Sleep paralysis
What occurs when someone has sleep paralysis
You might experience the following symptoms:
- Being awake yet unable to speak, move, or open your eyes
- You have a sense that if someone were in your bedroom
- You feel As if something were pressing you downward
- Frightened
- These emotions may persist for several minutes
Sleep paralysis causes
When you can’t move your muscles as you wake up or doze off, you have sleep paralysis. Your brain is still functioning even though you are in sleep mode.
Although the causes are unknown, they include the following:
- Insomnia
- Disrupted sleep patterns, such as those brought on by shift work or jet lag
- Narcolepsy is a chronic illness that causes a person to fall asleep unexpectedly
- Trauma-related stress disorder
- Anxiety disorder generally
- Panic attack
- Having a history of sleep paralysis in the family
Actions you can do to avoid sleep paralysis.
- Consistently aim for 6 to 8 hours of sleep per day
- Set your alarm clock to get up and go to bed at around the same time each day
- Have a physical activity, but avoid it four hours before bed
Consult a doctor
If you often feel:
- Extremely nervous or afraid to sleep
- Constantly fatigued
How to handle sleep paralysis
A doctor may be able to treat an underlying issue like insomnia or post-traumatic stress disorder that may be causing sleep paralysis.
They might suggest you see a specialist specializing in sleep disorders if this doesn’t work.
Receiving an expert care
You may receive medication relating to treating depression. A lesser dose of this kind of medication may also be helpful for sleep paralysis.
You may also make a referral for cognitive behavioral treatment for you.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022