Sleep paralysis is medically defined as a state of being conscious but unable to move, speak, or react.
People often describe episodes as occurring when a person transitions between stages of wakefulness and sleep, lasting approximately 1-2 minutes. Treatments that can help combat the condition include improving your sleep habits and avoiding caffeine or alcohol before sleeping.
Congratulations (well, not really) if you have ever awoken and felt unable to move! You have experienced sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is medically defined as a state of being conscious but unable to physically move any part of your body. This usually happens when there is a little miscommunication between the phases of sleep and waking up.
Those who have experienced it consider it to be an extremely frightening experience. This is because they are consciously awake and mentally aware of their surroundings, but their body is still asleep, and they have no voluntary control over bodily movements.
Although it sounds strange, this condition is quite common and does not harm your body or mean that there is anything seriously wrong with you.
What Are the Types of Sleep Paralysis?
When we fall asleep, our minds and bodies are both super relaxed and slowly become less aware of their environment.
1. Hypnagogic Phase
When we experience this phase, the paralysis that happens before we fall asleep, the mind is consciously aware of what’s going on; however, the body is still in an unconscious state of relaxation. Therefore, regardless of the person’s actions or conscious awareness, their body remains immobile, leading to a state of panic.
2. Hypnopompic Phase
This phase is the paralysis that happens after the person wakes up from rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep, when the person is in deep sleep and dreaming, the brain paralyzes the muscles, preventing us from acting on our dreams, akin to subconsciously binding our body.
Here, you are conscious; you may see your dreams unravel in front of you, but you will not have any conscious control over your own movements. It is a terrifying experience if you are having a nightmare and can’t move a muscle to dodge what’s in front of you.
In hypnopompic sleep paralysis, a part of your brain wakes up, but the part responsible for REM sleep and muscle paralysis is still asleep.
Who Is More Susceptible to Sleep Paralysis?
You are more likely to experience sleep paralysis if the following factors apply to you:
- Alcohol abuse
- Stress
- Inconsistent sleep timing
- A deficiency in deep sleep or past experiences with insomnia
- Sleeping on your back and not your side
- Bipolar and related mental disorders
- Sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy (random and involuntary phases of deep sleep), or even nighttime leg cramps
- Use of medicines, especially those to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
On average, people experience sleep paralysis only once or twice in their lives. But some experience it close to a few times a month!
A study by Penn State University found that around 8% of the population who had frequent sleep paralysis issues also suffered from mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and sleep apnea (short-term inability to breathe while asleep) and were more vulnerable to experiencing them.
What Are the Advised Treatments?
Since the body naturally triggers this condition, there is no proper medication for treatment. But if a doctor does find the source of the frequent sleep paralysis, here are some commonly advised treatments:
- Providing you with a consistent sleep schedule
- Prescription anti-depressants
- Sleeping pills
- Getting counseling from a mental health professional
- Treatment for any possible sleep disorders
Some Remedies You Can Try on Your Own
- Getting an adequate amount of sleep
- Making sure you get good quality sleep by taking measures to de-stress yourself before going to bed
- Not depriving yourself of sleep, as a missed day of good sleep is said to be a trigger
- Reducing caffeine, alcohol, and drug consumption
- Restricting smoking
- Switching off or keeping electronic devices away from you for at least half an hour before sleeping
- Drinking some warm turmeric and honey milk or warm lemon water before going to sleep as options for relaxing and sleep-inducing beverages
In case you do experience sleep paralysis despite all of the measures taken, remember to just stay calm, focus on your breathing, lie back down later, relax, and remember that it will always pass.
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