Sleep Paralysis: Why Does It Occur And How Can We Avoid It?
Have you ever felt paralyzed when you wake up? Did you think someone or something was watching you? Perhaps you have suffered from an episode of sleep paralysis. Find out how to identify it.
Have you ever woken up without being able to move any muscle in your body? This phenomenon where people cannot move when they open their eyes after sleeping is called sleep paralysis. People who usually have these effects end up suffering a lot of terror due to the feeling of lack of control that they experience during these moments. But,what happens when you have sleep paralysis?
During sleep paralysis People suffer from narcolepsy, a sleep disorder in which our brain’s ability to regulate our normal sleep-wake cycle is disrupted. It is at these moments that people who suffer from it usually end up suffering from a fear that makes them have a hard time during these moments.
But why does sleep paralysis occur? According to a series of current studies, there is a strong relationship between post-traumatic stress disorders, panic disorder, and factors such as stress and anxiety that make people more likely to suffer. sleep paralysis and hallucinations that are usually linked to this affectation.
Sleep paralysis: Main symptoms
Despite sleep paralysis It does not pose any risk to our health, the reality is that knowing why it happens or the symptoms that identify it can give us some peace of mind during these moments of panic. According to psychologists and sleep specialists, sleep paralysis can be identified by the following.
Inability to move or speak: One of the most common characteristics of sleep paralysis It is the inability of people to move and speak while they last. In this way, an episode can last between a few seconds and up to two minutes.
Feeling that there is someone or something in the room: In sleep paralysis, hallucinations They are also common. In this type of recurring dream, people usually think or have the feeling that there is something or someone watching them, even though they cannot see it.
Feeling like there’s something pulling you down: In the sleep paralysis another symptom The most common is precisely the constant feeling that there is a force pulling you down.
Fear: Fear is another of the effects of sleep paralysis and its types of manifestations. In this way, regardless of the way this sleep disorder is experienced, people are usually quite afraid when they feel it.
Hypnopompic experiences: That is, hallucinations during, just before or after this recurring dream. In these cases of sleep paralysis People can have hallucinations that involve almost traumatic experiences for those affected.
The episodes of sleep paralysis They usually end alone or when the person is able to recover their movements again. Still, it is important to determine what causes sleep paralysis in order to address the root problem.
What causes sleep paralysis?
Both children and adults can experience a sleep paralysis But normally people who have this type of recurring dream are usually suffering from some of the following conditions.
Insomnia: The sleep paralysis It is closely related to other sleep disorders, such as insomnia. In this way, this affectation can present itself as one of the symptoms of not sleeping.
Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is a disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness during the day and this can cause other effects such as sleep paralysis or the feeling of constant sleep.
Anxiety: Anxiety can harm our habit of constant sleep, causing us to wake up in the middle of the night because of it. This can also be linked to the presence of sleep paralysis, as well as constant complaints of ‘I’m sleepy all day’ or I’m always very sleepy’.
Depression: Depression can also affect our sleep. So much so that in many cases the affected person ends up not being able to sleep or altering their sleeping habits. This may be related to sleep paralysis
Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder is a condition that can cause problems when sleeping. One of them is to dream that you cannot move through the sleep paralysis
Post-traumatic stress disorder: Post-traumatic stress disorder also affects our sleep. Therefore, people who suffer from it can reach scream in your sleep, talk in your sleep and suffer sleep paralysis.
Lack of sleep can also cause a sleep paralysis In many cases, these effects can wreak havoc on your life. For this reason, it is essential to go to a professional psychologist to find out the causes that can lead to these states. Through your consultation we will be able to understand why we get sleep paralysis and what we can do to deal with it.
Why does sleep paralysis occur?
When a person experiences waking up and not being able to move, implies that you are in the REM sleep phase. This stage of sleep occupies between 20 and 25% of our nights and is when our brain is most active during rest. That is why it is during this phase when people dream and the greatest amount of emotional processing occurs.
