Understanding Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis has been a captivating and scary phenomenon for ages.When you are just about falling asleep, or when you wake up, sleep paralysis occurs in which one is unable to move the body or speak for a short period of time. As such, it often leads to vivid hallucinations and an impending sense of doom.
Sleep paralysis is fairly common as well as widely studied despite its horrifying nature. In this article we shall examine the causes of sleep paralysis, how often it occurs and different approaches to it.
The Science Behind Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis happens at the boundary between being awake and sleeping particularly during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage.This means that dreams usually occur while people are in their REM sleep stage. To avoid having people act out their dreams, the brain temporarily stops voluntary muscles from moving.
However, once you wake up or doze off with this process still running, there is no control over your physical state although you remain conscious.Sleep paralysis affects more people than they think. According to research published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews by Sharpless 2016 about 7.6% of all individuals suffer from sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime parecently cited by Sharpless , B.A.& Barber, J.P., 2011).The prevalence is higher in students (28.3%) and people with psychiatric disorders (31.9%),and has been suggested that stress and mental illness may contribute to its occurrence.
Causes and Risk Factors
There are several factors that can make it more likely for an individual to have sleep paralysis.These include:
Sleep deprivation: Inadequate sleep can interfere with normal sleep patterns, which can increase the risk of experiencing sleep paralysis.
Irregular sleep rhythms: Shift work and erratic sleeping routines can act as a cause too.
Mental Illness: People suffering from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have higher rates of sleep paralysis than others.
Drug Use: Alcoholism and drug addiction disrupts normal architecture of sleep leading to episodes of paralysis during sleep state.
Cultural and Psychological Perspectives
Cultural and psychological factors usually influence the experience of sleep paralysis.
In many cultures, this is linked to supernatural events.For example, in Japan it’s called ‘Kanabari’ because it is believed that it is caused by ghosts.Conversely, in Western culture it often involves being taken by aliens or meeting with devil. From a psychological perspective, hallucinations experienced during kin shibari are due to the mind’s attempt at making sense out kin shibari. According to the Journal of Sleep Research these hallucinations result from failure to move and the increased alertness of the brain during REM sleep (Cheyne, J.A, Rueffer, S. D. & Newby-Clark, I.R., 1999).
Dealing with Sleep Paralysis
There is help for sleep paralysis. It is good to know that there are ways of managing and preventing it from happening.
Enhancing Sleep Hygiene: This includes; maintaining regular sleep patterns, creating a comfortable sleep environment and avoiding caffeine and electronic devices while in bed.
Stress management: Mindfulness, medication, and therapy may also be used to decrease stress levels and anxiety as well as the rate of occurrence.
Medical Help: In cases when the condition is so severe one should call on medical professionals for assistance. Treatment can involve the use of drugs or even therapies which are aimed at treating underlying causes such as depression and anxiety.
Conclusion
To sum up, although not dangerous, sleep paralysis can be terrifying at times since it is a common type of disorder.Understanding the Causes, Occurrences ,and Role-Playing factors will demystify this phenomenon.Prevent sleep paralysis by adopting healthy sleeping lifestyle habits and controlling stress
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