Sleep paralysis: when the mind is awake but the body is not!
Sleep paralysis means that phenomenon that catches you when you wake up: the mind is awake but the body is asleep and this means that you cannot make any movement. It can of course be very distressing! Sometimes paralysis results from reasons of stress. The lockdown, for example, often causes anxiety and depression: discover the tips for sleeping peacefully even in moments like these by watching this video!
What is meant by the term sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis, also called hypnagogic paralysis, is part of the group of sleep disorders, like insomnia for example. What happens? Those who suffer from it as soon as they are about to wake up (or just about to fall asleep) realize they cannot moving a muscle in his body or speaking. He is in a real state of paralysis: it is as if the REM phase does not end at the right time (or starts a few moments before it should). Very often this sleep disorder is associated with narcolepsy : however, you can try it only once in your life or at certain moments in your life, especially if you sleep little and badly. If you are dealing with isolated episodes, there is often no therapy: but if sleep paralysis frequently afflicts it is essential consult a specialist to evaluate together the most effective therapy and thus improve the quality and duration of rest. Who suffers from sleep paralysis is awake but cannot move: the episode can last a few seconds, in the most serious cases it can last a few minutes. After this time, the individual wakes up normally and has no discomfort except, obviously anxiety and fear of what he consciously experienced a few moments before. Sleep paralysis in most individuals is a rare phenomenon that does not occur frequently. If it becomes recurrent it is essential to do something to solve the problem: neglecting such a sleep disorder could cause stress and lead to insomnia.
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How sleep works
To fully understand this phenomenon of hypnagogic paralysis, it is good to understand how sleep works and what its phases are. When you fall asleep, a loss of consciousness occurs in your body: many biological functions are reduced. There are two main phases that characterize sleep, the REM phase and the NON-REM phase. These phases follow each other several times. The alternation between the two phases NON-REM and REM (also called orthodox sleep and paradoxical sleep) is essential for sleeping at the best.
During the Non-Rem phase we can identify 4 stages, during which sleep gradually becomes deeper. The stages that make it up are: falling asleep, then light sleep. then the phase of deep sleep takes over which leads us to the fourth stage, the one in which our body regenerates itself deeply.
cycle after cycle, the duration of the NON-REM phase is reduced to leave more space for the REM phase.
The REM phase is characterized by sudden eye movements. REM in fact means Rapid Eye Movement, which in Italian corresponds to "rapid eye movement". It is therefore a phase of restless sleep in which the heart rate and the rate of breathing increase. During the REM phase you dream! And this phase is also characterized by a relaxation of the muscles induced by the presence of some hormones. The muscles do not move and this probably serves our body to avoid sudden movements caused by the different dreams that can be made by those who sleep.
What are the causes of sleep paralysis?
Usually the most affected by sleep paralysis are teenagers and young people. Some studies show that the age most at risk for this type of phenomenon is between 25 and 44 years. Sleep paralysis can happen to women as well as men. It is not easy to understand how many people suffer from it, because for many these are episodes in their own right, it can happen even once or a couple of times in a lifetime. In general we can say that the statistics indicate that about 6% of the population suffers from it with some frequency. In many respects, sleep paralysis is still shrouded in mystery: according to some studies it is linked to narcolepsy. About half of narcoleptics also suffer from episodes of sleep paralysis. Regarding the causes that give rise to sleep paralysis and therefore can cause this sort of immobility upon awakening, it can be said that it happens when the hormones of the REM phase are released in an abnormal way, those that make our muscles relax during sleep. The release of these hormones does not stop when you wake up but continues for a few minutes: here is sleep paralysis! We can open our eyes, we are certainly awake but sacrificed at least until the hormones are blocked. At that point our muscles come out of the relaxation phase and we can move normally. But can anything be done to prevent such a thing from happening? Can sleep paralysis be "prevented" in any way?
We can say that there are "risky" situations in which the possibility of sleep paralysis is greater, especially for people aged 18 to 40 years. Sleep paralysis episodes are more likely to occur in those who sleep little in general, and less than their body requires. The same is true for those with irregular sleep and few habits, for those who often change waking hours (for example, those who work very different shifts). There are two other factors that can increase the risk of sleep paralysis. One, as we said earlier is narcolepsy. It is not yet known why, but narcoleptics often report experiencing similar sensations. Then the family history of an individual should not be neglected, it is possible that there are genetic factors behind this hormonal imbalance of the REM phase.
