Sleep Paralysis: Scary But Harmless
As an experience, sleep strokes tend to cause anxiety. It occurs primarily during falling asleep and waking up. Sleep paralysis is characterized by an inability to move or speak despite the fact that awareness of the environment is maintained. Sleep paralysis also tends to produce hallucinations such as the sounds of footsteps and a strong sense of someone’s presence.
Despite the uncomfortable and offensive nature of the episode, sleep strokes are completely harmless. They can happen to anyone without reporting a pathology or illness. Sleep paralysis is related to the level of anxiety and stress.
Sleep paralysis is hypothesized to occur when we get stuck in REM mode when we wake up. This evokes an experience that arises from the characteristics of both states – sleep and awakening.
Sleep paralysis lasts for about one to three minutes, and although you cannot move your muscles voluntarily, your respiratory muscles will continue to function automatically. Sleep paralysis is classified as Parasomnias, and they are combined with narcolepsy.
Types of sleep paralysis
There are three types of sleep stroke:
- Individual sleep strokes. This can happen in healthy individuals who suffer from high levels of stress or jet lag, anxiety, or lack of sleep. People who experience individual sleep strokes are unlikely to experience the same thing again. This type does not require recourse to a professional.
- Recurrent sleep strokes. In some cases, the episodes recur over time, although they do not follow other symptoms. These also occur among other family members.
- Sleep apnea associated with other diseases. Diseases such as narcolepsy can regulate episodes of sleep strokes.
Signs of REM sleep and sleep strokes
The dream has a few stages, one of which is REM (Rapid Eye Movement). This phase begins at approximately 70-100 sleep minutes. It is known as the stage where dreams occur. The phase is repeated 4 or 5 times during the night.
Your body uses a few precautions to keep you safe while you sleep. Your body muscles are paralyzed so they can protect you. For example, in a dream, you may run away from something or make movements that in real life could put you or someone else in danger. During this phase, a lot of brain activity is recorded.
When you wake up paralyzed, it tells you your brain is still in REM mode, and even if you open your eyes, you still can’t move. In addition, your dreams can interfere with reality, causing hallucinations. Even if the delusions seem completely real, they are only dream material United to reality.
Hypnagogic and hypnopumpic hallucinations
As if the inability to move isn’t scary enough already, the experience becomes even more uncomfortable as hallucinations enter. Disruptive and visual hallucinations are common and tend to be quite threatening. It is common to hear footsteps or see shadows in the room.
There is also a strong sense of someone’s presence, just as if there were someone else in the room to add to it. Sometimes it feels like someone is touching you or pressing your chest down, making it harder for you to breathe. There are two types of hallucinations that occur in sleep strokes, depending on whether the sleep strokes occur when falling asleep (hypnagogic) or when waking up (hypnopompous).
It is important to remember that these hallucinations do not indicate any disorder that you should be concerned about. They are just a prolongation of sleep in a state where we are already awake, and can happen to anyone.
Tips for preventing sleep strokes
Since sleep strokes are not dangerous or risky, it is best to try to relax, and be aware of the temporary nature of the condition. So nothing bad will happen. There’s not much you could do to get out of the state. However, you can pick up tips that make sleep strokes less likely.
Because one of the main causes of sleep stroke is stress, you can try to reduce your stress level before going to bed. Try some relaxation exercises and try to get enough sleep.
Understanding brain mechanisms can help eliminate the mystery of such episodes. If we don’t understand the way our brains work, we may easily list them as mental disorders or even paranormal experiences that are completely different from our reality.
