Sleep Paralysis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
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One day last year I was taking a nap on the couch when I heard my mother come home from work. I woke up and saw her walk through the front door, and I tried to say hello to her. I was distirubed to find that I couldn't speak; my tongue was frozen in my mouth. I tried to move my body to get her attention, but I couldn't do that either. I was paralyzed. Panic quickly set in, and although I had been breathing perfectly normally up until then, I suddenly felt like my lungs were restricted. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep, only to have the same scenario repeat itself a few moments later when I thought I heard her moving around in the kitchen. I was desperate to get her attention so that she could help me, but once again I could not move, and I would drift back to sleep. After about four more rounds of this, my brother came home from school and that was when I woke up -- for real.
That was when I realized that everything that had just happened hadn't been real. It was a freaky sensation, but I chalked it up to a bad dream...until it happened again a week later. Hoping that if perhaps I could understand what was happening, I could possibly change it, I did a Google search for "can't move while sleeping" and discovered the concept of sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is actually a fairly common condition characterized by either partial or total paralysis of muscles. It occurs upon awakening from sleep or falling asleep, although the latter is much less likely. The episodes generally last anywhere from seconds to minutes, and outside stimuli like touch or sound may terminate it.
According to Wikipedia, sleep paralysis "it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the body paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger." Although I had never heard of sleep paralysis, this was clearly what I was experiencing. The same physiology that keeps up from acting out our dreams as we sleep was now keeping my body frozen as my mind was awake and aware. Most people experience severe panic symptoms during an episode, even as they know that their perceptions are false. After reading more on the subject, I decided I was one of the luckier ones. Many people also experience hallucinations during sleep paralysis. In particular, they see an old hag in the room, or feel a witch or demon sitting on their chest and laboring their breathing. Although I hallucinated my mother coming home from work and was greatly disturbed when I couldn't reach out to her, I have never had the sensation of something evil lurking.
Symptoms
Sleep paralysis entails one or both of the following:
- Paralysis: occurs after waking up or just before falling asleep. You cannot move any body part, aside from involuntary movements such as blinking and breathing. "This paralysis is the same paralysis that occurs when dreaming. The brain paralyzes the muscles to prevent possible injury during dreams, as some body parts may move during dreaming. If the person wakes up suddenly, the brain may still think that it is dreaming, and sustains the paralysis." (Source: wikipedia.org)
- Hallucinations: Images or sounds that appear during the episode. The sensation that someone is standing beside you or somewhere close by in the room. Strange sounds. Some people feel a heavy weight on their chest, as if they are being sat on.
Causes
Although there are several theories, the actual cause of sleep paralysis is still unknown. However, several factors have been identified that may increase the chances of having an episode:
- Sleeping in a face upwards or supine position
- Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation
- Increased stress
- Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
- A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode.
Treatment
For those who suffer severe and persistent sleep paralysis, there are medications that may improve the condition. One option is to take 0.5mg of Clonazepam at bedtime. Ritalin has also been used as a daytime medication, the idea being that establishing healthy sleep patterns will reduce instances of sleep paralysis.
In all my research, the only other suggestion I found was to try and move your facial muscles during an episode, as it may be easier to move these than your arms or legs. Not only will it give you a sense of control, but it may be enough to ease you into wakefulness.
