Out of body experience (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Partial paralysis where the individual cannot move their limbs

Full paralysis where the sufferer cannot move or talk

Some visualize strange faces or people they don’t recognize

Others feel pending doom or like they are dying

Others have said they feel pressure on their chest or feel like they are suffocating

Some have experienced the feeling that someone is in the room with them, or sitting on the bed beside them

Some have reported what they feel are paranormal experiences

There are some that feel like they are having an out of body experience

There are just a few of the basics of what they have summed up their experience as. If you have had or feel that you have had a sleep paralysis experience, please share it with us here. It just might help someone else that is experiencing this frightful phenomena not to be so frightened.

Also be sure to come back to view our series two on sleep paralysis which will cover all the different things that you can do about it and what treatments and resources are available.

previous...1...2...3..4...5...6...7...8…full view

Paralysis (Photo credit: Thomas Cummins)

So just how common is it.? There is a good chance that until you have experienced an episode of this that you have never even heard of sleep paralysis.

Originally way back it was called “night palsy” and it wasn’t until 1928 that it was formally named “sleep paralysis”. There are lots of other names for it such as nocturnal paralysis,hypnagogic paralysis,hypnopompic paralysis.

Also different countries have their own unique name for sleep paralysis as well. For example in Canada it is called “Old Hag” while in Japan it is often referred to as ghost oppression. For some who are ignorant as to what sleep paralysis really is they class it as some type of witchcraft possession or a paranormal experience. This fallacy is understandable because of some of the symptoms related to the experiences that have been reported.

It is said that at least 50% of the people have had or will at some point in time experience an episode of sleep paralysis. So in answer to it be common it most certainly is. Its not unusual to run in families either. Often though people that have had an experience such as sleep paralysis will write it off as just being a bad dream, or they have been so disturbed by it they are reluctant to mention it.

The symptoms or experience can vary in nature. Some individuals will only experience a feeling of paralysis in their arms or legs or both. While others may feel like they are totally paralyzed and can’t even speak. Others may have some forms of hallucinations that come with it. It is not uncommon for some to report that have had an episode that they felt as if there were somebody sitting on the bed beside them, or a very realistic of pressure of something or someone sitting on their chest. Others have explained a feeling as if they are outside of their body. Others have said they felt like they were truly dying.

Fortunately even though sleep paralysis is a common occurrence those that have experienced it such ask their Doctor about it, although in many cases there will be no re-occurence. For some though it can be a chronic condition and they will need to seek out the potential causes then possible solutions.

Previous…1...2...3…4…5...6...7...next.…full view

sleep (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

There are so many categories of sleep disorders that sleep paralysis is considered as being in the realm of such conditions but usually only if the problem is ongoing or frequent. Usually when this happens it means that the experiences of these episodes is creating other sleep problems.

For example some people that suffer from these sleep paralyzing episodes are so frightened by them that they are afraid to go to sleep. This fear then can create insomnia. They fight to stay awake and become accustomed to this that they just can’t sleep. Then there are others that because of this become so sleep deprived that it affects them during their awake hours. So it can be said that one problem leads to another and although originally sleep paralysis may not have been classed as a sleep disorder at its start it has progressed into being the by-product of a sleep problem.

Until an individual starts to have difficulty getting a good night’s sleep they simply have no idea just how many sleep disorders there are. Some are more severe than others and occur at various times of the sleep patterns. Be sure to read our section on sleep patterns to understand what happens to you when you go through your sleep time.

Sleep paralysis in itself does not affect your entire sleep pattern. It is a phenomenon that can occur either when you are drifting off to sleep or when you are just waking up. For the rest of your sleep period you are unaffected. When you do experience it though it is some scary. Imagine being consciously aware that you cannot move parts or even all of your body or able to speak.

When one is dealing with this condition it could be in one of two forms. There is isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) or there is recurrent isolated sleep paralysis (RISP). Fortunately for those that do experience this the isolated sleep paralysis is the most common. It also usually only lasts for about one minute, but it has been reported that some have experienced episodes lasting a half hour, and for many they only experience one episode of this. For those less fortunate they may be stricken with RISP which means they will have re-occurent episodes and it can become a chronic condition. Also these types of episodes may last much longer such as even an hour or longer, and they also seem to be afflicted with what is termed out of body experiences.

From the point of view for the individual who has suffered from sleep paralysis it is worth conferring with your health care provider about it and let them determine whether it can be validated as a sleep disorder.

previous...1…2...3...4...5...6..next…full view

Of course when there is anything going on in your body that is out of the norm you should be concerned about it. If you are suffering from sleep paralysis then there is a good chance that not only are you concerned about it but perhaps even frightened about it. You should be concerned enough that you first seek out a positive diagnosis that it is sleep paralysis you are experiencing.

