Sleep paralysis is an experience that is often accompanied by a lot of distress, this occurs mainly when we sleep and wake up, and is characterized by the inability to move or talk, even if we are aware of our surroundings. often accompanied by acoustic hallucinations, such as listening to approaching steps and having an intense sense of presence.
Despite the unpleasant and threatening nature of the episode, it is totally harmless and can happen to anyone without being a sign of pathology or disease, it is associated with anxiety or stress, the hypothesis of the onset of sleep paralysis is to remain in the REM state when we return to wakefulness, so that some of the characteristics of the two states are mixed.
- It lasts between one and three minutes.
- And although we can’t voluntarily move any muscle.
- The respiratory muscles continue to function automatically.
- Sleep paralysis is part of the parasomnia group and is associated with narcolepsy.
There are three types of sleep paralysis
During sleep, there are different phases including REM status, which comes from rapid eye movement. This phase of sleep begins about 70 to 100 minutes after sleep and is characterized by being the phase in which dreams appear. repeated between 4 and 5 times during the night.
While we dream, the body takes steps to prevent it from being dangerous, the muscles of our body are paralyzed so that we are not in danger, while we dream we can escape something or perform movements that, if we reproduce in sleep, could put us in danger. In addition, high brain activity is observed.
When we wake up paralyzed, it means that our brain remains in the REM state and, although we are able to open our eyes, we are still unable to move, besides dreams intermingle with reality resulting in hallucinations that, although at the moment seem totally real, are nothing more than dreamlike material merging with reality.
If the inability to move an inch wasn’t scary enough, the experience becomes more unpleasant when accompanied by hallucinations. Auditory and visual hallucinations are common. They usually have a threatening nature. It is common to hear footsteps approaching or seeing a silhouette inside the room.
There is also a strong sense of presence, as if there were anyone there. Sometimes you also feel someone touching or pressing your chest, making breathing difficult. There are two types of hallucinations that can occur during sleep paralysis, depending on whether they occur. during sleep (hypnagogic) or awakening (hypnomic).
It is important to be very clear that these hallucinations are not indicative of any kind of disorder that we should worry about, because it is only an extension of sleep when waking up, and can happen to anyone. excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy or other symptoms, there’s no reason to worry.
It’s not a dangerous episode and there’s no risk of something bad happening to us, so it’s best to try to relax, be aware that nothing is going to happen and that everything will only last a few minutes, because there’s not much to do to get out of this state. What you can do is consider some tips that make your appearance less likely.
Since one of the main causes is stress, one of the goals is to reduce it before bedtime, do physical activity, relaxation exercises, try to get enough sleep and maintain good sleep hygiene are key habits.
Understanding the mechanisms of our brain can help us demystify these types of episodes. If we don’t understand how our brain works, can we attribute it to mental illness or even mental illness?Have nothing to do with reality.