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Comments
I have had this disorder since I was a teenager, about 15. I'm 37 and I've noticed things that really make it worse, more extreem or more frequent. I used to drink a lot of pop, orange pekoe tea and chocolates. I also would drink a lot of coffee. I went through a period when I changed a lot in my diet and noticed that when I drank the tea pop or coffee my heart would race really fast and I wondered if it contributed to my sleep problems. Plus when I would drink tea I didn't sleep well anyway. So I tried cutting the caffenated drinks out and it almost completely got rid of the problem. But then I noticed when christmas came around and I had that big box of chocolates (which I always ate about 10 chocolates) I would go into a really sleepy state and instead of going to sleep I would go straight into sleep paralysis. I knew the caffiene content wasn't that high on chocolate but the sugar was super high. So I tried drinking coffee without the sugar and it didn't bother me and then I tried putting brown sugar in it and it didn't bother me either. So now I try to stay away from sugar as much as I can and it is not near as severe when I do have an episode. Although I do still have them. What I do different is I just don't try to move or fight it. I notice if I do try to move or fight it that it drains my energy so much that when I do finally wake up I'm so exhausted that I will go right back into another episode. So I just lie there and let it take it's course. I noticed if I didn't try to breath or try to move or try to wake up that it lasted just as long but I wasn't exhausted when it was over. By the way I noticed that I didn't have to fight to breath, I just felt like I couldn't because I was trying to fight it and it was wearing me out somehow. But fighting it never really seemed to do anything but tire me out. If I tried to move it could still last several minutes. If I just lie there it can last the same several minutes but with no fear. I know how scary it can be and I hope I've been able to help someone out there. I don't know if it ever completely goes away but maybe you can learn how to make it not as bad. Good Luck!
I wanted to comment on the videos. I am not against people believing in God. However, I was a christian for at least 25 years and as devoted as possible. Not just to christianity but personally to God. During these years I suffered from sleep paralysis when I delt with it at it's worst. I would pray to God because I thought I was dying. I was seeking comfort, I wanted it to end. I would ask Jesus to bring me out of it or help me to deal with it. Prayers did not make a difference. I'm only being honest. It was only when I changed my diet that the sleep paralysis was not so bad. And then when I learned not to fight it that I could deal with it without fear. If you can see sleep paralysis logically it makes sense. Your mind has woke up about half way, so your still sleeping but still dreaming which explains why you can see things that are not there but yet you can still see the room as it is. Your body is still asleep so it is in a paralysis state so that you will not act out your dreams and hurt yourself. Although if you are a sleep walker you may wake up crawling out of you bed if you see something frightening. I never really feared demons so I never saw them when I was in this state. In my mind I imagined my family was in the room but I could not get their attention and because I was fighting it I felt that I could not breath (because trying to fight it drains your energy). That was my fear, having someone right there, gasping for my life, and no one knowing or helping. Sometimes someone would see me moving my eyes funny or I would get a grunt out and they would wake me up. I told them if they saw me doing that to wake me. I believe that if I had a fear of demons and was afraid of them coming to get me that I might have imagined that. I honestly believe that when you are in that state, half sleep half awake, that it is much like a dream. If you see something and then you think it may be something else it changes, just like a dream. I don't believe these are aliens or demons. I think it is a half dreamlike state upon awakening and that it can feed on fears just like a dream can. You can only learn to control it when you actually know what is going on and what to realistically expect. So that combined with less sugar in your diet I found works. I say less sugar because it is believed that sleep paralysis is linked with being diebetic. You can be slightly diebetic and not know it. When I read that and put it with my own experience of changing my diet and my sugar experiences with sleep paralysis it made complete sense. Good luck! Unfortunately not everyones body is the same so I'm sure some of our needs with be different.
Hi again,
I know I have commented twice on this page but I'm doing more research right now because I have a friend who suffers from this severely and has not learned how to control it yet. I came across a page on another website and wanted to post what they put on it. I will then follow it with another comment that makes me believe more now than before that this is a hereditary condition.
How to Lucid DreamThe most basic definition of lucid dreaming is "being aware you are dreaming while dreaming". Most lucid dreams are about things you want to happen. Although most people know they're lucid dreaming, you can change your dream to how you want it to be. Lucid dreams usually occur while a person is in the middle of a regular dream and suddenly realizes that she or he is asleep and must be dreaming. The person is then said to be "lucid", and may enter one of many levels of lucidity. At the lowest level, the dreamer may be dimly aware that he or she is dreaming, but not think rationally enough to realize that events/people/actions in the dream are not real/pose no threat. At the highest level, the dreamer is fully aware that she or he is asleep, and can have complete control over his or her actions in the dream. However, with low mental control your decisions could be biased not by your opinion, but by your brain. You can control your dreams using the lucid dreaming methods that follow.
