{"id":2656,"date":"2022-09-12T11:22:19","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T09:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/?p=2656"},"modified":"2022-09-15T22:43:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T20:43:23","slug":"what-is-sleep-paralysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/what-is-sleep-paralysis\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Sleep Paralysis and Why It’s So Dreadful?"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you’re only wondering “<\/span>what is sleep paralysis<\/span>” and how it feels, you’re one of the lucky ones! This horrifying sleep phenomenon can make you feel an evil presence in your room that wants to harm you while you lie motionlessly, feeling unable to defend yourself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although usually harmless, sleep paralysis can make you lose sleep and become sleep-deprived and anxious. So, let’s dive deeper into this mysterious state and find out what triggers it, how to get rid of it, and so much more!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep paralysis isn’t a new phenomenon. The <\/span>first clinical records about sleep paralysis<\/span><\/a> date back to 1664, but humans had been experiencing this nighttime inconvenience and struggled to understand it way before that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Due to the unique horrifying experience it provides, the phenomenon was initially associated with demons and spirits (later even alien abductions), and these creatures commonly have a starring role in various sleep paralysis hallucinations.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Samuel Johnson came the closest to capturing the essence of this phenomenon by defining it as a “nightmare” in his 1755 dictionary and describing it as “a morbid oppression in the night, resembling the pressure of weight upon the breast.”<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep paralysis is way more than an unpleasant feeling of pressure on your chest. It’s a <\/span>type of parasomnia<\/span><\/a> \u2014 a sleep disorder that involves unusual and involuntary behavior and experiences during sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It’s most frequently described as waking up to a horror-movie-worthy scene (hearing horrible sounds, seeing terrifying creatures, smelling unpleasant smells, etc.) without being able to move, speak, or react in any way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But you can also experience <\/span>sleep paralysis without hallucinations<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Most sleepers are aware of what’s happening during a sleep paralysis episode \u2014 they realize they’re <\/span>dreaming<\/span><\/a>. However, at the same time, they can’t move or do anything to escape the dream, which is why this phenomenon is so scary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There’s a simple explanation for this. Sleep paralysis usually occurs during one of the most intense of the <\/span>five sleep stages<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the REM (rapid-eye-movement) stage. This is when our brains are most active and when most of our dreaming occurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is also when our muscles are very relaxed, paralyzed even, to keep us from acting out on our dreams. And this is when sleep paralysis strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n During sleep paralysis, muscle paralysis (atony) continues even when the mind is already awake.<\/span><\/p>\n About 75% of those who experience sleep paralysis have hallucinations. While people usually report seeing things that aren’t there, hallucinations aren’t exclusively visual. They can also be auditory (hearing things that are not there) or olfactory (hallucinating smells).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are three most common types of hallucinations:<\/span><\/p>\n The most commonly reported hallucinations include:<\/span><\/p>\n There are also people describing an episode of <\/span>sleep paralysis<\/span> where a <\/span>demon<\/span> is sitting on their chest, immobilizing them. This happens because intruder hallucinations and incubus hallucinations tend to occur together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are three different types of sleep paralysis, classified according to when (in which phase of sleep) they occur:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep paralysis is a widespread phenomenon affecting almost four out of ten people worldwide. <\/span>Some studies<\/span><\/a> even suggest a higher prevalence (60%) of this parasomnia<\/span>. It can affect both men and women, and it’s also common in children and adolescents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep paralysis episodes most frequently occur in the second and third decades of life, although they may also persist throughout later stages of life. The first episode often occurs in childhood, the teen years (usually between the ages of 14 and 17), or even in young adulthood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The incidence of sleep paralysis episodes tends to vary. It may only occur once in a lifetime, but it can also happen several times a year, a month, or even weekly, for the most unfortunate. Typically, an episode lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes and then stops on its own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep experts still aren’t sure exactly which mechanisms lead to sleep paralysis. But they seem to be nearing the answer.