Sleep paralysis is a diverse sleep problem characterised by temporary paralysis of muscles of the body and total or partial loss of control of voluntary actions, described as a feeling of being semi-conscious during sleep but unable to move your body or speak.
It is diverse because it presents in slightly different ways for different people. As the name implies, there is relative paralysis of the body during sleep. They are sometimes associated with having lucid dreams about certain things or people, some of which may appear scary.
Sleep paralysis is not a mental disorder in itself but it may be associated with other sleep disorders like insomnia, the dysomnias and parasomnias. It has been described as a form of demonic oppression across several cultures. However, Moss, a sleep expert described as a common occurence, one that most people would experience at least once in their lifetime.
On the incidence and prevalence of sleep paralysis, statistical figures differ from researcher to researcher, with estimates of about 8% of people experiencing sleep paralysis at some point in their life.
Sleep paralysis have been described in various ways, from demonic oppressions to seeing of one’s body projected into open space or ceiling, or feeling of chest tightness that can affect how the victim breathes during the sleep, and so on. With all these descriptions across the world, there is no doubt that sleep paralysis exists and that it can be significally distressing.
My Sleep Paralysis Experience
I laid on the bed one night. I was about 14 years old and it was about 4 am. I am a short sleeper, so at about that time, I would have already being getting tired of sleeping, especially if I slept at my routine time.
Suddenly, I fell into what looked like a dream but it wasn’t a dream. I felt half asleep, half awake and I was having indistinct visions of a memory I think I had some time in the past but can remember clearly. Then, I tried to say a word, nothing happened. I tried raising my hand, it was becoming worrisome as I had not control of the situation.
Within me, it seems like I was shouting but in reality, my voice was audible to no one or even myself. I had a feeling that I attempted raising my hand but that it didn’t work. Nothing seem to be under my control anymore. But those were my intial days having the sleep paralysis experience.
I had experienced many more episodes of sleep paralysis, some resembling the initial episode, others totally different. But the one thing I can tell you about sleep paralysis is that the experience can be very distresful.
What Causes Sleep Paralysis
The cause of sleep paralysis is not exactly known but it is believed to be caused by a disturbance in the rapid eye movement sleep cycle. There are two physiological stages of sleep: the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
NREM is the first stage of sleep which is usually shallower than the REM stage, which in turn comes later. The REM stages cycles every 90-100 minutes and can last for up to 10-40 minutes.
Usually, the REM stage of sleep is when you have the most lucid dreams. Sleep is more satisfying and there is increased brain activity during this stage. The problem with sleep paralysis occurs with this REM sleep stage, either during the beginning when you are just about to enter the REM sleep or at the end of REM sleep when you are just about to exit the REM during awakening or into another NREM cycle.
The rapid eye movements are associated with increased brain activity and dreams in normal situations. In sleep paralysis, you are stuck between the dream state and waking up. Normally, when you are dreaming, your consciousness is impaired and you might not be aware of the reality for a short time. However, in sleep paralysis, you are are half-awake and half-asleep. This makes you aware of both the dreams and inability to move your limbs or speak.
Things that can trigger this abnormality include;
- Stress
- Disrupted sleep schedules
- Drugs
- Substance e.g caffeine/stimulants
- Illness
- Psychiatric conditions like anxiety and panic disorders
Whenever your sleep routine is altered, maybe you’ve had to sleep late because you have some work to do, or you have exams the next day, this is a very common trigger for sleep paralysis. Most of the rest triggers above essentially work in the same way of disrupting your quality sleep.
Bright light and noise decreases your tendency to fall asleep. Noise keeps the brain active by stimulating the region called the reticular activating system (RAS). Bright light also reduces the secretion of melatonin from the anterior pituitary gland in the brain.
Effects of Sleep Paralysis
The effects of sleep paralysis are not as simple as you would think. Sleep paralysis affects the quality of sleep you have. These inludes;
- Poor sleep quality
- Poor memory
- Daytime sleepiness/narcolepsy
- Anxiety and apprehension
- Growth problems
- Fear of the unknown/phobic disorders
To some people who may not understand that it is a scientifically-explainable condition, the thought of being spiritually oppressed by demons can give them significant distress every night. These may make some of those people to avoid sleeping, or going to bed when necessary. That further worsens the condition.