This was a link from a page on sleep paralysis.
There was more to this topic but when I read it I realized it is exactly what my dad is able to do. Sometimes when he is just entering a dreamlike state he envisions a circle opening up in front of him. He gets up from his bed and enters the circle which he calls a dream world. There he can control what he does and knows he is dreaming. It is the most amazing way to dream ever. I wish I was able to do this, maybe I can get to this point from sleep paralysis. My brother on the other hand is bipolar to the point of seeing people and things that are not there and hearing voices (all during waking hours) I wonder if these are all linked together...
I found all the differrent comments about sleep paralysis intersting. I am a counsellor and I see many people, who report being victim of this condition. In reality all our beliefs depend on our value system regardless of relegiousity and or ... it all comes as a result of our observision leading to our basic learned behaviors. for those who belief in god praying is the best option as it keeps them focused. however movment of facial muscles are great espacially in trying to open your eyes. what is important to know is that sleep paralysis causes no harm to you even when it it seems that your are out of your self, you are fully concious in your mind there for, making this episode an opportunity to have time with your inner self is not a bad idea. if you are still feeling uncomfortable in having these experiances, there are some tips to help you avoid it. allow positive thoughts to be part of everyday life, become aware of things that makes you happy and unhappy, make mental notes about what you become aware of about your self and the qualities that you hold. they are very valuable to you and others even if you dont know them. sleep on your side and avoid sleeping on your back, as it is easier to move your body when on one side. befor getting ready for bed, listen to relaxation cds such as prograssive muscle relaxation. reduce drug and alcohol. and take care of your self. this is exactly what i did when i was experiancing it.
I'm reading Cynthia's comment about being a Christian and I'm not sure if you're still a Christian or not. But in many instances, you can ask God for something till you're blue in your face. God has already given us everything we want, we need to take action to get it. It's like an obese person praying to God to help her to stick to her diet. It's pretty straight forward - make a conscious decision to stick to your diet and be disciplined. It's basic biblical principles we need to live by. It's like asking God to solve all your financial problems, but you sit on your ass and don't get an extra job, or even remotly try to spend less. Asking God to 'take something away' is like a silly prayer. You should ask God to give you wisdom and show you how to deal with it - which he did, by you changing your diet. And you should be greatfull for that, because he did answer your prayers.
dear cynthia,
i thank you for you valueable information. Honestly, I am having sleep paralys past 2 years. i do not know anythign about it and this happen more frequent recently. I too prayed for GOD to give me soem answers...you know, GOD leads me to your article. You have become an instrument for GOD to answers our prayer for sleep paralys. i felt you are helping many many people with your article on this sleep paralys thing. How wonderful and privilege you are to be use by HIM in HIS work!
God love you now matter what you think of HIM. He will not do things for you like a delivery order service. you call, you order, they deliver. GOD works in ways MOST suitable for you so that you seek HIM and learn! if you want pizza, He won't delivery that to you. HE will send you a recipe and you make it yourself. that is more value lesson than just merely recieving.
Have faith.
"i've been crucified in Christ and I no longer live, but Christ live in me. The live I live in the body, I live by FAITH in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for m." Galation2:20
Thank You again!
Valerie Lynn says:
3 months ago
I've had episodes of sleep paralysis all of my life. When I explained the characteristics of these episodes to my neurologist, he was quite familiar with them. The mind puts the body into a state of physical sleep, a protective measure; otherwise we are able to act out the physical movements of our dreams. Body paralysis accompanying the lack of conciousness of sleep is the body's means of avoiding possible injury. Most of us, most of the time, have a synchronous mental awakening accompanied by the freeing of body sleep and movement.
When mind and body sleep are not (always) in sync, then there is the frustration of being mentally awake while unable to physically move. My earliest memory of this is as a toddler, with a dreamlike fear of falling between the bed and wall as the bed moved closer to the wall. I felt the anxiety of an external force preventing me from protecting myself from being crushed between the bed and the wall.
