Sleep Paralysis: What Causes It, How Is It Treated?

There is a strange phenomenon where people dream of something horrifying only to themselves stuck no matter how much they try to move their hands and legs. Their breathing starts to get heavy, causing them to feel more afraid, feeling almost as if they're dead awake. The terrifying phenomenon is known as sleep paralysis.

According to researchers at the Texas A&M University, sleep paralysis is not at all dangerous. It's just your brain's way of telling your body that you are dreaming. A report in UPI stated that when you are in your REM sleep, vivid dreams happen which may cause your arms and legs to be momentarily paralyzed. People who experience sleep paralysis have a hard time breathing properly, which can make them feel suffocated, because of the rapid and irregular breathing that happens during the REM sleep. If you're going through an episode like this, you're awake, or half awake, but are aware that you cannot move.

Aside from muscle atonia, Medical Daily wrote that you can also experience dreaming but is conscious and aware of everything around you. The report said that clear hallucinations are more common during sleep paralysis because you're still dreaming. Hallucinatory experiences due to sleep paralysis are categorized into three groups: "Intruder" refers to sensing the presence of a person or other entity during sleep paralysis; "Incubus" refers to chest pressure, difficulty breathing, and in some cases, perception of physical pain; or "Unusual Bodily Experiences," which include out-of-body experiences such as flying or floating in space.

"When people have a nightmare, they sleep, have a dream and then wake up. When they're experiencing sleep paralysis, they may have a dream when they are already awake," said Dr. Steven Bender, director of Texas A&M University's Center for Facial Pain and Sleep Medicine. "Sleep paralysis is a frightening event," he said in a university news release.

Reports also revealed that sleep paralysis is more common that people realize. It affects up to 8 percent of people and is usually common among young adults, women and African Americans. Researchers also said that people with depression, anxiety and the chronic sleep disorder narcolepsy are also more likely to experience it.

Health Day reported that improving sleep can help you avoid experiencing episodes of sleep paralysis. Bender recommends:

1. Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day.
2. Avoid watching TV right before bed.
3. Do not use laptop or cell phone in bed.
4. Avoid daytime napping.
5. Avoid ingesting any stimulants close to bedtime.

Although the experience can be quite terrifying, Bender claims that sleep paralysis is not a medical emergency, so there is no cause for you or people around you to be alarmed. "If it becomes a regular problem," he said, "then consult your primary health care provider, and they can help you manage it."