Although our brain waves are very active, the reality is that our body is immobilized during REM sleep. In addition to our eyes moving a lot, our muscles lose tone. This happens to not be able to perform the acts that we are living in our dreams
In this way, during the REM phase we are paralyzed. However, sometimes we can wake up during these moments which produces the feeling of waking up and not being able to move or sleep paralysis Therefore, sleep paralysis and spirits or demons are not related, it is simply a consequence of waking up during REM sleep.
Sleep paralysis and death
Despite sleep paralysis and death They may seem to be related when this sensation is experienced, the reality is that the experience of wanting to wake up and not being able to do so does not imply any risk to our health. Therefore, you should not fear when you are suffering from sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis and hallucinations
It is estimated that more than 75% of these episodes where people usually experience the not being able to wake up and being paralyzed They usually involve episodes of hallucinations. In fact, these can occur when the person is falling asleep (hypnagogic hallucinations) or when trying to wake up (hypnopompic hallucinations). In sleep paralysis, hallucinations can be divided into the following categories:
Hallucinations of intruders: Seeing monsters, noticing presences while you sleep, or the perception of a dangerous person inside the room.
Chest pressure hallucinations: When waking up and not being able to move, people may also have the feeling that they are suffocating.
Hallucinations with vestibular motor: Some people feel like they are about to die sleeping because they begin to notice that they are outside their body or floating during sleep paralysis.
The sleep paralysis along with the hallucinations, they can last about twenty minutes. In the vast majority of cases that occur, the episodes end on their own.
Effects of sleep paralysis
Different studies have found that people who suffer from sleep paralysis during sleep may end up suffering certain effects on their physical and mental health. Mainly, those who suffer from this condition tend to experience greater negativity, anxiety and emotional stress. This may be because they do not rest well or because of the feeling of helplessness caused by frequently experienced sleep paralysis.
In some cases, people who suffer from it frequently end up seeing their emotional health damaged, feeling frustrated with the situation and even depressed. Finally, some people pointed out that this condition also affected their social life.
We must take into account that the sleep paralysis is serious when it ends up affecting our lives beyond the moment. Furthermore, this situation tends to occur more frequently in students and psychiatric patients since they may be under greater pressure and stress.
In most cases, the sleep paralysis occurs while awake, that is, at a time when the person is between wakefulness and sleep. Therefore, it can be very frightening because there is a feeling of lack of control. In this situation, it is important to stay calm, and above all, try to relax our mind and body. That is, when you cannot move in your sleep due to sleep paralysis, relaxation will help this sensation go away and help you go back to sleep.
How to avoid sleep paralysis?
This nocturnal paralysis can harm some aspects of our lives. Therefore, it is normal that you want or try to end these episodes. During a sleep paralysis know what to do It may seem complicated, but according to psychologists we can avoid it through the following tips.
Reduce stress: As we have already mentioned on many occasions, sleep disorder and its causes They are usually closely related to the stress we have in our daily lives. Therefore, to leave sleep paralysis and its hallucinations behind, we must avoid our sources of stress. You can achieve this by trying to organize yourself better and leave time to rest.
Exercise regularly: Physical exercise allows us to be healthy both mentally and physically. For this reason, it is important that to stop have this recurring dream Do some sport or exercise that keeps you active.
Get enough rest: Sleeping enough hours is one of the keys to being able to avoid sleep paralysis In these cases it is important to maintain a regular sleep schedule and always respect the seven or eight hours necessary to recover from sleep.
Relaxation or meditation exercises: Through relaxation and meditation, people can avoid sleep paralysis and thus combat disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress. Therefore it is also a way of avoid sleep paralysis
Go to therapy: Finally, sleep paralysis As well as other sleep disorders, they are closely related to our mental health. For this reason, in order to combat them, we may need the help of a mental health specialist.
The sleep paralysis It can cause states of confusion and terror in people who suffer from it. But these disturbances around sleep are a way for our body to tell us that something is not right in our lives.
