Sleep Paralysis Viewed Scientifically
Sleep paralysis, also known as paralysis or paralysis, is a sleep disorder that often triggers fear and panic. Find out in today’s article how it happens and what you can do about it.
The sleep paralysis, which is also known as sleep paralysis or sleep paralysis, is a sleep disorder that often causes fear and panic. Find out in today’s article how it happens and what you can do about it.
It is not a serious disease, but many people are concerned. Scientists consider this phenomenon, which usually occurs during the resting phase, as a protective mechanism. The sleep paralysis can be found in the international classification in the group “REM sleep associated parasomnias.”
What is sleep paralysis?
Have you ever woken up, wanted to get up and couldn’t move? Maybe this was sleep paralysis. This means that the skeletal muscles are paralyzed during sleep to protect the body. Because this prevents dreamed movements from being carried out.
Usually this happens when you fall asleep or wake up. The duration of sleep paralysis is very short: it can be seconds, but paralysis can last up to five minutes. Affected people often get into fear and panic, but they know perfectly well that they are alert and mentally present.
However, they can neither move muscles nor speak. In this situation, it is best to remain calm and wait until the paralysis goes away on its own.
Science tells us that this situation is caused by a small disturbance in the nervous system. The brain wakes up, but because of the deep relaxation , the body does not obey the commands it receives for a short period of time. This explanation is so simple that some people are not satisfied with it.
The symptoms of sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis can occur in a healthy person with no prior symptoms. It is important to know that this does not affect the health of those affected. It is a fairly common phenomenon. From studies show that approximately 8 percent of the population make at some point in life that experience.
In some cases, sleep paralysis is directly related to narcolepsy. This rare disease can cause you to fall asleep suddenly that is unpredictable.
The most common symptoms of sleep paralysis are:
- In this state you cannot speak or make any sounds. The brain works perfectly, but you cannot react.
- You experiment fear and panic through paralysis.
- You will also have a feeling of pressure on your chest, making it difficult for you to breathe.
- You are aware of everything, but you cannot move.
- You can feel yourself sinking into the mattress from your weight or have strange sensations of touch that really don’t exist.
How does sleep paralysis come about?
If the body and mind are not synchronized for a short time, the described sleep paralysis can occur. In the REM phase, we usually dream while the body is completely paralyzed because the muscles are completely relaxed. Glycine and GABA are two chemicals that enable this temporary paralysis to prevent us from moving while dreaming.
If we wake up in REM sleep before the dream is over, we may become frozen asleep because the muscles have not yet released from their resting state.
The most common causes of sleep paralysis, which as mentioned earlier are harmless, are as follows:
- Intense stressful situations
- Great pressure
- Several consecutive days of insomnia, lack of sleep and cumulative fatigue
How can this problem be dealt with?
If you have suffered from sleep paralysis only once, there is no need to worry unnecessarily. Because we emphasize once again that this situation does not pose any risk to your health. In most cases, no specific treatment is required. Nevertheless, we have a few tips for you so that you know what to do if a new incident occurs.
- Relax and try to think positively so as not to be afraid or panic.
- Remain calm and wait a few minutes for the paralysis to go away on its own.
- Then start moving slowly: fingers and hands first, then feet.
- As soon as you can move certain parts of your body, get up quietly and slowly and slowly take a few steps.
If you suffer from frequent sleep paralysis, get a medical examination, as this could be a disease. But don’t worry too much, sleep paralysis is a harmless phenomenon.
