Frozen in Time: A Sleep Paralysis Overwiew

By Mooyoung Lee

Have you ever experienced that feeling where you wake up but can't move your body, even though you're fully awake? It's called sleep paralysis. Some describe it as feeling like there's a ghost holding them down. Interestingly, how people see sleep paralysis can differ between cultures. In a study by Jalal et al. (2013b), researchers looked at how individuals in Egypt and Denmark perceived this phenomenon among only those who had experienced sleep paralysis at least once in their lives. They found that Egyptians were more likely to think of it as something supernatural, like being caused by Jinn, which are invisible creatures in Islamic tradition, compared to individuals from Denmark. So, what do you think causes sleep paralysis? Do you believe it's a supernatural thing, like a ghost?

Sleep paralysis is a brief period of paralysis that happens between stages of wakefulness and sleep. It typically occurs during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. REM sleep is a special stage of sleep where your eyes move quickly, and you often have vivid dreams. During REM sleep, your brain is very active, but your muscles like arms, legs, and fingers are paralyzed. This paralysis briefly carries over into wakefulness, leading to the phenomenon known as sleep paralysis. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact causes of sleep paralysis yet. However, experts believe that it is linked to other sleep disorders or irregular sleeping patterns.

The symptoms of sleep paralysis vary. Based on a survey conducted across various medical colleges in Pakistan, it was shown that 48% were unable to speak, while a similar number, 46%, couldn't move during the paralysis. Additionally, symptoms like feeling suffocated (27%), experiencing strange sounds or sights (38%), and having scary dreams or thoughts before the episode (22%) were observed. What’s interesting in this survey is that a strong association was found between sleep paralysis and stress, and academic pressure was identified as a key factor among participants aged 19-21 years (Muzammil et al., 2023).

Sleep paralysis also comes in different types and is generally divided into two main categories: Isolated Sleep Paralysis VS Recurrent Sleep Paralysis.

  • Isolated sleep paralysis: This is the type that most people experience at least once in their lives. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night, and you’re fully conscious, but you find yourself unable to move or speak. However, you don’t experience any other symptoms like suddenly falling asleep during the day or experiencing vivid hallucinations. This type of sleep paralysis occurs independently, without signs of sleep disorders or narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a condition where people feel very sleepy during the day, struggle to stay awake for long, and can unexpectedly fall asleep, causing disruptions in their daily lives.

  • Recurrent Sleep Paralysis: Not many people aware of the fact that sleep paralysis can happen repeatedly over time. Recurrent sleep paralysis often occurs with several instances where you awaken unable to move or speak, and this happens more than once. These episodes of being unable to move or speak happen off and on, with normal sleep in between. This pattern is sometimes linked with narcolepsy.

So, is there any way to avoid or prevent sleep paralysis? The best way to prevent sleep paralysis could be to improve sleep quality (Denis, 2018). Here are some suggestions to improve sleep quality (Denis, 2018).

Here are some suggestions to improve your sleep habits and enhance the quality of your sleep, based on results from survey studies (Denis, 2018).

  • Stick to a regular sleep schedule

  • Avoid naps

  • Try different sleeping positions

  • Move parts of your body such as arms or mouth to disrupt sleep paralysis

Currently, there aren't any specific ways to treat sleep paralysis as it happens, and the exact causes remain unknown. However, ongoing research aims to uncover more about sleep paralysis and potential treatment options.

References

Denis, D. (2018). Relationships between sleep paralysis and sleep quality: current insights. Nature and Science of Sleep, 10, 355-367. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S158600

Jalal, B., Simons-Rudolph, J., Jalal, B., & Hinton, D. E. (2013b). Explanations of sleep paralysis among Egyptian college students and the general population in Egypt and Denmark. Transcultural Psychiatry, 51(2), 158-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461513503378

Muzammil, M. A., Abdul-Rehman, S., Farooq, M. H., Shaheer, A., Qazi, M. H., Tirath, P., Mahima, K., Zaman, M. U., Taha, N., Fatima, T., Kumar, U., Giustino, V., & Shah, A. A. (2023). Frequency and Factors of Sleep Paralysis Among Medical Students of Karachi. Cureus, 15(7)https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.41722

Pozo, J. D. (2022, June 4). Rem Vs Deep: The most important type of sleep. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/being-awake-better/202206/rem-vs-deep-the-most-important-type-sleep

Suni, E., & Suni, E. (2024, April 18). Sleep paralysis: symptoms, causes, and treatment. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleep-paralysis/

Wikipedia contributors. (2024b, April 5). Narcolepsy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcolepsy

Brain ScienceKarla Lassonde