As an adult, I now rarely have the out of sync awakening experience of mental arousal preceeding my body awakening.
I have taught myself the ability to make even a slightly move one muscle generalizes to the rest of the body and I am able to wake fully.
This is a common neurological disorder, well familiar to neurologist and information easily found on the internet. If one is unfamiliar with it, anxiety dream states are more likely to accompany the physical paralysis and are distressing.
Cognitive awareness of the of what is happening can diminished the "fear" or dream of "being held bound by external evil forces."
The "just one slight move of one muscle" effort has been effective in fully awaking me when my mind awakes slightly ahead of my body.
The actual time between the two types of arousal is generally a short time, though the frustration of it, especially in the presence of attributing it to some unfriendly external force, or an evil presence, can grossly distort the perception of how long it last and the intensity of the fear arouses adrenaline and other chemical reactions in the body, further enhancing the perception of a supernatural force coming to bear. What a nightmare! The fear and confusion can last for a period of time, and yes, escalate to the severity of fear of going to sleep, attributing the experience to external forces, creating a true disability and trauma.
This phenomena has the very practical purpose of protecting the body from harm while sleeping, suppressing the thrashing about or movements during (especially REM) sleep. The neurological factors responsible for this have far less impact in creating an environment of sleep terror, probably for most people, when understood as a distorted perception to a compensatory physical response in keeping the body physically safe.
Work to short the duration of the perceiving experience as terrorizing by focused practice of viewing uneven awakening between the cognitive mind and the physical body as simply a neurological anomoly.
For some, the fear generated probably from childhood, distorts into anxiety and terror dreams for the inability to express what is happening and to cognitively understand it.
The paralysis is real, and so for many, the dream surrounding it is as real, and certainly the anxiety is intensely a part of this chain of events.
Education of the causes, and an understanding of how to exert your own control in awakening the physical body helps allay anxieties of "evil" or a foreign force "taking over" the body. Our minds are quite susceptible to unexplained experience, especially if this is a neurological deficit existing since childhood. Our childhood experiences and beliefs about it can extend into adult, resolutely denying plausible explanation for the years of terror.
I overcame moderate amounts of anxiety related to body paralysis by complete focus on moving an exremity, if only slightly.
Moving a finger or foot usually begins the quick process of physically awaking. Sometimes, when their is a greater lag between cognitive and physical awaking, it is more difficult. When this happens, I focus on a repeated kicking motion, until I suddenly physically awake.
I imagine there is a range of least to most difficulty in awakening the sleep paralyzed body after the cognitive mind becomes concious owing to variations in how much earlier the cognitive mind reaches consciousness as compared to the body; thus, the tendency to experience the fear of a dream of the body be possessed, or the effect coming from an external, even evil, force. I never experienced this degree of fear, except in early childhood.
After the explanation from my neurologist, I found it progressively easier to exert control over my sleep paralyzed body, with a lessening of the anxiety not being able to move understandably produces.
Surprising, the espidoes of body paralysis have been similarly decreased.
The fear of the experience may have a negative feedback effect. The more anxious we become about "it happening," the more we attempt to overcome the anxiety; the purpose of our dream worlds is to work out in our sleep that which unconsciously, or consciously is trouble while awake.
Try a didactic learning approach, a period of focused understanding and belief your body is a complicated machine. Misunderstanding about how it operates can subject one to enduring, but distorted, and disturbing conclusions.
A trial of practical cognitive problem solving, is a reasonable effort to ridding oneself of the terror of things that go bump in the night.
I do sympathize with the anxiety aspect, as well as the terror of the unknown experience associated with this phenomena. And, I'm glad I have been able to use a practical approach in allaying my fears, practicing ways of awakening the body through focused attention on muscles, freeing myself from early childhood fear of the unknown. Warm regards, and sleep confidently, Valerie Lynn