Sleep paralysis, also known as nightmare, is a condition that occurs during waking and going to sleep. Almost all people have met with this bad experience at least once in their lives. Hallucinations can be seen in different ways due to sleep paralysis.
What is Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep paralysis, also known as nightmare, is a physiological paralysis that occurs in the muscles during the dreaming phase during sleep and lasts for a while after waking up. The individual's level of consciousness opens earlier than the anatomy of the muscles and is in motion in the waking state. It occurs especially during falling asleep, immediately after falling asleep or when waking up. In addition to muscle weakening, people may also experience delusions during the sleep paralysis phase. Even if there is no loss of sensation, people may think that there is pressure on them.
The most effective causes of sleep paralysis include variations in sleep state, sleep disturbance, genetic disorders, problems such as anxiety, lying on your back and substance abuse. During REM sleep , the body is in a very heavy sleep and different dreams can be seen in the brain. In order not to move the body during the dream, the mind prevents us from controlling our muscular structure to a great extent. But if we wake up before the end of REM sleep , we can be conscious but not in control of the body. So, even if we are just waking up, our body does not move.
What Causes Sleep Paralysis? What are the Symptoms?
Sleep paralysis is not an urgent problem, it has very characteristic symptoms. Being used to these symptoms can help people to be calmer. One of the most common symptoms of sleep paralysis is inability to move or slurred speech. This can last for a few seconds or longer. However, some of the symptoms of sleep paralysis are as follows;
- Feeling like you are being pulled down by something
- Feeling that there is another person or object in the sleeping room
- This confusion of emotions can frighten the person
- Delusions during sleep, just before or after falling asleep
- Difficulty breathing
- Thinking like you're going to die
- Excessive sweating during sleep paralysis
- Feeling of severe pressure in the chest
During sleep paralysis, sounds and other stimuli that do not pose a daily risk, which the mind normally ignores, become important. For this reason, the sensations that occur during sleep paralysis become too intense and these symptoms occur. In order for the symptoms to disappear, the person has to try to move themselves or another person has to move them. It is even possible to remember details after the sleep paralysis is over. In some cases, harmless delusions may occur.
How is sleep paralysis treated?
It may not always be possible to give a clear answer to the question by which methodssleep paralysis passes. However, the most appropriate treatment method is to eliminate the causes that cause sleep paralysis. Lack of sleep can cause sleep paralysis, and you should sleep for the required amount of time to prevent this condition. If sleep paralysis is not linked to other conditions, no treatment is usually given. With timely and adequate sleep, sleep paralysis can end.