A few people who had experienced sleep paralysis for a long time have reported that they gained some level of control over condition. They have reported that they are sometimes able to abort an episode of sleep paralysis at will, especially when they are just about falling asleep but no matter how much control you have, sleep paralysis can still cause you significant distress if you keep experiencing it.
Rather than stay content to live with sleep paralysis, why not aim to prevent and overcome it totally? I have some tips here that will help you overcome sleep paralysis and get good quality sleep every night you go to bed.
How to Prevent And Handle Sleep Paralysis
Just like most other sleep conditions, there is a systematic way to prevent and control sleep paralysis. These will be broadly categorised into non-pharmacological and pharmacological.
The non-pharmacological methods refers to good sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is a non-drug intervention used primarily in the management of insomnia or lack of sleep but it can also be applied minimally in this case of sleep paralysis.
The components of non-pharmacological methods include good sleep environment – (dark, quiet, familiar and ventilation); things to avoid (caffeine, overthinking, late large meals, energetic activities at night, andn lack of rest) and things to encourage (activity during the day, good exercise, thinking about your worries before you sleep.
Let me now talk about a few specific non-pharmacological methods for preventing and controlling sleep paralysis.
- Sleeping at the right time
- Stop thinking about what you were doing earlier
- Avoid distractions, thougths and otherwise
- Avoid caffeine
- Listen to music
Non-pharmacological
Sleeping at the right time
The major explanation for sleep paralysis is that you are sleeping or you want to sleep but your brain is wide awake. By subjecting your brain to enormous stress and mental activity, especially those exceeding the normal sleeping time, your brain alters your sleep cycle, such that it interprets that you in daytime even though everywhere is dark.
Sleeping at the right time also entails that you don’t sleep too early. Short-sleepers can get refreshed and set for the next day after only about 6 hours of sleep. If you are a short sleeper, sleeping too early will result in you waking up too early in the night. Since it might still be dark by then, you might want to sleep back again but re-initiating it might be difficult with higher chances of having sleep paralysis.
The brain (the pineal gland which secretes melatonin) controls sleep and wake cycle which secretes. On prolonged resistance to the brain’s efforts to get you to sleep, your brain finally succumbs to your lack of desire to sleep, thus stays awake. Thereafter, efforts to re-initiate sleep may be insufficient to put the brain back to full quiescents again. Thus, it stays awake momentarily while you sleep.
Stop thinking about what you were doing earlier
Each time I think about certain things of life while lying down on my bed to sleep, I very often have an episode of sleep paralysis. This is further worsened when I am sleeping late at that time as well. When I realised the strong assocation between worrying during bedtime and sleeping late, I knew I had to modify those habits to prevent sleep paralysis and get better sleep. And this has worked well so far.
Avoid distractions, thougths and otherwise
Avoid other distractions by shutting your eyes, keeping your mobile phones at a distance, and limiting noise as much as possible. Many people have had to report episodes of sleep paralysis whenever they sleep close to the window or door that is inturn, close to the outside. These may be related to noise distractions from the outside, or to the expression of the subconscious fear of being close to the outside.
Avoid caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that keeps you more awake. It is found in coffee and some types of tea. It is most commonly used by night-shift workers and students who desires to stay awake during the night. If you want to sleep, there is no reason for you to take caffeine. It alters your sleep cycle and increases your risk of having at least one episode of sleep paralysis.
Listen to music
This is by far my most preferred method of controlling and preventind sleep paralysis. If you think you have over-stayed your sleeping time, and there are chances your mind might wander to and fro when you will be initiating sleep, plugging your ears with some music buds always does the magic.
Music distracts your brain from complex mental tasks and by focusing on the sounds as they hit your ear drum, you are able to tame the brain back into quiescence.
Pharmacological
These involves the use of drugs to treat any underlying cause (medical or psychiatric) and to enhance the quality of sleep. Generally, the benzodiazepines and the Z-drugs (Zolpidem, Zoleplon and Zopictone) are useful to manage sleep problems like insomnia.
Final words
To be honest, listening to music while you sleep is the single best method of preventing sleep paralysis I can emphasize in this post. This is because I have received feedbacks from several people about its effectiveness, even when most other methods failed.
During sleep paralysis, since your brain would not sleep, you’ve got to trick it into resting. That’s exactly what music does. Sleep paralysis can be disturbing, altering your sleep cycle and produces a sequelae that affects the rest of the next day. Here you also say the definition, causes and prevention of sleep paralysis.
