distressing feeling. It feels like being trapped in your own body. Whenever this happens, I try with all my might to move my body in an attempt to wake up. Even if I concentrate all my energy on moving a single finger, nothing works. It never lasts long before I do wake up, but it feels like an eternity anyway.

Is this phenomenon just something that happens to me, or do you know what I am talking about?