Sleep Paralysis: What Does Science Tell Us?
You may have never heard of sleep paralysis. Or maybe yes. Today we want to explain what it is, what consequences it causes in the body and what are the possible treatments to prevent this experience.
In reality it is not a pathology or a serious illness. Scientists define it as a phenomenon that occurs when the body is at rest, that is, usually during the hours of sleep. Scientists around the world also classify it as a form of parasomnia in the context of sleep disorders.
What is sleep paralysis?
If you have ever woken up and tried to get up without success, you may have suffered from sleep paralysis. This is a muscle condition in which muscle atony or laziness occurs because you are sleeping. This distension temporarily prevents any muscle movement from being performed.
This phenomenon usually occurs when we are asleep or when we are waking up. It is short-lived (it can last from one to five minutes). People who suffer from this type of paralysis are usually terrified of it or feel very distressed, even when they are perfectly awake and clear-headed.
It is not possible to move muscles or articulate sentences. As difficult as it may seem, the ideal is to calm down and calmly wait for it to pass naturally. Science explains that this condition occurs as a result of a small failure of the nervous system.
The brain wakes up from sleep, however, due to the deep state of relaxation, for a short period of time the body does not obey the orders it sends. This explanation is so simple that many people are not satisfied when they hear it.
Symptoms of sleep paralysis
This type of paralysis can occur in a healthy individual without warning. However, it should be noted that it does not interfere with the person’s health. This is a fairly common phenomenon. It has been observed that about 8% of the population may suffer from it at least once in their lifetime.
In some cases, this paralysis is directly associated with narcolepsy, an uncommon disease that causes sudden and unpredictable sleep episodes. The most common symptoms of sleep paralysis are as follows:
- It does not allow you to shout or speak; the mind works perfectly but it is not impossible to react.
- Feeling of anguish and fear in the face of this paralysis.
- Feeling of pressure on the chest and difficulty in breathing.
- You are aware of everything, but you cannot move.
- You feel the mattress sinking or you experience tactile sensations that are not real.
Why do sleep paralysis occur?
This phenomenon occurs at a given moment when the body and mind are not well connected. During the REM phase we usually dream, while our body is completely paralyzed because the muscles at rest are very relaxed. Glycine and GABA are two molecules that help hold back this paralysis, in order to keep us from moving during the night.
When the brain wakes up in REM sleep, before sleep is complete, paralysis occurs because the muscles have not yet awakened from rest. The most common causes of sleep paralysis, which we remember is not a harmful condition for the body, can be of different nature:
- Having experienced a stressful episode.
- Being under particular pressure.
- Sleeping badly for several consecutive nights, suffering from insomnia or sleep deprivation.
How to deal with this problem
If you have only suffered from sleep paralysis once, you have nothing to worry about as it does not pose any health risks. In most cases there is no specific treatment, although below we explain what to do if it happens again.
- Relax and think that nothing serious is happening ; there is no need to panic.
- Wait patiently for a few minutes, in fact the effect of paralysis will disappear in a short time.
- To start regaining mobility, move your fingers and feet a little at a time.
- When you have started to move all the individual parts of the body, gently get out of bed and walk slowly.
If this phenomenon affects you often, consult your doctor, as it could be a symptom of a disease that manifests itself as a sleep disorder. However, we would like to stress once again that it is not serious.
