Sleep Paralysis is a momentary alertness but loss of voluntary muscle movements that occurs when you are just about to fall asleep, or when you are just waking up from sleep.During sleep paralysis all of a sudden you feel a pressure on your chest and you sense a presence in the room you cannot move a muscle you can see your surroundings and are awake and alert . It can last anywhere from 20 seconds to a few minutes and it affects about 8% of the general population. Some of the common emotions and sensations that are associated with sleep paralysis are an awareness of your surroundings but unable to move ,a sense of physical weight and pressure on the chest , difficulty in breathing or a choking feeling, hallucinations, presence in an overwhelming sense of fear . Some people even describe hearing footsteps and see intruders and feel as if their end has come . Although there is no physical danger to the person experiencing sleep paralysis, they cannot pull themselves out of it and must wait for it to pass . Sleep paralysis is different from nightmares or night terrrors and that the brain is awake but the body is in its sleep state . The most interesting thing about sleep paralysis is that it dates back to the 10th century and is prevalent in all ethnicities . In fact people from many cultures have used it as a way to explain super natural events and beings , such as witchcraft ghosts and alien abduction. Sleep paralysis is of two types:- Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic . These two terms refer to a difference in time at which sleep paralysis occurs. Hypnagogic also known as predormital is when sleep paralysis occurs at sleep onset or just before falling asleep. On the other way Hypnopompic also known as post dormital refers to sleep paralysis that occurs just after waking up ,at the transition from sleep to awakening.
In order to understand how sleep paralysis occurs we have to understand what REM sleep is . During sleep your brain cycles through five different phases. REM stage of sleep is also called rapid eye movement stage . A REM cycle of sleep consists of 25% of your sleep which may occur several times throughout the night since your sleep cycle is repeated. Most dreams occur during REM stage of sleep when your body is energized. During REM the signals are sent to your spinal cord and neurons to shut off movements creating a temporary inability to move the muscles of your arms and legs . Thus , it protects you from injuring yourself while you are dreaming . Usually people wake up from sleep when their brain is in non- REM phase , but sometimes you wake up when you are still in REM sleep. That is when sleep paralysis occur. In sleep paralysis , your mind is still partially dreaming that leads to seeing hallucinations that feels super real . Sleep paralysis is thought to be caused due to sleep disorders , stress and altered sleep patterns . If your age is between 10 to 25 , you are more likely to experience it.
In order to prevent sleep paralysis then making minor lifestyle changes and adjustments can make a big difference . This includes to get atleast 7 to 8 hours sleep a day regularly. Playing outdoor games , exercising , meditation , eating healthy food everyday and not consuming alcohol can really help .
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