Checking it out

It all begins with you first seeing your health care provider and explaining to them exactly what you have experienced. Then this professional will do the necessary health checkup to rule out any other conditions that could be the cause of similar symptoms.

English: Polysomnography in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea Ελληνικά: Στιγμιότυπο από πολυσωματοκαταγραφική μελέτη ύπνου σε ασθενή με σύνδρομο αποφρακτικής άπνοιας στον ύπνο όπου φαίνονται κεντρικές, μικτές και αποφρακτικές άπνοιες (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then the next step would be to have a referral made to a sleep specialist. This expert will then do further tests to insure that you are not suffering from other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy. You may find that you will have to attend an overnight sleep study.

Don’t live in fear

It is really important that you do not live in fear of this condition. Your health care provider will explain to you that although the symptoms are scary there are no lasting physical effects. You should not keep this problem to yourself because you fear that something terrible is wrong with you and you don’t want to deal with it.

Not knowing what’s happening creates stress

Not understanding what sleep paralysis is can create undo stress which can make the condition worse. In fact, stress could have been one of the causes of the problem in the first place.

You should be concerned about sleep paralysis to the extent of determining what was the trigger that caused it so you can deal with that. As you will have read in our article what causes sleep paralysis any one of these is not good for you. So that is where your real concern should be so you can address the causes to eliminate the potential damage that these can do to you.

previous...1…2...3…4…5…next….full view

If you have experienced an episode of sleep paralysis then you may now find that it’s affecting your ability to sleep. The first thing you need to do is begin by having a good physical checkup to determine that it is sleep paralysis that you are suffering from. Once your health care provider rules out any potential physical causes then he may decide to send you for a sleep study. This will help to further determine that you are suffering from this most frightening sleep phenomenon.

Example of dark circles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may find that even after having one episode of sleep paralysis that you are now having sleep difficulties. The most likely cause for this though is your fear of having a reoccurrence of this distressing condition. If it has been determined that you are suffering from this condition the first thing you need to deal with is the fear.

The best way to deal with fear is to face it head on by learning what sleep paralysis is. You will get a better understanding of this when you read through our entire series of articles here. Once you understand what it is and what the common causes are and that’s it’s not a serious condition then you are going to be far less stressed out about it.

It is likely your stress over this condition that is now affecting your sleep in its entirety. It can become a vicious merry-go-round for you. It can begin with one episode, then you become fearful and stress and stress can be one of the causes of this condition. So now you may end up getting more frequent episodes of them.

Another cause is lack of sleep. So if you are nervous about going to sleep in case you are going to have a sleep paralysis episode then you are soon going to be suffering from sleep deprivation. Naturally if when you lay your head down on the pillow and you are afraid that you are going to experience this horrid condition then you are not going to get yourself into a peaceful sleep.

There are two common times that an episode can occur. It can be just as you are drifting off into what should be a peaceful sleep. This is called hypnagogic sleep paralysis. Or it could occur just as you are waking up after a good night’s sleep and it’s called hypnopompic sleep paralysis.

If you are suffering from the hypnagogic form then what happens is this. Under normal circumstances as you are drifting off to sleep your body automatically begins to relax and you are not really consciously aware of this. If on the other hand you are aware of this happening you may feel like you cannot move or even speak. This is the sleep paralysis episode that is taking place at the beginning of your sleep.

With the hypnopompic form what happens is you are gaining your awareness during a REM sleep mode then you may feel as though once again you are paralyzed. See our article on understanding your sleep patterns for more information on this.

So now you have an understanding of how sleep paralysis can create a vicious circle of sleep problems for you, and hopefully you will gain more control over this now.

previous...1…2...3…4..next…full view

It is most important first to rule out any underlying physical causes as it is with any sleep disorder. Once that has been done then one needs to take a look at some of the common causes that could create sleep paralysis.

Overview of biological circadian clock in humans. Biological clock affects the daily rhythm of many physiological processes. This diagram depicts the circadian patterns typical of someone who rises early in morning, eats lunch around noon, and sleeps at night (10 p.m.). Although circadian rhythms tend to be synchronized with cycles of light and dark, other factors – such as ambient temperature, meal times, napping schedule and duration, stress and exercise – can influence the timing as well. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not enough sleep

It is not unusual for many people to deprive themselves of the amount of sleep they need because of the lifestyle. We tend to push ourselves too hard and try to function on minimal sleep or sporadic sleep. If you read our article on understanding your sleep patterns it will give you a starting knowledge of how your body reacts during its sleep period. Continuously not getting enough sleep according to your body needs could cause you start having sleep paralysis.

