Sleep paralysis is a condition where patients experience short periods of paralysis when falling asleep or waking up, often accompanied by hallucinations. It is associated with other sleep disorders and can be scary, but not inherently harmful. It can be addressed with medication or changes to sleep routine.
Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by short periods of paralysis when the patient falls asleep or wakes up. It is usually associated with other sleep disorders, rather than appearing on its own, and since it is often accompanied by hallucinations, it can sometimes be very frightening for patients. People often feel what they describe as a presence in the room when they experience the condition, and many cultures have complex folklore surrounding it.
This disorder is particularly common in people with narcolepsy, but it is also associated with lack of sleep, poor sleeping patterns, stress, and other sleep problems. By itself, paralysis isn’t inherently harmful, although it can be scary and can also be a sign of a more serious problem that needs to be addressed. Repeated episodes, especially if accompanied by terrifying hallucinations, should be reported to a doctor.
When someone experiences sleep paralysis, the body feels heavy and immobile, and the patient may feel as if they cannot speak. The condition is actually very similar to REM atony, a natural form of paralysis that occurs during deep stages of REM sleep to prevent the body from acting out the movements experienced in dreams. This condition, however, occurs at the fringes of REM sleep, rather than the most intense part.
Episodes of paralysis can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Sometimes, external stimuli, such as a voice or a touch, can bring some out and in other cases the patient may be unreachable. Sleep paralysis most often occurs when people sleep on their backs and, in some cultures, is known as the “old hag,” referring to the idea that it is caused by an old hag sitting on the patient’s chest.
Some people have suggested that this disorder may be the rationale behind the myths of alien abductions, succubi, vampires, and other malevolent nocturnal visitors. Because the hallucinations associated with this problem can be extremely vivid and often very strange, people with an active imagination may have had difficulty understanding that the “experienced” events did not actually happen.
Sometimes, sleep paralysis can be addressed with the use of prescription medications. It can also be helpful to make changes to a sleep routine and investigate the root causes of the problem to see if they can be treated to eliminate the problem. Other people take a different approach, using psychology in an attempt to control the hallucinations, making the paralysis an interesting, rather than a frightening experience.
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