Doctors evaluate patients complaining of sleep paralysis by asking about their lifestyle, sleeping position, medications, and mental health. Lack of sleep, disrupted sleep, sleeping on one’s back, and medication use can cause sleep paralysis. Mental illness and stress can also be factors.
A doctor will evaluate whether one of the causes of sleep paralysis applies when a patient complains of not being able to move or speak while trying to go to sleep or upon waking. The doctor will ask questions about the patient’s work schedule and lifestyle to determine if lack of sleep or sleeping position is a factor. Answers to other questions will reveal whether the patient is living with a mental illness that could be contributing to the condition. Your doctor will also investigate other causes of sleep paralysis, such as substance abuse, medications, or other sleep disorders are at play.
During an episode of sleep paralysis, the patient is wide awake but has no control over their limbs. The individual is not even able to call for help which makes this type of event very scary for the affected. Some people report feeling suffocated during an episode, which may have given rise to legends about a witch or other paranormal entity attempting to steal a person’s breath while they sleep.
In investigating the causes of sleep paralysis, the doctor will collect some basic information about the patient’s lifestyle and routine. This disorder has been linked to lack of sleep, and the doctor will want to find out how well rested the patient is. People who work multiple shifts and have disrupted sleep are also at a higher risk of sleep paralysis. Sleeping on your back is another cause of sleep paralysis, and treatment may involve adopting a different position while sleeping.
Medications can affect a patient’s sleep quality, and the doctor will need to know everything the patient is taking to rule out medications as a cause of sleep paralysis. The patient should inform his doctor about all substances, including illegal ones, that he is taking, as this information will help to find out the reason for sleep paralysis.
If none of the causes of sleep paralysis listed above apply, your doctor will evaluate whether a mental illness or another sleep disorder is at play. People living with bipolar disorder are more likely to experience sleep paralysis, and the doctor will ask about family history as well as ask questions about the patient’s moods to make a diagnosis. Stress can also be a factor when trying to diagnose sleep paralysis, and the doctor will want to know about any changes, both positive and negative, that may have increased the patient’s stress levels.
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