Change in sleeping habits

If you have been a person that’s pretty consistent in their sleep habits then all of a sudden that changes it could be the cause of your sleep paralysis. For example let’s say you were in the habit of going to bed at 10pm and awakening at 6am, then all of a sudden you started working a midnight shift. Your whole sleep pattern has now totally changed.

Stress and some psychological disorders

An increase in stress can play a big factor in upsetting your sleep patterns. All of us have experienced sleep disruption at some point in time when we are in a stressful condition. If the stress continues though it could create something such as sleep paralysis. Disorders such as bipolar disorders have also been known to create this problem as well.

Back sleeping

It is interesting to note that sleep paralysis has also been associated with those who tend to sleep on their back. That doesn’t mean to say that every individual who sleeps this way is going to develop sleep paralysis, but it has been noted as being more frequent with back sleepers.

Conditions such as narcolepsy or leg cramping during the night

Individuals who suffer from narcolepsy or for some people that suffer with leg cramping during the night have also reported suffering from sleep paralysis.

Medications

There are some medications that people have to take for specific illnesses that have the side effects of affecting the sleep patterns, which in turn could start sleep paralysis.

Substance abuse

This is known to affect the sleep patterns in many cases. As a result it can also include the substance abuser to suffer with sleep paralysis.

So this gives you a brief explanation as to the most common reasons for sleep paralysis. As said you should always consult with your health care provider and not resort to self-diagnosis when anything is out of the norm with your health.

previous...1…2…3…....next…full view

 Knowing how your sleep works

When you have settled yourself down for the night and finally fall off to sleep you will usually experience two modes of sleep. There is the REM sleep which stands for rapid eye movement, and then there is the NREM which means non rapid eye movement.

Main health effects of sleep deprivation (See Wikipedia:Sleep deprivation). Model: Mikael Häggström. To discuss image, please see Template talk:Häggström diagrams (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM)

This is the time that your brain is the most active when you are asleep. The amount of activity can actually be charted on an EEG machine during sleep, which is often one of the tests that are done when you are sent for a sleep study. Because there is rapid eye movement during this time it is believed that this is the part of the sleep segment where people dream the most. This is based on studies where when people have been awoken from their REM sleep they remember dreaming and the dreams are really vivid to them and often very unusual type dreams. This doesn’t happen near as often when participants have been awoken during their non rapid eye movement sleep. (NREM).

During REM sleep there is a temporary paralysis of the arms and legs. This is the segment of sleep that is related to those who suffer from sleep paralysis. It is believed that this natural paralysis occurs so we don’t act our dreams. So for example, if in your dream you were running, then the natural paralysis of your body during this time prevents you from getting up while still in your sleep and running as you are in your dream.

Non Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM)

NREM can be divided into segments. There is N1, N2 and N3.

As you enter into the N1 segment your brain waves become slower and more uniform and there is no eye movement. You then progress into N2 and then into N3 which is what is caused your deep sleep, and your brain waves are at their slowest during this time.

If you possess normal type sleep patterns your sleep mode begins with Non rapid eye movement sleep and starts with the N1 segment. When a person begins to nod off to sleep there is slow eye movement which is then quickly followed within seconds to a few minutes of slipping into the N1 mode. This segment of the normal sleep pattern will only exist for at the least one minute up to approx.. 7 minutes. Then the sleeper enters the N2 phase which will last from between 10 to 25 minutes. Then final the N3 which is the deepest sleep begins and this will be for a period of about 20 to 40 minutes. This is that segment of sleep where it’s the hardest to wake an individual that is in this mode.

Now the next phase of the sleep pattern heads back into the N2 stage as a rule which will last for about 5 to 10 minutes then the REM sleep begins. This first segment of the REM sleep that occurs during the night’s sleep will last for about anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes. The rest of the REM segments that will occur during the rest of the night will last longer than this. For the average person with no health or sleep issues they will average anywhere from 20 -25% of their sleep time in the REM mode.

Throughout the night of sleep there will be this alternating pattern of NREM and REM sleep.

So there you have an explanation of the sleep cycles that an average healthy person will experience each night.

It begins with…

NREM 1… lasts from approx.. 1 minute up to 7 minutes.

NREM 2…lasts anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes

NREM 3…20 to 40 minutes

REM…lasts 1 to 5 minutes

So this first cycle takes anywhere between 70 to 100 minutes to complete.

The cycle then basically repeats itself from the NREM 2 and this second cycle will last about 90 to 120 minutes as will the following cycles, until awakening.

