Sleep Paralysis: Why We Sometimes Wake Up But Cannot Move
For most of us, sleep is a welcome friend at the end of a tough day. Our bedrooms are a place of sanctuary where we can slide between our comfortable sheets and finally put away the cares and stresses that beset us during waking hours and just – drift off…
The journal, Sleep Medical Reviews, published a medical review about sleep paralysis that combined 35 studies with more than 36,000 participants. According to the review of scientific studies, 7.6% of the general population experiences sleep paralysis. However, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis.
What is Sleep Paralysis
Sufferers of sleep paralysis wake from their sleep totally paralyzed and can remain completely immobile for a few minutes, while this is, objectively speaking, a short time; it can seem like an eternity in the dark of the night.
During an episode the sensation of paralysis is so complete that people even feel that they are unable to breathe (this is a sensation only, sufferers continue to breathe throughout an attack).
As if this was not not terrifying enough, many sufferers sense that there is a malevolent presence in the room with them. For some it will be a shadow in the periphery of their vision, for others the presence will sit on their chest.
Sleep Paralysis – History
Sleep paralysis has been with us for as long as we have had human culture although in years gone by attacks were commonly explained as visitations from the devil or demons.
The first known description of an attack in writing is from 2400BC when Gilgamesh’s father was said to be a ‘lilu’ or night demon and the subject has been returned to many times in both art and sculpture.
Female sufferers were thought to have been visited by an incubus, a sex demon who sat on their chests and seduced them while men were the victims of the female equivalent – succubae.
Sufferers of these attacks were often exorcised in order to rid them of their demons.
There are cultural equivalents to these demons in all cultures from Zanzibar to Brazil showing that sleep paralysis is a worldwide phenomenon. It is believed that people who have reported being abducted by aliens may have, instead, experienced an attack of sleep paralysis.
Sleep Paralysis – is it Dangerous?
Sleep paralysis attacks, while unpleasant, are not dangerous in and of themselves.
Many sufferers will have only one or two attacks over the course of their life but for some they can be an extremely unpleasant regular event.
Cause of Sleep Paralysis
Recurring sleep paralysis is more common in people who suffer from narcolepsy (a disorder that causes excessive sleepiness during waking hours, sufferers can fall asleep suddenly and without warning at any time), and people who suffer from Sleep Apnea (where the soft palate and tongue collapse in during sleep obstructing the airway). You should also be aware of the 3 warning signs of sleep apnea.
They are not, however, the only causes of sleep paralysis attacks which may also occur after a traumatic life event or when someone is suffering from depression or anxiety.
There also appears to be some level of genetic susceptibility so if a person suffers from sleep paralysis, others in the same family are more likely to as well. Approximately 7-8% of all people suffer from sleep paralysis (although this can rise as high as 30% of people who are diagnosed with anxiety, narcolepsy or other risk factors).
Sleep Paralysis – Reasons
While we know that certain things such as narcolepsy can make someone more likely to suffer from an attack of sleep paralysis we still do not know why it happens.
Our sleep takes place in cycles, one of these cycles, known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is when the majority of our dreams will take place.
During this time the vast majority of the muscles in our bodies are paralyzed in order to prevent us from hurting ourselves by acting out the movements from our dreams. Sometimes, of course, it does not work as it should and you see people thrashing about or even sleepwalking.
It may be that a malfunction of this process is also responsible for causing sleep paralysis in that the REM paralysis continues after the REM process has stopped. So whereas in sleep walkers the body wakes up but the mind stays asleep, in sleep paralysis incidents the mind wakes up but the body remains sleeping.
We do not know why some suffers find themselves hallucinating an evil presence in the room with them; at least, not for certain.
During sleep paralysis attacks, the brain is hyper aware and more likely to perceive any external sights or sounds as a threat. Some researchers think the presence may be the brain’s way of interpreting and making sense of the signals it is receiving. Those of a religious bent might hallucinate the devil, others may be culturally conditioned to hallucinate aliens or burglars.
How to Prevent Sleep Paralysis
So what can you do if you start to suffer from sleep paralysis? If the attack is a once off, then you probably need to do nothing. If it happens again, however, it is worth taking some measures to reduce the likelihood of it happening yet again.
You should try to make sure that you have a good sleep routine as. Go to bed at a similar time every night and make sure that you get enough sleep to ensure that you are rested. This will also help you to avoid the other dangers of sleep deprivation.
Try not to stimulate yourself into wakefulness by avoiding electronic games and don’t check your email in bed.
You should also avoid any stimulating food or drinks such as alcohol, nicotine or caffeine in the run up to bedtime. This should be at least 2-3 hours before bedtime and avoid all coffee after lunchtime.
Avoid sleeping on your back. Research has shown that sleep paralysis episodes are a lot more common in people who sleep on their back (supine position).
If you are still experiencing bouts of sleep paralysis, even after all these precautions, you should consider speaking to your doctor so that they can run tests to check for narcolepsy, sleep apnea or another cause such as depression.
What to Do During a Sleep Paralysis
The first ever attack of sleep paralysis can be extremely frightening and, of course, upsetting. If, however, you suffer from repeat attacks there are strategies that you can learn to help manage the fear.
Firstly learn a mantra to repeat to yourself to help ground your mind – repeating ‘this is not real, it is a dream’ can help to manage the fear.
Secondly, concentrate on trying to move a part of your body – aim for something very small like a finger or toe. Moving a part of your body will break the paralysis and the act of concentrating will help you to feel more in control of the situation and therefore less afraid.
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