<\/span><\/p>\n Researchers have been successful in inducing artificial sleep paralysis experimentally. They chemically disrupted REM sleep by using a substance called gamma-aminobutyric acid (<\/span>GABA) and glycine<\/span><\/a>. Multiple other theories exist, but there’s no definitive answer yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, over the years, many factors have been identified as potential causes for this parasomnia:<\/span><\/p>\n Sleepers report a wide variety of sleep paralysis symptoms:<\/span><\/p>\n You’ll be relieved to find out that, terrifying as it is, sleep paralysis is usually harmless and doesn’t cause any other sleep or health problems. SP episodes are usually rare and nothing to worry about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Studies found that only around one in ten patients experience severe and frequent sleep paralysis, which should be taken seriously as a subject of treatment. And keep in mind that only recurring sleep paralysis should be considered a good reason to go and see your doctor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And now, to tackle the question that’s been bothering many \u2014 <\/span>can you die from sleep paralysis<\/span>? The answer is a resounding no!<\/span><\/p>\n Though sleep paralysis isn’t a medical condition per se, it can cause lots of discomfort in the long run and even trigger certain medical conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, SP sufferers are often at risk of:<\/span><\/p>\n If your sleep paralysis is recurrent and you experience complications described above, you may need to seek <\/span>treatment for sleep paralysis<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n There are no medical tests designed specifically for diagnosing sleep paralysis (the reason for this may partly lie in the fact that sleep paralysis isn’t considered a medical condition). Instead, SP diagnosis is based on your personal health history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore, the doctor will ask you to discuss your symptoms, your health history, and your family sleep disorder history to exclude other medical conditions resembling sleep paralysis. They may also ask you to keep a sleep diary for a while.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, a <\/span>polysomnography test<\/span><\/a> (an overnight sleep study used to diagnose various sleep disorders) is also required.<\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned above, infrequent isolated cases of sleep paralysis typically require no treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But if sleep paralysis is causing you immense discomfort and starts affecting your day-to-day life (e.g., the symptoms give you severe anxiety and prevent you from sleeping, you’re so tired and sleep-deprived you can’t function during the day), you should seek treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You should know that there’s no universal treatment for sleep paralysis that can help all those suffering from it. Instead, treatment aims to control the underlying cause and varies depending on each individual case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore, <\/span>sleep paralysis treatments<\/span> most commonly entail preventative measures that can help you reduce and even completely eliminate the horrifying episodes.<\/span><\/p>\n The first step is always to try to improve the quality of your sleep. This can mean a lot of things:<\/span><\/p>\n However, you should be careful when taking some antidepressants and hypnotics. They can affect the quality of your REM sleep and sometimes make matters worse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are known to suppress REM and are proven to <\/span>make parasomnias worse<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Tricyclic antidepressants like imipramine and clomipramine, on the other hand, give good results in sleep paralysis treatment. Narcolepsy medication like <\/span>clomipramine<\/span><\/a> can also help (if narcolepsy is the root cause of SP).<\/span><\/p>\n The key to stopping an ongoing episode of sleep paralysis is simply to stay calm and relaxed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Surely, when faced with an “evil apparition” or other bizarre hallucinations, this is a difficult thing to do. However, being aware that what you’re experiencing isn’t real can help you cope more easily with sleep paralysis.<\/span><\/p>\n How<\/span>What Is Sleep Paralysis<\/b>?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Sleep Paralysis \u2014 Understanding Sleep Paralysis Through History<\/b><\/h3>\n
What Happens During Sleep Paralysis<\/b>?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why Does Sleep Paralysis Occur?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Sleep Paralysis and Hallucinations<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Types of Sleep Paralysis\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Is Sleep Paralysis Common<\/b>?<\/b><\/h2>\n
What Causes Sleep Paralysis<\/b>?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Recognizing the <\/b>Symptoms of Sleep Paralysis<\/b><\/h2>\n
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How Serious Is Sleep Paralysis?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Sleep Paralysis \u2014 Complications<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Diagnosing Sleep Paralysis<\/b><\/h2>\n
What’s the Best <\/b>Sleep Paralysis Treatment<\/b>?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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How to Stop<\/b> a <\/b>Sleep Paralysis<\/b> Episode<\/b><\/h2>\n