What is Sleep paralysis? Sleep paralysis has affected 8% of the worlds population, 50% of people have experienced it once in there lives, and 5% of people regularly have sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a state in which the person is aware but has the inability to move. The paralysis usually occurs when one begins to awake from sleep or when falling asleep. The sleep paralysis itself can last about 30 seconds or up to 3-5 minutes. During the episode one may hallucinate, find difficulty breathing, see, & sometimes even hard to hear. Although there is no physical harm to the person, they cannot pull themselves out of the paralysis. They simply must wait for the episode to pass. Most have mistaken sleep paralysis for another version of a night terror, nightmare, or dream. But sleep paralysis is very different, essentially the brain is awake but the body is in its sleep state & thus one cannot move. There are two types of sleep paralysis: Hypnagogic & Hypnopomic. These two words refer to the difference of time that the sleep paralysis can occur. Hypnagogic is predormital, it´s when sleep paralysis occurs just before one falls asleep. Hypnopomic is postdormital, it occurs after waking up at transition from sleep to awakening. To really understand sleep paralysis, one must know about REM sleep. Throughout sleep our brains cycle though 4 different phases: 1,2,3,4. Which is called the ¨Rapid Eye Movement stage¨ (REM). The REM cycle consists of 25% of your sleep cycle, REM is when dreaming occurs, making your body become energized. During REM, signals are sent to your spinal cord & neurons to shut off to create a temporary inability to move. This protects you from injuring yourself and others while dreaming. Sleep Paralysis occurs due to an error in the REM ¨on & off¨ switch controlling REM sleep. Normally REM ¨on¨ usually occurs when one is asleep. But when sleep paralysis occurs the neurons controlling the ¨wake -sleep switch¨ have an error, causing the neurons controlling REM ¨offed¨ side of the switch are weakened. This allows the REM ¨on¨ neurons to prevent the body from moving while the body is slightly awake...which should not be, and this causes sleep paralysis. The amygdala is an area of the brain, that is important for processing fear. The amygdala is active during REM sleep, and since its closely associated with fear, it generates the fear & anxiety one feels during sleep paralysis. People are mostly likely to experience sleep paralysis due to: genetics, sleep disorders (such as narcolepsy), sleeping on your back, lack of sleep, poor mental health (depression, anxiety), PTSD, & Bipolar disorder. Sadly, there is no established treatment that works for treating sleep paralysis. Although having sleep paralysis, there is no immediate danger or health risks. Tips for Sleep Paralysis
Works Citedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis#:~:text=Sleep paralysis is a state,than a couple of minutes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lkkF4hJGUU Have you had Sleep Paralysis? If so, what was your experience?
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