Sleep paralysis is a disorder that occurs soon after waking or when you are trying to fall asleep and that prevents the body from moving even when the mind is awake. Thus, the person wakes up but can not move, causing anguish, fear and terror.
This is because during sleep the brain relaxes all the muscles of the body and keeps us still so that we can conserve energy and avoid sudden movements during dreams. However, when a communication problem occurs between the brain and the body during sleep, the brain may take time to return to the body, causing an episode of sleep paralysis.
During each episode it is possible to have hallucinations like seeing someone by the bed or hearing strange noises, but this happens only due to the excess of anxiety and fear caused by the lack of control of the body itself. In addition, ear sounds can also be justified by the movement of the ear muscles, which continues to occur even when all other muscles of the body are paralyzed during sleep.
Although sleep paralysis can occur at any age, it is more common in adolescent and young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 years, and is associated with poor sleep habits and excessive stress.
What to do to get out of sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a little-known problem that goes away on its own after a few seconds or minutes. However, it is possible to get out of this state of paralysis more quickly when someone touches the person who is having the episode or when the person can think logically at the moment and focuses all his energy to try to move the muscles.
How to prevent sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis has been more frequent in people with poor sleep habits and, therefore, to prevent episodes from occurring it is recommended to improve the quality of sleep through strategies such as:
- Sleep 6 to 8 hours a night;
- Go to bed at the same time;
- Wake up every day at the same time;
- Avoid energy drinks before bedtime, such as coffee or soft drinks.
In most cases, sleep paralysis appears only once or twice throughout your life. But when it happens more than once a month, for example, it is advised to consult a neurologist or a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders, which may include the use of anti-depressant medication such as Clomipramine.
See also other tips that help improve sleep and may decrease the chances of having sleep paralysis: Ten tips for a good night's sleep.
Symptoms of sleep paralysis
The symptoms of sleep paralysis that may help identify this problem are:
- Not being able to move the body despite being supposedly awake;
- Feeling of shortness of breath;
- Feeling of anguish and fear;
- Feeling of falling or floating on the body;
- Auditory hallucinations such as hearing voices and sounds not characteristic of the place;
- Feeling of drowning.
Although worrying symptoms such as shortness of breath or feeling of floating may appear, sleep paralysis is not dangerous or life-threatening . During episodes, the breathing muscles and all vital organs continue to function normally.
