How To Prevent Sleep Paralysis?

Have you ever woken up unable to move? With the sensation of being choked? And maybe even a dark figure lurking over you? No, you’re not going crazy! This terrifying experience is something known as sleep paralysis and there’s a very valid explanation for it. In this article, we’ll discuss what sleep paralysis is, what causes it, and its history. Most importantly, we discuss how to prevent sleep paralysis and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

What exactly is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is the feeling of being awake but unable to move. Think of it as your brain being awake while your body is still asleep. It can happen as you transition between wakefulness to sleep or vice versa. During these transitions, you’ll likely be able to see your surroundings and move your eyes. But you won’t be unable to move or speak. You may also feel pressure on your chest and even have vivid hallucinations.

A sleep paralysis episode can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. But it may feel much longer when you’re having one.

There are two different types of sleep paralysis: hypnagogic sleep paralysis and hypnopompic sleep paralysis. Hypnagogic happens as you fall asleep. While hypnopompic is as you wake up.

What causes it?

When sleeping, you go through sleep cycles that last around ninety minutes. Each cycle alternates between NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. NREM sleep lasts around 75% of each cycle. During this stage, a deep sleep occurs, and the body restores itself.

At the end of NREM, you transition to REM. This is a lighter sleep and is when dreaming takes place. During this stage, your brain temporarily paralyzes your body. This is called muscle atonia and is to stop you from acting out your dreams. Imagine if you were running in your dream. If it wasn’t for muscle atonia, you would be doing the movements in your bed, which wouldn’t be ideal.

So, sleep paralysis occurs when you wake up during this stage of muscle atonia. As mentioned before, think of it as your brain being awake while your body is still asleep.

And what about the hallucinations?

If you’ve experienced sleep paralysis before, you’ll know exactly how terrifying it can be. In addition to paralysis, you can experience very vivid, and often demonic hallucinations. People recall a “demon” or a dark figure standing over their beds, or an evil presence in the room. Others experience strange and distorted noises, and many recall being choked or as if something was sitting on their chest.

The reason for this is that when you wake up during REM sleep, you’re still in a dream-like state. This means you’re dreaming while awake, also known as hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. These types of hallucinations can make you see things that aren’t there. Or, you might mistake a chair in your room for a figure, for example.

But why are the hallucinations always so demonic? Well, this is down to fear. Waking up and being unable to move is terrifying in itself. Therefore, the hallucinations you experience are a projection of fear. And the choking sensation? This is because your paralyzed muscles may make it slightly more difficult to breathe.

A history of demons and folklores

Before science could explain it, sleep paralysis **was **seen as something evil. Most cultures throughout history have folklores to describe its symptoms but claimed they were due to demon attacks instead.

For centuries people spoke of attacks from an incubus, a male demon who attacks women during their sleep. While his female counterpart, succubus, attacks men. In Newfoundland, Canada, people traditionally referred to sleep paralysis as “old-hag syndrome”. Where a witch-like creature perches on sleepers’ chests. In Brazilian folklore, the demon is called Pisadeira. She’s a crone with long fingernails that waits on rooftops before stepping on the chests of people who sleep on their backs. Traditionally in Mexico, the spirit of a dead person led to this paralysis. These spirits would lie on the chest of sleepers and prevent them from moving.

More recently, many experts believe that those who’ve claimed they were abducted by aliens, really just experienced intense sleep paralysis.

Pretty frightening stuff, right? But thankfully, we now have a valid explanation for all the demons and creepiness.

Who experiences sleep paralysis?

Around 1.7 to 40 percent of the population experiences sleep paralysis. For some people, this is just a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, while others get it reoccurringly. Both women and men can equally experience sleep paralysis, and it usually starts manifesting during adolescence. Experts believe that it may run in families. Other causes include:

• sleeping on your back;
• lack of sleep;
• sleep schedule changes, such as working night shifts;
• napping during the daytime;
• mental health conditions such as bipolar or stress;
• certain medications;
• alcohol or substance abuse;
• and other sleep problems such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is the overpowering need to sleep caused by a problem with the brain’s ability to regulate sleep.

Is sleep paralysis serious?

Alone, sleep paralysis isn’t serious or a problem. It’s most likely just a glitch in your sleep cycle. However, it can accompany other sleep conditions such as narcolepsy, which you’ll need to treat. If you experience extreme tiredness and an inability to stay awake, please check in with your doctor. Likewise, if your sleep paralysis is frequent and causing you distress, check in with your doctor.

How to prevent sleep paralysis?

While sleep paralysis won’t cause you any harm, it certainly is unpleasant. And can leave you fearful to sleep at night. Luckily, you can take matters into your own hands. If you’re wondering how to prevent sleep paralysis, try:

• sleeping on your side instead of your back;
• maintaining a regular sleep schedule;
• reducing caffeine or alcohol intake before bedtime;
• exercising, but not too close to bedtime;
• avoiding napping during the day;
• tracking medications you’re taking;
• treating any mental health conditions that may be causing sleep paralysis;
• and finally, keeping a sleep diary. Jot down when you’ve had it and what you were doing beforehand. This can help you identify any possible triggers such as alcohol.

Sleep paralysis is normal

Sleep paralysis is a common occurrence, despite how frightening it is. Next time you wake up unable to move, try to relax. Trying to move will only make you panic more, which will make the hallucinations worse. Instead, gently wiggle your toes, which should eventually bring you out of it. Overall, the more you know about sleep paralysis, the less frightening it will be.

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