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How to stop sleep paralysis: complete guide

How to stop sleep paralysis

Outlines how to stop sleep paralysis, types that occur, the causes and duration, why some people hallucinate and when to see a doctor.

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In this article we discuss the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, explain the background and give tips for those affected.

  • How to stop sleep paralysis: What happens with sleep paralysis?
  • Likelihood of sleep paralysis
  • How to stop sleep paralysis: Types of sleep paralysis
  • How to stop sleep paralysis: Hallucinations
  • Is Sleep Paralysis Dangerous?
  • When should I see a doctor?
  • How to stop sleep paralysis: Causes
  • Duration
  • Can Sleep Paralysis Be Prevented?
  • Tips for dealing with sleep paralysis

The first time you experience sleep paralysis, there is a good chance you have no idea what is happening to you. The body is paralyzed, you feel like you cannot breathe, let alone call for help. What feels like a nightmare is pure reality. You are fully conscious in your bedroom and experience a rigidity that extends to the whole body. Your eyes alone still obey your orders.

But that’s not all, you sense a presence in the room, something evil that is watching you. Then you see it and it sees you, come closer, towards your bed. A black figure with no discernible features that slowly bends over you. The body panics, adrenaline rushes into the blood. Try with all your might to get your limbs back under control.

Then, all of a sudden, it’s over. You are able to move again. But the uneasy feeling persists, you are sure that this was more than just an ordinary dream. The perceived inability to move, the appearance – you experienced all of this so consciously that it could not possibly have been a dream.

How to stop sleep paralysis: What happens with sleep paralysis?

The science is currently not agreed exactly how and why it comes to the sleep paralysis. However, one widely held theory assumes that the phenomenon is a continuation of the muscle paralysis that occurs in the REM phase. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, in English “rapid eye movements”, and describes an approximately two-hour phase in sleep that is characterized by precisely these eye movements. 

The triggers are the dreams that occur in the REM phase . It is believed that during these dream phases the body goes into a rigidity in order not to actually perform dream movements and inadvertently injuring itself. During sleep paralysis this state persists,whereby consciousness falsely returns

Therefore, sleep paralysis always occurs immediately before falling asleep or waking up. The experience of hallucinogenic phenomena probably also comes from the dream phase, but is distinguished from ordinary dreams by the waking state.

How likely is sleep paralysis?

It is difficult for science to predict the frequency of sleep paralysis in the general population. One of the reasons for this is that surveys do not make it clear who really experienced a wakefulness and who simply dreamed. Nevertheless, there have already been a number of studies on the phenomenon. 

A systematic review by two professors from the USA, which took 35 studies from around the world on lifelong sleep paralysis rates as the basis, came to the conclusion that around 7.6% of the total population have experienced at least one sleep paralysis in their life . However, the rate among students was significantly higher at 28.3%. In psychiatric patients it was even 31.9%.

How to stop sleep paralysis: What types of sleep paralysis are there?

Isolated Sleep Paralysis Episode:

This is a unique sleep paralysis that the person concerned neither perceives as particularly frightening nor as worth mentioning. It is quickly forgotten in the course of everyday life.

Fearful Isolated Sleep Paralysis Episode:

This type of sleep paralysis is identical to the one above, except that there is fear here . Mostly this is due to the hallucinations, but the fear of persistent paralysis or going mad can also prevail.

Reccurent Isolated Sleep Paralaysis Episode:

The repetition aspect plays a role here, since sleep paralysis does not occur individually and accumulates over a certain period of time (around six months).

Recurrent Fearful Isolated Sleep Paralysis Episode:

As with one-off sleep paralysis, there are also repeated episodes that are particularly frightening in nature . Repeating these terrifying waking attacks can be particularly stressful for those affected, as going to bed is associated with fear.

How to stop sleep paralysis: hallucinations

As if the paralysis of the body wasn’t terrifying enough, hallucinations also occur in many cases of sleep paralysis. While black figures are often referred to in this context, there is a whole range of different perceptions that are structured as follows:

Noises : humming, humming, hissing or even voices, sometimes understandable, sometimes not. But also screams, steps or paws.

Presences : it is perceived a presence that is not physically present, almost as if they are observed. This presence is mostly perceived as malicious.

Sensations : Some sufferers report sensations of heat or cold, but also of pressure or weight on the body, usually the chest, which creates a feeling of suffocation.

Out-of-body experiences : Whether a feeling of floating or complete detachment from the body, out-of-body experiences are also among the hallucinations that can occur in connection with sleep paralysis.

