Sleep Paralysis

Have you ever woken up from sleep, only to find that you couldn’t move? If you answered “yes,” you have experienced a phenomenon known as sleep paralysis (unless someone happened to bind your arms and legs while you slept, in which case, you have a whole other set of problems).

During sleep paralysis, you are completely unable to move your body. If you sleep on your back, you may feel as though there is something crushing your chest. You may feel an intense sense of fear or anxiety that you are about to die, or that you will be permanently paralyzed. But there is, in reality, nothing to be afraid of, as sleep paralysis is a natural part of the sleeping process.

Sleep paralysis can occur as you’re falling asleep or as you’re waking up. As you enter REM sleep, your body basically shuts itself down to prevent you from acting out your dreams and hurting yourself. Usually this paralysis wears off as you are waking up, but sometimes your brain will wake up before your body does, resulting in you not being able to move for several seconds to several minutes. Though this can be scary, it is completely harmless.

Several factors can contribute to experiencing sleep paralysis more frequently, including sleeping on your back in a supine position, irregular sleep schedules, taking naps throughout the day, stress, frequent panic attacks while awake, and sudden lifestyle changes. People who suffer from narcolepsy are also more likely to experience sleep paralysis. 

Another cause of sleep paralysis can be having a lucid dream just before the episode of sleep paralysis, especially if you try to awaken yourself from the lucid dream. In my personal experience, this is the most common cause. Sometimes when I realize that I am dreaming, I will try to wake myself up suddenly (since I find lucid dreaming boring and pointless. If I wanted to control what was going on in a dream, I’d just wait until I was awake at work or something and daydream about it). This apparently causes my brain to wake up before my body is ready to awaken. Since I know what is happening, I am usually not afraid at all.

Many people experience visual or audio hallucinations during sleep paralysis. You may also feel as though there is a “presence” or some kind of evil spirt in your bedroom with you. These kinds of hallucinations and delusions may account for many reports of ghost sighting, alien abductions, and experiences with incubi or succubi.  Many cultures throughout history have similar myths and legends to explain sleep paralysis, usually involving malevolent spirits, demons, or witches.

The best thing to do when experiencing sleep paralysis is to remain calm and remember that you are in no real danger. Remember that it is simply a natural process your body goes through in order to protect yourself during sleep and wait it out. If you find yourself in a lucid dream and attempt to wake from it, be prepared for the possibility of sleep paralysis. As long as you know what is happening, you should be able to get through the episode without too much fear. You can also try to move your hand or foot to attempt to break free of the paralysis sooner. Remember, it’s better that you are unable to move for a couple minutes after waking up than to act out your dreams and end up wandering outside your house and into the road or something!

To minimize the possibility of experiencing sleep paralysis, it is important to get enough sleep, take necessary steps to reduce stress, exercise regularly, and keep a regular sleep schedule.