SLEEP PARALYSIS

What is Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being unable to move, either at the onset of sleep or upon awakening. It happens just after falling asleep or upon awakening in the morning, in the time between waking and sleep.

People have long sought explanations for this mysterious sleep-time paralysis and the accompanying feelings of terror.
The individual’s senses and awareness are intact, but they may feel as if there is pressure on them, or as if they are choking.

Sleep paralysis have been described in many ways and often attributed to an "evil" presence: unseen night demons or territory spirits. We sometimes assume it being caused by by presence of wall geckos or cockroaches believed to have been possessed by an evil spirit. And then you wake up to start binding and casting by fire.

Other description of sleep paralysis:
1. Intruder: There are sounds of doorknobs opening, shuffling footsteps, a shadow man, or sense of a threatening presence in the room.

2. Incubus: Feelings of pressure on the chest, difficulty breathing with the sense of being smothered, strangled or sexually assaulted by a malevolent being. The individual believes they are about to die.

3. Vestibular-motor: A sense of spinning, falling, floating, flying, hovering over one’s body or another type of out-of-body experience.

Sleep paralysis is usually brief and not life threatening, but the person may remember it as haunting and horrifying. It may also be accompanied by hallucinations and intense fear.

Signs and symptoms of sleep paralysis:

1. Inability to move the body when falling asleep or on waking, lasting for seconds or several minutes

2. Being consciously awake

3. Being unable to speak during the episode

4. Having hallucinations and sensations that cause fear

5. Feeling pressure on the chest

6. Having difficulty breathing

7. Feeling as if death is approaching
sweating

8. having headaches, muscle pains, and paranoia

Reasons for Sleep Paralysis:

While sleeping, the body relaxes, and voluntary muscles do not move. This prevents people from injuring themselves due to acting out dreams. Sleep paralysis involves a disruption or fragmentation of the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycle.

The body alternates between rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM).

One REM-NREM cycle lasts around 90 minutes, and most of the time spent sleeping is in NREM. During NREM, the body relaxes. During REM, the eyes move quickly, but the body is relaxed. Dreams occur at this time.

In sleep paralysis, the body’s transition to or from REM sleep is out of sync with the brain. The person’s consciousness is awake, but their body remains in the paralyzed sleep state.

The areas of the brain that detect threats are in a heightened state and overly sensitive.

Factors that causes sleep paralysis:

1. Narcolepsy: a sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and in some cases episodes of cataplexy (partial or total loss of muscle control, often triggered by a strong emotion such as laughter).

2. Irregular sleeping patterns, due, for example, to jet lag or shift work

3. Mental conditions such as stress or bipolar disorder

4. Sleeping on your back

5. A family history of sleep paralysis

6. Use of certain medications, such as those for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

7. Substance abuse

Treatment for Sleep Paralysis:

There is no specific treatment for sleep paralysis, but stress management, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and observing good sleep habits can reduce the likelihood of sleep paralysis.

A. Understanding the physiology of sleep and the mechanism for sleep paralysis is an important step to overcoming it.
Strategies for improving sleep hygiene include:

1. keeping bedtime and wake-up time consistent, even on holidays and weekends
2. Ensuring a comfortable sleep environment, with suitable bedding and sleepwear and a clean, dark and cool bedroom
3. Reducing light exposure in the evening and using night-lights for bathroom trips at night
4. Getting good daylight exposure during waking hours
5. Not working or studying in the bedroom
6. Avoiding napping after 3.00 p.m. and for longer than 90 minutes
7. Not eating a heavy evening meal, or eating within 2 hours of going to bed
8. Not sleeping with the lights or television on
9. abstaining from evening alcohol or caffeine products
10. Exercising daily, but not within 2 hours of bedtime
11. Including a calming activity in the bedtime ritual, such as reading or listening to relaxing music
12. Leaving phones and other devices outside the bedroom
13 Putting electronics aside at least 1 hour before going to bed

B. Managing any depression or anxiety disorder

C. Reducing intake of stimulants

D. Practicing meditation or regular prayer

In conclusion, an ongoing stress and disruption in the sleep cycle can pose serious health implications. And Healthy sleep habits are not just necessary for sleep paralysis management, but for the overall health and wellness of our body system.