I wake up paralised - is this normal?
Question:
This seems to disappear after a few minutes, during which time I feel I am physically forcing myself to wake up - although this may not actually be helping the problem.
I don't seem to be able to control my breathing during this time but I think I breathe all the same, which is a relief.
Does anyone else expereicne this?
Answers:
Sleep paralysis is a normal part of the sleep cycle. There are 4 stages of the sleep cycle in which the voluntary muscles of our body become paralyzed. This is a safety mechanism to protect ourselves. If this function did not take place, we'd be acting out our dreams and end up injuring ourselves. What you are experiencing is simple: Your mind is waking up before your body. You are waking up before you exit out of stage 1 of the sleep cycle, therefore your body is still immobile. The main cause of this is stress. If this be the case with you, you may want to take an hour for yourself to unwind, relax before going to bed. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
if its only a few seconds, that is ok, your mind is just waking up before your body, but if its a few minutes, you might want to ask your doctor to make sure.
I used to experience this whne I was a kid. Funny, I just heard this on the news yesterday. When you awaken paralyzed, you are still in a dream state. You are not fully awaken to the point of movement independantly. I can't remember how to remedy this.
Ask yourself... is PARALYSIS NORMAL????
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis consists of a period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at sleep onset (called hypnogogic or predormital form) or upon awakening (called hypnopompic or postdormtal form).
Sleep paralysis may also be referred to as isolated sleep paralysis, familial sleep paralysis, hynogogic or hypnopompic paralysis, predormital or postdormital paralysis
What are the symptoms?
A complaint of inability to move the trunk or limbs at sleep onset or upon awakening
Presence of brief episodes of partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis
Episodes can be associated with hypnagogic hallucinations or dream-like mentation (act or use of the brain)
Polysomnography (a sleep recording) shows at least one of the following:
suppression of skeletal muscle tone
a sleep onset REM period
dissociated REM sleep
Is it harmful?
Sleep paralysis is most often associated with narcolepsy, a neurological condition in which the person has uncontrollable naps. However, there are many people who experience sleep paralysis without having signs of narcolepsy. Sometimes it runs in families. There is no known explanation why some people experience this paralysis. It is not harmful, although most people report feeling very afraid because they do not know what is happening, and within minutes they gradually or abruptly are able to move again; the episode is often terminated by a sound or a touch on the body.
In some cases, when hypnogogic hallucinations are present, people feel that someone is in the room with them, some experience the feeling that someone or something is sitting on their chest and they feel impending death and suffocation. That has been called the “Hag Phenomena” and has been happening to people over the centuries. These things cause people much anxiety and terror, but there is no physical harm.
What else can you tell me about sleep paralysis?
Some people with disrupted sleep schedules or circadian rhythm disturbances experience sleep paralysis
A study found that 35% of subjects with isolated sleep paralysis also reported a history of wake panic attacks unrelated to the experience of paralysis
Sixteen percent of these persons with isolated sleep paralysis met the criteria for panic disorder
How can I stop the sleep paralysis?
In severe cases, where episodes take place at least once a week for 6 months, medication may be used.
You may be able to minimize the episodes by following good sleep hygiene:
getting enough sleep
reduce stress
exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
keep a regular sleep schedule
That has happened to me before, I thought I was dead, but I wasnt! I would like to know what it was too.
You need to see a doctor straight away. This is not normal.
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