Sleep paralysis: what is it, symptoms and causes of this disorder

exist many types of sleep disorders, but one of the most unpleasant that someone can get to experience is that of sleep paralysis.

This sleep disorder does not allow the person to move even if they want to and can be accompanied by hallucinations. We tell you what the symptoms are and why sleep paralysis can occur.

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What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is a type of sleep disorder that is within the group of parasomnias, a category that includes abnormal behaviors that occur in the person who is between sleep and wakefulness.

In this case, the people who experience it feel that they cannot perform any type of movement or have control over their body, as if they were suffering from paralysis. For a short period of time, which usually lasts a few minutes, the person is between sleep and wakefulness, being aware of everything but not being able to move or speak.

Those who experience sleep paralysis usually experience it as soon as they wake up or in moments before the sleep, and is sometimes accompanied by hallucinations or a sensation of unnatural presences that lurk. In general it is a

unpleasant sensation that can lead to fear and anxiety in the person who experiences it, since no matter how much he wants, he feels that he cannot do anything to control the situation.

It is a very common disorder that many people have experienced at some point. But even in those who have experienced it more than once or repeatedly, usually appears in the form of isolated episodes throughout his life.

Most common symptoms

The main and characteristic symptom of sleep paralysis is the inability of the person to perform any type of movement, no matter how hard you try and even if you are awake and in a state of consciousness.

Another typical symptom is shortness of breath. During these types of experiences, it is common to feel a feeling of suffocation or pressure in the chest, product of the anxiety that produces being in this situation. The person who experiences it may become afraid of suffocating.

One of the scariest symptoms of sleep paralysis is feel a presence in the room, which is accompanied by fear and the feeling of being observed. This presence can be sensed in the room or even felt approaching the bed, and it is always perceived as intrusive and threatening. Hallucinations can also occur, by which the person can see this presence, either indefinitely or in detail as a dark or ghostly figure.

Another of the sensations that are experienced in this situation are the auditory hallucinations, in which the person hears sounds such as buzzing, vibrations or hiss, or radio sounds, telephone bells or knocks on doors. It is also very recurrent to hear human voices, in the form of whispers, screams or whimpers.

Another type of hallucinations experienced are the tactile ones, for which the person feels that that intrusive presence has sat on the bed, grabs her by one of the limbs or pulls the sheets. In some cases, sensations have even been described in which the person rose, was dragged out of bed, flew or felt that he fell.

Causes of this sleep disorder

Sleep paralysis is caused by a lack of coordination of the nervous system, whereby the body remains paralyzed as if it were in the sleep phase even though the person has woken up. This paralysis of the body during sleep is a basic function of our body that occurs during REM phase, to avoid movement while we sleep and dream. In cases of sleepwalking, precisely the opposite would occur.

When sleep paralysis is experienced, it happens that the person has come out of REM phase and has regained consciousness, but the brain detects that we keep dreaming, so it does not de-paralyze the body. That is why the person experiencing it is unable to move at will.

In the cases in which it appears in isolation, its appearance is usually associated with moments of great stress and anxiety. It can also occur when irregular sleep schedules are maintained, when there is a lack of sleep or when there are many interruptions during sleep. In other less frequent cases, it is associated with narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.

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How to get out of paralysis

Although it can be a distressing experience for those who do not know it, you can come out of sleep paralysis very easily, which also has a very short duration.

For it just relax and calm down, becoming aware that we are breathing normally and that we are only facing an episode of this disorder. We can try to relax the muscles or try to move them little by little. In any case, we should not try to get up in a hurry or run away because that could produce more anxiety.

Once the paralysis is over and we regain mobility, it is advisable to get up and remain in a waking state for a few minutes before going back to bed, or else we might risk experiencing it again.

To avoid sleep paralysis it is recommended maintain regular sleep schedules and avoid stress. It is recommended to maintain a state of relaxation before going to bed, so that the sleep is deep and without interruptions.

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Sleep paralysis in mythology and the paranormal

What is known as sleep paralysis has been widely described in literature and art, since the ignorance about this disorder turned it into experiences lived as paranormal, especially if they were accompanied by hallucinations.

These experiences of paralysis are related to existing myths about incubi and succubi, which are demonic figures that appear at night and possess the person without being able to do anything, due to the immobility they suffer at that time.

Other people who experience the terrifying hallucinations of these presences associate them with appearances of ghosts or spirits, or even with extraterrestrial beings who intend to abduct or experiment with them. In other cases, sleep paralysis is also related to the experience of astral travel, since the person becomes aware while the body remains asleep.