Demons or ghosts are often dreamed of

The black figures are probably one of the best-known phenomena in connection with sleep paralysis. In earlier times they were understood as demons or ghosts that haunt us in our dreams. These beings are mostly human-like, but have no specific features such as eyes or hands. Often they also appear in the form of animals or pure shadows. In rare cases, extraterrestrials have also been reported. 

Fear of going to bed

The experience of sleep paralysis is a terrifying experience that for many sufferers can hardly be put into words. The fear experienced, often paired with the feeling of suffocating or real fear of death, can extend well beyond the day of the event. Particularly sensitive people may fear going to bed because they associate their bedroom with the negative experience. Fear of permanent paralysis or mental illness can also be the result of such an experience.

Is sleep paralysis dangerous?

No, from a sleep medicine point of view, sleep paralysis is harmless. The difficulty in breathing that is often felt is not real either, as breathing is automatically controlled by the body during a waking attack. The feeling of suffocation comes from the inability to move, breathing is not actively felt. 

However, health consequences can arise as soon as the sleep paralysis or the fear of it impair the quality of sleep. In this case, a medical examination should be considered.

When should you see a doctor?

For many of those affected, paralysis is a unique event, which they dismiss as a fantasy like an unpleasant dream and forget it again relatively quickly. Since the sleep paralysis does not reappear, it soon gets forgotten. The situation is different for people who regularly suffer from such sleep paralysis, whether with hallucinations or without. If you meet the following criteria, you should consider a sleep medical examination:

  • You are downright afraid of going to bed
  • They believe that sleep paralysis is due to a mental illness.
  • You no longer sleep well and are therefore restricted in everyday life.
  • You already have a different type of sleep disorder that may be related to sleep paralysis. In many cases, narcolepsy in particular also leads to sleep paralysis.

How to stop sleep paralysis: Causes

At the moment there is still no general theory about the causes of sleep paralysis. However, there are hypotheses that see the following triggers as the cause of sleep paralysis:

  • lack of sleep
  • Not restful sleep, for example due to noise pollution
  • Irregular sleeping times and habits
  • Mental stress or stress in general
  • Medication
  • Substance abuse
  • Anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.
  • Age-related predisposition, for example in young people.

How long does sleep paralysis last?

This question also poses a major challenge for science. For how precise are the statements made by individuals who are asked about the length of their sleep paralysis? If you are not lucky enough to have a watch right in your field of vision, it will be difficult to estimate the time correctly. Especially since the fight against paralysis or the accompanying hallucinations can additionally distort the sense of time. 

There are estimates that the average duration of sleep paralysis is six to seven minutes . Other estimates are in the seconds range. In extreme individual cases, several hours are even assumed.

How can sleep paralysis be prevented?

The problem with sleep paralysis is that it occurs completely randomly. There is therefore no strategy to avoid it. Of course, you can try to eradicate the above causes, but even then there is no one hundred percent guarantee that you will be immune from paralysis. In principle, however, it can help to accept paralysis as such as a medical condition

As real as the hallucinations may seem, they are neither ghosts nor demons. Avoid such untenable theories as much as possible. Also stay away from forums and esoteric websites. Some of these self-proclaimed gurus claim to be able to initiate sleep paralysis at will and may even offer instructions to imitate, which are sometimes dangerous for your own psyche.

How do you deal with persistent paralysis?

It helps many sufferers to familiarize themselves with the medical background of rigid sleep. A basic understanding of the phenomenon helps not to be caught off guard next time. During sleep paralysis, talk yourself into it and convince yourself that it will soon be over. 

Should hallucinations occur, stick to the scientific facts: You experience a wakefulness, what you see is not real and there is no danger for you. Some sufferers manage to move a finger or toe through sheer willpower to break through sleep paralysis. Incidentally, external stimuli end the inability to move immediately. 

When your partner is in bed, you can try to wake them up by breathing loudly or growling. The best thing to do is to discuss the signals that indicate sleep paralysis. The Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine also recommends the following measures:

  • Improve the quality and duration of sleep.
  • If you are experiencing stress, you should actively seek out methods of coping.
  • Use a dim night light by the bed.
  • Avoid lying on your back as it promotes sleep paralysis.
  • Refrain from alcohol and other drugs to see if they can trigger the accumulated sleep paralysis.
  • Find out from your doctor about the possibilities of drug treatment if the sleep paralysis is particularly stressful.