Between 25% and 50% of Americans, it is estimated that have had sleep paralysis at least once in their life.
Many people who have sleep paralysis also have narcolepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable slumbering. Sleep scientists believe that sleep paralysis may be hereditary.
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that can occur when a person passes through the REM stage of sleep. During REM sleep, the brain and body are in a state of paralysis, which helps prevent us from acting out our dreams.
However, sometimes this paralysis can persist after we wake up, leading to feelings of being trapped or suffocated. It can be a frightening experience, but it is not harmful and usually passes within a few minutes.
Several things can increase the risk of experiencing sleep paralysis, including stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules.
It is also more common in people who experience vivid dreams or night terrors. If you are concerned about sleep paralysis, you can do a few things to reduce your risk.
In this blog post, we will discuss the various aspects of sleep paralysis and how it can impact your quality of life.
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis is a condition in which a person experiences REM sleep. The brain and body are in paralysis during REM sleep, allowing us to avoid fulfilling our fantasies.
However, this paralysis can sometimes persist through the morning, causing us to feel imprisoned or suffocated. It is an extremely frightening experience, but it is not harmful and generally goes away in a few minutes.
What Does Sleep Paralysis Feel Like?
Sleep paralysis can feel several ways, but the most common symptoms include feelings of being trapped, suffocated, or paralyzed.
Some people also report hallucinations, such as seeing shadowy figures in the room. These hallucinations can be very frightening and often cause a great deal of anxiety.
According to one estimate, hallucinations that are different from ordinary dreams occur in about 75% of sleep paralysis episodes.
These can happen when going asleep (hypnagogic hallucinations) or waking up (hypnopompic hallucinations).
Hallucinations are further categorized into three parts:
- Intruder Hallucination: The presence of a dangerous person in the room
- Chest pressure Hallucinations: the feeling of suffocation
- Vestibular motor Hallucinations: Feeling of out-of-body sensations or movements such as flying
Episodes are short and typically last between six and seven minutes. The typical length is between six and seven minutes, though episodes can range from a few seconds to 20 minutes.
Most episodes conclude independently, but occasionally they are interrupted by another person's touch or voice.
Sleep paralysis episodes are frequently distressing, and frightening hallucinations can make them even more difficult to bear.
It is why around 90% of episodes are linked with fear, whereas the remaining 10% have unpleasant or even ecstatic visualizations. The meaning of these events varies significantly according to a person's cultural circumstances.4
What are the different types of Sleep Paralysis?
There are broadly two types of sleep paralysis as follows:
- Isolated Sleep paralysis: When the sleep paralysis episodes are not connected with any underlying sleep or mental disorder such as Narcolepsy to prevent the brain from controlling wakefulness.
- Reoccurant sleep paralysis: It involves multiple episodes at the same time
When Does sleep paralysis occur?
There are two times that sleep paralysis can occur as follows:
Hypnagogic
Also known as predormital sleep paralysis, it occurs when you are prepared to fall asleep. As you drift off to sleep, your muscles stiffen.
You usually become less aware due to this, so you are unaware of the transformation. If you remain or reawaken while drifting off to sleep, you may notice that you can't move or talk.
Hypnopompic
Sleep paralysis caused when waking up is referred to as hypnopompic or postdormital sleep analysis.
Your brain's electrical activity, or brainwaves, change throughout the night. NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep occur at alternate times during the night.
The cycle of REM and NREM slumber lasts around 90 minutes. NREM sleep begins first and takes up to 75% of your total time.
Your eyes travel quickly, and your dreams occur, but the rest of your body is very relaxed. During REM sleep, your muscles are "turned off." You may notice that you can't move or talk if you become awake before the REM cycle is completed.
Who is at Risk for Sleep Paralysis?
Several things can increase the risk of experiencing sleep paralysis, including stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules.
It is also more common in people who experience vivid dreams or night terrors. Sleep paralysis also runs in families.
Factors that are linked to sleep paralysis are:
- Sleeping on the back
- Lack of sleep
- Substance abuse
- Sleeping issues like nighttime leg cramps or narcolepsy
- Certain medications such as sedatives
- Bipolar disorder or stress
If you are concerned about sleep paralysis, you can do a few things to reduce your risk.
How Can I Reduce My Risk of Sleep Paralysis?
There are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of experiencing sleep paralysis, including:
- Staying well-rested
- Avoiding stress and anxiety
- Establishing a regular sleep schedule
- Reducing caffeine intake
- Avoiding alcohol and drug use
What Causes Sleep Paralysis?
There is not yet a definitive answer to this question, but researchers believe that environmental and genetic factors cause sleep paralysis.
It is more common in people who experience vivid dreams or night terrors, and it is believed that these experiences may increase the risk of sleep paralysis.
Several things can increase the risk of sleep paralysis, including stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.
Sleep paralysis is more common among people who exhibit signs of creativeness and disassociation from their immediate environment, such as daydreaming. There may also be a link between sleep paralysis and vivid dreams or lucid dreaming.
People who display characteristics of imagination and distance from their immediate environment, such as daydreaming, are more likely to have sleep paralysis. There may be a link between sleep paralysis and frightening dreams or lucid dreaming.
