Sleep Paralysis is a very frightening experience that can sometimes happen during sleep.

Here it goes.

You are lying in bed in that special transitional state between sleep and wakefulness. You may be about to fall asleep, or you might have woken up in the middle of the night and are then trying to fall asleep again, or you may be just about to fully wake up in the morning.

In either case, what actually happens is that your mind is fully aware of being awake but your body is unable to move. It doesn’t matter how hard you try but no muscle will eventually respond to your orders. Obviously you might feel frightened and you will most likely have several thoughts crossing your mind, such as: What’s happening to me? Am I paralysed? I want to call for help but I’m not even able to open my mouth and utter a single word!

This temporary paralysis can last from a few seconds up to even 10-15 minutes. After a while you will eventually regain control of your own body but this represents quite a shocking experience that won’t easily be forgotten.

Another disquieting feature of sleep paralysis is the fact that most of the times it is accompanied by hallucinatory phenomena, adding to the experienced sense of fear.

The most common kind of hallucinatory phenomenon reported, is the perception of a threatening presence in the room, as if there were an intruder. Sometimes this presence is more intensively perceived through the senses than just merely detected: it could even be seen, heard or smelled. Those who have gone through this kind of unsettling experience can also report they were being touched or even attacked by this ‘alleged’ presence as though a weight was pressing them down on the chest, leaving them unable to move or preventing them from sitting up.

It is indeed quite a disturbing experience.

Another particular but less common hallucinatory phenomenon that can accompany Sleep Paralysis, is an Out-of-Body experience (OBE).

The person is paralysed in bed but has the feeling that their own soul is leaving the body, flying and floating in the room or even outside of the house, watching the body from an external perspective. Contrary to the intruder hallucination, this kind of experience is usually associated to very positive feelings.

Causes 

Sleep paralysis seems to be caused by a REM-sleep intrusion into wakefulness. REM-sleep is a stage of sleep where our muscles are almost totally atonic.

It is rare yet it can occur if the transition between REM-sleep and wakefulness is quick and sudden; as a matter of fact, the brain maintains the body in an atonic state ‘by mistake’.

Some authors suggest that the reason why hallucinations tend to accompany sleep paralysis lies in the activation of the so called ‘vigilance system’. The potential threat of the sleep paralysis experience activates this system, whose aim is to scan and monitor the environment in search of potential dangers. In this singular and ambiguous situation, the brain may very easily misinterpret environmental signals (Cheyne, 2002; Cheyne, 2007).

Experiencing Sleep Paralysis once in a while shouldn’t worry you excessively.

Sleep deprivation, having an irregular sleep-wake rhythm or going through a stressful period can well trigger this phenomenon.

Furthermore, sleep paralysis is a frequent symptom of narcolepsy.

If this phenomenon is recurrent then consulting a sleep specialist is warmly recommended.

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Insomnia: what it is

Not sleeping as much as we would is unfortunately quite a common problem. Insomnia means having trouble falling asleep (initial insomnia), maintaining sleep during the night due for example to too many awakenings (middle insomnia) or early morning awakenings (terminal insomnia). Vey often insomnia is only a consequence of stressful lifetime periods, but as its consequences can have a strong impact in our daily life, it’s important not to underestimate it.

Insomnia’s consequences

Being insomniac is definitely not a great condition also because of the possible consequences that not sleeping could bring.

As a matter of fact, insomnia short-term consequences include intense sleepiness, sensation of physical unease, irritability, problems in concentrating and memorising information, worsening work performances, little daily accidents, and in general a reduced quality of life. Moreover, long-term consequences are more alarming. Chronic reduced sleep can lead to heart  and pressure problems, diabetes, obesity and depression.

Insomnia treatment

If you suffer from insomnia, the first thing to do is understanding the causes.

In the case of severe insomnia, some GP may prescribe sleeping pills but many patients usually prefer natural remedies.

For natural remedies we refer to talking therapies: counselling with a sleep specialist and psychotherapy.

Indeed, a psychological consultation may help you discover those behaviours that may be counterproductive and understand if there are specific stressors that are interfering with your sleep.

As very often the quality of our sleep is influenced by automatic bad habits, here there are some little tips that could help you to get your sleep quality better, the so-called sleepy hygiene.

Don’t forget that these hints do not substitute a professional help, such as a neurologic and psychological consultation.

1. The bedroom and the bed should be used only to sleep and sexual activity. It is preferable not to watch tv, read or work when you are in the bed.
2. Your bedroom should be sufficiently dark and silent, and the temperature of the room should not exceed 18 degrees.
3. During evening hours you should not introduce in your body stimulant substances as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol (so no coffee, tea, cigarettes or pre-sleep drinks).
4. Too heavy dinners should be avoided.
5. Afternoon naps should be avoided too because they steal sleep from night hours.
6. Do not practice intense sports in the hours before going to sleep, as sport releases adrenaline hormone that doesn’t help falling asleep.
7. During the hours before going to bed, try to avoid mentally engaging activities.
8. Pursue regular sleep rhythms: ideally you should go to bed and wake up always at the same time.
9. Try not to spend too much time in bed without sleeping: if you realise that you have troubles falling asleep, is way better to move to another room or the couch and to go back again to bed only when your are feeling really sleepy.

Related articles: “The night’s worst enemy: insomnia”, by I. Tedeschi

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