FortWorth, Texas - Imagine waking up in the night and being unable to move.
So you lie there for what seems like hours, trying to wiggleyour fingers or toes, but you are paralyzed.
You want to call out for help, but you can't draw a deepenough breath to make a loud sound.
Eventually, you're able to move a little, and then your wholebody begins to respond again.
Scary, huh?
Weird, too.
It happens to people all the time.
It's called sleep paralysis, and it typically occurs at thevery beginning or end of sleep. The experience lasts only a few minutesat the most, and there's no harm done -- aside from the fright.
"It's terrifying the first time it happens," said Dr. BarbaraPhillips, director of the Samaritan Sleep Center and chairwoman of theboard of the National Sleep Foundation.
Phillips explained in an e-mail interview that sleep paralysishappens as the body is coming out of REM -- or rapid-eye-movement --sleep.
"During non-REM sleep, our brains are 'turned off' but ourbodies can be active," she said. This is when people experience sleepdisturbances such as tooth-grinding or sleepwalking.
"In contrast, our brains are very active -- probably as activeas when we are awake -- during REM sleep, but we are actuallyparalyzed," she said. Researchers think that's what keeps us fromacting out our dreams.
"With sleep paralysis, the paralysis that is normal during REMsleep intrudes into the waking state for one reason or another," shesaid.Kathryn Hansen, director of the St. Joseph Hospital SleepWellness Center, put it this way: "The brain wakes up before the bodywakes up."Sometimes, sleep paralysis is accompanied by hypnagogichallucinations, or "waking dreams," Phillips said.In many such cases, people think they see a dark or menacingfigure in the room with them, or they hear a strange sound but can'tpinpoint the source. Some researchers have hypothesized that people whoreport alien abductions are experiencing sleep paralysis in conjunctionwith such a hallucination.The experience of sleep paralysis combined with ahallucination "can be very intense," said Dr. Kevin Nelson, aUniversity of Kentucky neurologist who has studied the correlationbetween sleep paralysis and near-death experiences. "They may feel likethere's a pressure on their chest, that they can't breathe. They mayfeel like they're dying."Nelson said episodes of sleep paralysis are "a very commonthing," but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how common."The striking thing is, people don't talk about them," he said. In some cultures, thereare myths to explainthe experience, or words used to describe it. In those places, Nelsonsaid, it is more frequently reported.The Japanese have a linguistic term, kanashibari, for theexperience; in Newfoundland, it is described as a visit from "the oldhag."
"In some cultures it's very well-recognized," he said.Phillips said as many as 25 percent of people might beaffectedby sleep paralysis at some point in their lives, and investigators atStanford University have suggested that as many as half of collegestudents experience it.Nelson and other medical professionals who deal with sleepdisorders said they sometimes see patients who are disturbed by theparalysis but have not talked to anyone about it because it seems sostrange."They're not alone," Nelson said. "They're not weird becausethey have it."People are more likely to experience sleep paralysis, theexperts said, if they are undergoing sleep deprivation, work odd shiftsor have erratic sleep schedules. Hansen said it also can come withstress or anxiety.People who are in withdrawal from alcohol or drugs that cansuppress REM sleep, such as antidepressants, also can be predisposed tothe experience. For example, Phillips said, a person who misses a doseof antidepressant medication might be at risk."It really just kind of correlates to lifestyles," she said.The "classic example is the college kid who parties hardduringspring break, and wakes up on the beach unable to move," Phillips said.That person has deprived himself or herself of sleep, gotten into anodd sleep schedule and drank too much -- all three of the risk factors.
Sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations are generallyharmless, but the sleep experts said they can sometimes be associatedwith narcolepsy.In most cases, though, Hansen said they are a sign that theperson needs "to develop some good sleep habits," such as decreasingcaffeine intake before bedtime, getting regular exercise, and going tobed and rising at the same time each day."If sleep paralysis and extreme daytime sleepiness persistevenwith adequate, appropriate sleep, it's time to see a doctor," Phillipssaid.Hansen said that once, when she knew she hadn't gotten enoughrest, there was a moment when she couldn't move or speak as she waswaking up from a dream.Source: The CharlestonGazette. Powered by Yellowbrix.
Source: Health & Wellness
