IS IT SLEEP PARALYSIS ?

Ever woke up in the middle of the night with a feeling of dread slowly encapsulating you, but you’re totally terrified, unable to move and not able to speak/shout. WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SLEEP PARALYSIS ! if you’ve never experienced this phenomenon-consider yourself lucky, but beware as it can happen to anyone.

There have been many folk legends around the world that try to explain this condition in different cultures. In Japan, they know it is ‘kanashibar’ or as it translates - ‘bound up with mental’. People know it as ‘ghost oppression’ in China, and in the US, some people relate it to alien abductions. In African culture, sleep paralysis is interpreted as ‘ devil riding your back’ where demons have sex with people in their sleep. They are known as ‘Incubus’ or Succubus’ !

Why is sleep important to the human body ?

Sleep is an essential part of our body’s self-healing and repairing mechanism. It is when the body rests at night that the regeneration of damaged cells takes place. The body goes through cycles of REM or Rapid Eye Movement and NREM or Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep. The body switches through these two states at least four to six times during the course of the night. Each stage typically takes about 90 minutes to complete.

What is sleep paralysis ?

At times when people wake from sleep, they are unable to move. Some may be able to open their eyes but are unable to speak. They are fully aware of their surroundings but are absolutely paralysed as their muscles refuse to respond to them. For those who are unable to even open their eyes. It can be a very scary experience. They may have hallucinations about some malevolent presence in the room with them. This state of immobility may last for two minutes on average.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT

> When you sleep, your brain gives a command to your body’s voluntary muscles to relax and go into a state of paralysis, which is called atonia. This restricts your physical movements in your dreams, thereby, helping protect the body from any external injury. In any sleep behavior disorder or during nightmares, atonia does not occur properly and the voluntary muscles move while the mind remains asleep, which is why people can do crazy things in their sleep, like sleepwalk, and be totally off it.

> In sleep paralysis, however, the opposite happens. The body remains paralyzed while the brain awakens. You are alert and conscious, but are unable to move voluntary muscles. This is often accompanied by a sensation of chest pressure; this is the reason why many people also wake up from sleep paralysis gasping for breath.

> It also, more often than not, is accompanied with a feeling of dread-as if you’re slowly dying. This is why when you finally wake up, you feel as if you woke up from the dead.

> Sleep paralysis can often occur in one of the two transitions-when you’re falling asleep or waking up (the reasons for which are still pretty much unknown). The body MUST go into REM ( Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and must come out of it. Sleep paralysis happens when your body has trouble making this transition.

• If it happens when you’re falling asleep-it’s called ‘hypnagogic’ sleep paralysis.

• Whereas if it happens while waking up, it’s called ‘hypnopompic’ sleep paralysis.

> No matter how much you try, even if you consciously know that you’re undergoing sleep paralysis-you can’t wake your body up. A very miniscule amount of people can slightly move their fingers, wiggle their toes or facial muscles, which eventually helps them wake up the rest of their body.

> It also often includes hallucinations and reported nightmares. Because unlike the visuals in your dreams which occur when you’re deep in sleep and your eyes are closed, these hallucinations occur when your mind is alert and eyes are open. This makes it double scary because we have been conditioned to believe that seeing is believing! The added anxiety of not being able to move your body or scream for help also makes people super afraid of their surroundings.

How Common Is Sleep Paralysis?

Estimates vary, but researchers believe that about 8% of people experience sleep paralysis at some point in their life.

Sleep paralysis can occur at any age, but first symptoms often show up in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood (age 7 to 25 )6. After starting in the teenage years, episodes may occur more frequently in the 20s and 30s.

CAUSES

It’s a completely natural occurrence, and is definitely not a disease!

Sleep paralysis can happen to anyone under the sun. In fact, several studies have shown that most people have at least one episode in their life, and they are not even aware of it. The experience is always highly individualistic and differs from person to person that being said, young adults and people with a history of mental illness are more prone to it

Several researches have also constantly shown that people who are exhausted, stressed or simply sleep - deprived are more likely to experience sleep paralysis or other sleep disorders.

Though the it’s not clear till date that what leads sleep paralysis to happen and why it happens only with some people but some of the probable reasons could be as under :-

> Lack of sleep or insomnia - like having a hard time falling asleep and excessive daytime sleepiness.

> Sleep schedule that changes

> Mental conditions such as stress or bipolar disorder

> Sleeping on the back

> Other sleep problems such as narcolepsy or nighttime leg cramps

> Use of certain medications, such as those for ADHD

> Substance abuse

> Family history of sleep paralysis

Is sleep paralysis a serious problem?

For most people, sleep paralysis is not a serious problem. It is classified as a benign condition and usually does not happen frequently enough to cause significant health problems.

However, an estimated 10% of people have more recurrent or bothersome episodes that make sleep paralysis especially distressing. As a result, they may develop negative thoughts about going to bed, reducing time allotted for sleep or provoking anxiety around bedtime that makes it harder to fall asleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to excessive sleepiness and numerous other consequences for a person’s overall health.

WHAT COULD BE DONE?

Well, there is no established remedy for it, but still you can do the following to prevent it,

DOs

> Sleep hygiene : One must try to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day, keep their room comfortable, keep the lighting low, avoid looking at phones before sleeping, and eating about 2-3 hours before sleeping so that the food gets properly digested.

> Try to practice yoga and some form of meditation.

> Visit an expert to identify and work on the factors causing you stress and anxiety.

> Do activities that make you feel relaxed and comfortable; like colouring, walking, painting etc.

> Try taking a nap, and then don't take a nap, just to see what works best for your body.

> Medication and antidepressants depending on intensity might help.

> Keep a sleep diary to maintain a record of the number of hours you sleep along with what helped you sleep and what did not.

DON’Ts

> Get regular exercise, but not in the 4 hours before going to bed. > Do Not eat a big meal, smoke, or drink alcohol or caffeine shortly before going to bed.

> Do not sleep on your back - this can make sleep paralysis more likely to happen.

TAKE AWAY

Although there is no denying that sleep paralysis can be a horrifying experience, the truth is there is nothing to be worried about. It doesn’t cause any physical harm to the body, and there have been no clinical deaths known till date. The idea is to trick yourself to not be afraid during one of the occurrences. Prepare an affirmation - ‘it’s just a dream and i’m perfectly okay’ and start counting numbers, it sure feels like an eternity to the sufferer but it will be over in a few seconds. So next time just say hi to the intruder and chill out !

That said, if the episodes continue with a regular pattern, it’s always advisable to pay a visit to a sleep disorder specialist.