There are a lot of factors that can alter or affect the sleep cycle. If you are suffering from any type of sleep deprivation or sleep disorders, or something as commonly known as sleep paralysis then what is happening during your sleep cycles will offer significant insight.

previous…1..2...3…next…full view

 It is important to understand sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis (Photo credit: Steve Sparshott)

To begin with sleep paralysis is not some new disease and in fact is not a disease at all. Most of us experience this occurrence nightly but we are just not aware of it. What can happen to some individuals though is there is what is known as a left-over sleep paralysis that manifests itself when an individual is coming out of there sleep, so they are becoming consciously aware of it. This can create a terrifying experience if you are not aware of what is happening to you.

What may happen is as you are waking up you are not able to move parts of your body such as your arms or legs or even your torso. You may even experience a type of hallucination. What you could feel is like there is someone in the room with you. Or you could feel a pressure on your chest like someone or something is upon it. You may even think that you are suffocating or that death is eminent. Don’t worry though people have been experiencing this for hundreds of years and it has been called the “hag phenomena”. In truth though if this is a sleep paralysis episode that you are experiencing there will not be any lasting harm to you, other than you will be so frightened by it.

Now that you know what you could experience with sleep paralysis what is the cause of it? It is affiliated with your REM sleep which is your rapid eye movement sleep, and this is the period of sleep where the majority of your dreams happen. What happens during this time of REM is your body automatically shuts down your muscle activity. It does this to prevent you from acting out your dreams. This natural mechanism that your body provides to prevent you from acting out your dream is called REM sleep paralysis.

previous….1….next….full view

Being terrified to go to sleep is no fun!

The Nightmare (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you getting some strange experiences happening just as you are waking up? Do you feel like part of your body or even all of it is frozen, like you can’t move? You may be experiencing sleep paralysis and it’s terrifying you.

You may be so afraid of what is happening to you that you don’t want to discuss it with anyone, and you just dread going to sleep at night. It only happens just as you are waking up and it only lasts for a few moments. You keep expecting something bad to happen to you during the day and it is really upsetting you.

First of all this is not so terrible. You definitely should tell your health care provider about these episodes and have a full checkup to rule out any physical causes. If there is no physical cause evident then it could very well be sleep paralysis.

Whenever something strange or unusual is happening to us it naturally frightens us because we don’t understand it. The first way to tackle your fear about sleep paralysis is to gain an understanding of it.

In order to do this you need to first learn about what happens to you when you are sleeping. Most people don’t realize that they go through various stages of sleep and if these are disturbed for whatever reason they can then cause unusual things to happen and can in fact have an adverse effect on your life.

Unfortunately most people don’t put enough importance on getting the right amount or right type of sleep and then they don’t equate their feelings of poor health to this.

Sleep paralysis is not all that uncommon either. It has been reported that at least 50% of the people will experience it at least once.

Sleep paralysis involves the REM sector of your sleep pattern. REM stands for rapid eye movement. It is during this period of sleep that you dream the most.

By understanding how sleep works you will begin to feel better about this sleep paralysis episodes first because you will know that they are temporary, and secondly because you can then begin to do something about them. Anyone that has had even one episode of sleep paralysis will be the first to agree with you that this a terrifying experience and you should not feel embarrassed about being so frightened by them. It is important however that you do bring these out in the open and talk with your health care professional, as well as learn all you can about them, in order to rid yourself of the fear. Remember though nobody should ever self diagnose themselves about any unusual event that is taking place in their body.

previous...next....full view

Out of body experience (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Our series here is going to be covering sleep paralysis in quite a bit of detail. You will begin to understand what it is, how it can affect you and how to determine if that is what is happening to you. It really is an interesting topic but also one that is terribly frightening for those that are experiencing it. Fortunately most people only have this happen to them on a rare occasion. Although there are some that end up with a chronic form of this.

You will see throughout our series that the term sleep paralysis comes with many different names. Some view it as being a paranormal experience, which frightens them even more, however you will learn as you go through the series that there is a logical explanation for what is happening and that it is not some type of witchcraft spell or paranormal experience that is really happening.

Our body is fascinating and unfortunately most of us really don’t know much about it. We leave that up to the medical profession right? Perhaps though if we took the time to learn more about how our body functions it would make a real difference in not only the way we look after it but how we view the way it works and what kind of impact that has on our daily living.

We usually only pay attention to our body when something is wrong with it. We take very few steps to enhance its overall workings. Then all of a sudden when something terrifying like sleep paralysis occurs we are shocked and frightened.

There is a good chance that you have experienced a sleep paralysis and either dismissed it as a frightening dream, or pushed it aside as a strange experience that you hope doesn’t happen again.

We hope that our series here on sleep paralysis will be most interesting to you. If you have no need for the information now, you can use it to rely on if in the future you or somebody you know experiences this phenomenon.  next….view all