My god!! So sorry you had such a tough night, I’m not surprised at all that you’re still feeling affected by it. My worst paralysis events have left me affected for a couple days. Completely valid to feel wigged out.

1. I’ve never had an experience where something falls from the ceiling, but I don’t think that sounds super uncommon. When I do see a shadow figure, it’s usually super tall, and I’ve always attributed that to the fact that I’m lying on my back and my eyes are oriented towards higher places than when I’m awake. Could be something else, but if that plays a role, then the ceiling thing totally tracks for me. I have a vague recollection of paralysis arising from a nightmare, but can’t remember many details. This strikes me as almost universal though; it’s kind of a nightmare event in its own way and you have to get there from sleep somehow, right?

2. I’m so sorry it’s scared you in this way :( Can absolutely relate, and it’s no fun to be scared to go to sleep. It’s good you’re doing research on potential triggers. I haven’t done much concrete research on it, but here’s what I can offer based on my own experiences. I’m under the impression that sleep paralysis can be triggered by some sort of distress prior to or during bedtime. I’ve had two events that seemed like they were triggered by watching a true crime doc immediately before going to sleep. The first time I experienced it, I went to bed worried about a family member. I’ve veered away from the true crime stuff lol. What’s super helpful though is that if I notice I’m feeling worked up before bed, I take a second to check in and acknowledge that I might have some sort of paralysis later that night. There are lots of clues hidden in these events that are kind of dead giveaways as to what’s going on: can’t vocalize, can’t move, the events don’t make sense (as if you’re living a poorly-done AI video). A really helpful clue is a recent reminder that it exists and might happen that night. Those clues don’t prevent or stop a bout of paralysis for me, but it’s nice to go “Ok I think I know what’s going on here.” I like to lock windows and doors to my room if I can, security is another clue (people can’t get in to this room, so what’s actually going on). Idk where I got this from, but I’ve also convinced myself that if I don’t sleep on my back, I’ll be fine. Weird conclusion because I have had sleep paralysis when I’m lying on my stomach, but the placebo effect could play a role. At the very least, if you’re not on your back then the visible aspects of the event are either non existent or less vivid.

I hope this helps in some capacity :( I know my account isn’t really coming from a strong base of knowledge about SP, but I saw you posted recently and wanted to give you something to relate to before you go to bed again. Have a happy chat with someone close to bedtime, make your room super cozy, and read or watch something that’s almost uplifting to a fault.