Sleep paralysis has been linked to a variety of mental health problems. Panic disorder and other anxiety disorders appear to be more prevalent among those who have them.
Alcohol and antidepressants, among other things, may induce REM rebound, which can also lead to sleep paralysis (SAD). Some of the most common connections are found in people who have been affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or exposure to childhood sexual abuse, or other types of physical and mental trauma.
Insomnia symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep and excessive daytime sleepiness have been linked to sleep paralysis. People who are out of sync with their local day-night cycle, such as those travelling across time zones or employees working night shifts, may also be more likely to have sleep paralysis.
How to Diagnose the Sleep Paralysis?
If you often find yourself stones for a few seconds while waking up or falling asleep, you might be suffering from isolated reoccur and sleep paralysis. Check with your doctor if you are experiencing:
- Symptoms to keep awake during the night
- feeling any anxiety about your symptoms
- You feel exhausted during the day
The doctor may diagnose you with sleep paralysis after considering the following factors:
- By referring to a sleep specialist
- maintaining a sleep diary for a few weeks
- conducting daytime nap studies or overnight sleep studies
- Discussing your health history to understand your family history of sleep disorders
Is sleep paralysis common?
The initial symptoms of sleep paralysis frequently show up in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood (ages 7 to 25). Episodes may start appearing in the 20s and 30s after they have begun in the teenage years.
According to estimates, sleep paralysis affects between 8% and 10% of the population at some point in their lives. There is little information on how often episodes occur among these people.
Is Sleep Paralysis Harmful?
No, sleep paralysis is not harmful. It is a natural phenomenon that occurs during REM sleep, and it generally goes away within a few minutes.
However, the experience can be very frightening and often causes a great deal of anxiety. If you are experiencing sleep paralysis, it is essential to stay calm and avoid letting the fear take over.
Can Sleep Paralysis be Treated?
There is not currently a cure for sleep paralysis, but there are a few things that can help reduce the risk of experiencing it.
These include staying well-rested, avoiding stress and anxiety, establishing a regular sleep schedule, reducing caffeine intake, and avoiding alcohol and drug use.
If you are experiencing frequent episodes of sleep paralysis, it may be helpful to talk to a doctor or therapist.
Following treatments are generally prescribed for sleep paralysis:
- Treatment of sleep disorders such as leg cramps or narcolepsy (if you are suffering any)
- Treating any associated mental health problem
- Improving sleep habits by maintaining sleep hygiene (Sleep hypnosis)
- Use of antidepressant medications as per the prescription
Sleep hygiene counselling is frequently used in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), a type of talk treatment that aims to change negative thoughts and emotions that prevent people from sleeping.
Sleep paralysis is when a person becomes conscious but cannot move for an extended period. 10, 10, and 10 have all conducted research on the efficacy of CBT for sleep paralysis. CBT effectively treats mental health disorders such as anxiety and PTSD that might contribute to sleep paralysis risk.
Sleep paralysis can be induced or worsened by certain medicines, which may help to stop it. Many medications have been demonstrated to reduce REM sleep, and they might aid in the treatment of sleep paralysis. These medicines may have adverse effects and induce a rebound in REM sleep when someone stops taking them.
Precautions for Sleep paralysis
First, try to get enough sleep and maintain a regular sleep schedule. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed, and make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet.
If you are experiencing stress or anxiety, try relaxation techniques or meditation before bed. If you continue to experience sleep paralysis, it may be helpful to talk to a doctor or therapist.
Here are some suggested precautions that may help you to cope with sleep paralysis:
Sleep a lot:
Sleep deprivation is one of the primary causes of entering into REM quickly, leading to sleep paralysis as your body is still awake.
Avoid naps:
If you don't have fixed nap timings, you are at a higher risk of sleep paralysis than those who either don't nap or take a nap at their fixed schedules.
Treating other sleep disorders:
It is expected that sleep paralysis is linked to other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and REM disruptions (Hypersomnia). Consult a professional if you are suffering from anxiety or stress
Avoid sleeping on your back:
Some studies correlate back sleeping with sleeping paralysis
What can I do about Sleep Paralysis?
There are no more fears of the dark or alien abductors. If you experience sleep paralysis on occasion, there are things you can do at home to get relief. Make sure you get enough sleep by starting with that.
If you have sleep paralysis, do everything you can to reduce stress in your life—particularly just before going to bed. If you sleep on your back, try different sleeping postures.
Is Sleep Paralysis a serious concern?
Most people do not consider sleep paralysis to be a severe problem. It is classified as a benign condition and usually does not happen frequently enough to cause significant health problems.
According to research, however, about 10% of people have more recurrent or distressing episodes that cause sleep paralysis. As a result, they may develop negative beliefs regarding going to bed, reducing sleeping time.
Sleep deprivation can cause a person to be excessively sleepy, resulting in several other adverse effects on one's general health.
Conclusion
Sleep paralysis is a condition that can cause feelings of being trapped, suffocated, or paralyzed. It is more common in people who experience vivid dreams or night terrors, and it can be caused by several different factors, including stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.
There is no definitive answer to what causes sleep paralysis, but researchers believe it may be caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
Although sleep paralysis is not harmful, it can be extremely frightening and often causes anxiety. If you are experiencing sleep paralysis, you can follow the above steps to reduce your risk.
