Although sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder, many other patients suffer from sleep paralysis at least during some point in their lives.
Sleep paralysis, also called hypnogogic paralysis and hypnopompic paralysis, are characterized by the inability to more or speak after waking or just before falling asleep. This condition, also known as sleep paralysis, can cause lifelong psychological problems for the sufferer. Waking up and being unable to move is one of the most frightening things a person could experience.
Sleep paralysis affects approximately 20-30% of the population at least once in their life according to some surveys. It is considered a medical condition if it happens frequently.
How sleep paralysis occurs
During REM sleep, paralysis is a natural occurrence. The brain temporarily paralyzes the body’s muscles to prohibit injury during dreaming. Since you’re deeply asleep during this dreaming stage, you are unaware of the fact that you can’t easily move. When sleep paralysis happens at other times, particularly when you first wake up or in the few moments before you fall asleep, it becomes an issue many people find truly frightening.
Historically, sleep paralysis has been blamed on demons, alien abductions, myths, and legends. More recently it has been found to be caused by stress, lucid dreaming, irregular or interrupted sleep schedules, and sudden lifestyle or environmental changes.
It normally happens when the person is lying supine, on their backs. People suffering from sleep paralysis often also have, or are at an increased risk of developing, narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks. For this reason, some sleep paralysis patients believe they have obstructive sleep apnea until a sleep study has shown the true cause of their daytime sleepiness.
Symptoms of sleep paralysis
Symptoms of sleep paralysis include vivid hallucinations of people or objects in the room, hovering close to the person’s body. These apparitions appear menacing and threatening. Voices are often heard talking, chanting, or singing. Often a full body pressure, like a weight on top of the torso and limbs, is reported. The sufferer also is unable to move upon awakening or just before sleeping, possibly due to the brain not registering the change in the sleep cycle quick enough. Sleep tests reveal muscle tone suppression, an abnormally quick onset of REM sleep, and dissociated REM sleep.
Sleep paralysis is oftentimes treated by lifestyle changes first. Stress should be reduced or kept to a minimum as much as possible. The patient should strive for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Consistent sleep schedules should be strictly adhered to. Changing their sleeping position to their side may also help some individuals. Regular exercise is also important in order to strengthen muscle tone. Medication are prescribed to people whose nighttime paralysis does not improve with changes in lifestyle. Clonazepam and Ritalin are the usual drugs of choice. Ritalin is taken during the day to help regulate sleep schedules. Clonazepam is used before bedtime to prevent paralysis.
Learning to cope with sleep paralysis is encouraged. Understanding why it happens will ease some of the frightening feelings. Often people uselessly fight against the paralysis, struggling to move. Many sufferers state that relaxing their bodies and just letting it happen is beneficial to them. Patients should also seek a good counselor in order to express their helpless feelings in a positive way. Following through with a sleep study and taking medications as prescribed should improve or alleviate the sleep paralysis symptoms.
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