Normally your brain causes your muscles to relax and be still as you sleep. This is called “atonia.” Sleep paralysis seems to be when this atonia occurs while you are awake. Sleep paralysis is “isolated” when it appears without any other signs of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes overwhelming drowsiness and sudden “sleep attacks” throughout the day. However, many people who don’t have narcolepsy can still experience sleep paralysis.
People who experience it
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Sleep paralysis is most common in people with narcolepsy, but it can happen to those without it as well. It affects both men and women and is more likely to happen to teenagers or young adults. It is often genetic, and it is most common in those with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or panic disorder. Lack of sleep or a shifting sleep schedule can also cause sleep paralysis.
What does history say about sleep paralysis?
References to sleep paralysis are scattered throughout history, though not usually under the name “sleep paralysis.” Folklore and myths from around the world describe the terrifying experience of being unable to move upon waking and sometimes seeing beings, being choked, or being held down. Nightmares are known as the “Old Hag” in Newfoundland, Kokma in St. Lucia, and tsog in East Asia may have all be borne of the same spooky experience, according to an article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. In 1664, a Dutch physician described a patient’s experience of sleep paralysis as the “Incubus or the Night-Mare,” providing the first known clinical description of the affliction.
Symptoms
- an inability to move the body when falling asleep or on waking, lasting for seconds or several minutes
- being consciously awake
- being unable to speak during the episode
- having hallucinations and sensations that cause fear
- feeling pressure on the chest
- having difficulty breathing
- feeling as if death is approaching
- sweating
- having headaches, muscle pains, and paranoia
Risks
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A lack of sleep can make you more likely to have sleep paralysis. It is also more likely if you have a sleep schedule that often changes. Mental stress may also be a factor. It seems to occur more often when you sleep on your back. It may also be related to any of the following factors:
- Bipolar disorder
- The use of certain medications
- Sleep-related leg cramps
Treatment
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If you have occasional sleep paralysis, you can take steps at home to control this disorder. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night and stick to a consistent sleep routine. Avoid sleeping on your back, which has been linked to the condition.
And talk with your doctor if you are experiencing any underlying mood issues that could contribute to your situation. Remember, although the experience can be scary, sleep paralysis is not dangerous and usually lasts only a few seconds.
Your doctor may wish to conduct a sleep study, called polysomnography. The results of the study will help your doctor make a diagnosis if you’re experiencing sleep paralysis and other symptoms of narcolepsy. This type of study requires an overnight stay at a hospital or sleep center.
In this study, a doctor will place electrodes on your chin, scalp, and at the outer edge of your eyelids. The electrodes measure electrical activity in your muscles and brain waves.
Your doctor will also monitor your breathing and heart rate. In some cases, a camera will record your movements during sleep.
Fortunately, many people are reassured by a better understanding of the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, so that if it recurs they know how to interpret the experience and can more easily tolerate it until it inevitably ends.
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