Causes, symptoms, and solutions for sleep paralysis
20 November 2024 | Comment(s) |
Adrien Jacquérioz
Imagine being awake and conscious but unable to move or speak! This can be a traumatic experience, but it does happen. It has a name: sleep paralysis.
This article aims to provide information on the causes, symptoms and solutions for dealing with sleep paralysis and improving overall quality of life.
Key points to remember:
- Sleep paralysis is a temporary inability to move or speak during sleep or on waking.
- It occurs when the brain is awake, but the body remains in a state of sleep.
- To prevent sleep paralysis, adopt good sleep hygiene, reduce stress and avoid over-stimulation before bedtime.
- Sleep paralysis is generally harmless but can be a disturbing experience.
- To treat sleep paralysis, relaxation methods, medication and cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective.
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that occurs when you fall asleep or wake up. It’s a temporary inability to move or speak that occurs when the brain is awake but the body remains in a state of sleep. Sleep paralysis may be accompanied by hallucinations that are more or less destabilizing.
Our sleep is made up of different cycles that follow one another in chronological order. It is during the “rapid eye movement” (REM) sleep phase that sleep paralysis most often occurs. Young adults and people with frequent sleep disorders are most likely to experience sleep paralysis.
Statistics: around 8% of the world's population has already experienced an episode of sleep paralysis.
Causes of sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is not exactly a harmless phenomenon. It can be caused by various internal or external factors:
- Stress and anxiety disorders
- Lack of sleep
- Irregular sleep patterns
- Time difference
- A genetic predisposition
- Alcohol and drug consumption
- Narcolepsy
Symptoms of sleep paralysis
Having looked at the potential causes, let's turn now to the symptoms of sleep paralysis. These are the physical symptoms and hallucinations that characterise this disorder:
- Inability to move or speak
- Feeling of pressure on the chest
- Difficulty breathing
- Visual hallucinations (shadows or figures)
- Auditory hallucinations (noises or voices)
- Sensory hallucinations (presence or pressure)
The consequences of sleep paralysis
Depending on their duration and recurrence, episodes of sleep paralysis have more or less undesirable consequences for everyday well-being. In particular:
- Deterioration in mental health: the fear and anxiety often associated with sleep paralysis can lead to sleep disorders such as insomnia or night-time awakenings. This has a serious impact on mental health.
- Impact on daily life: caused by sleep paralysis, fatigue and drowsiness can interfere with productivity at work, school or studies, as well as with social relationships.
- Association with other sleep disorders: sleep paralysis may be one of the symptoms of more serious disorders such as narcolepsy.
How to manage and prevent sleep paralysis
Fortunately, there are ways of treating and preventing episodes of sleep paralysis. Whether it's relaxation methods, drug treatments or simple prevention, it's possible to take action before, during or after experiencing the phenomenon.
Prevention:
- Avoid any stimulating factors before going to bed.
- Create a conducive sleeping environment (simple room layout, ideal temperature between 16 and 18 degrees, no distractions).
- Adopt strict sleep hygiene.
Management:
- Try meditation or deep breathing to help reduce stress and anxiety.
- Establish a regular sleep routine or bedtime ceremony (meditation, reading, body care, bath, etc.).
Treatments:
- After consultation with a health professional, antidepressants can be used to regulate sleep cycles.
- If necessary, turn to cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps to positively influence ideas, thoughts and behaviour, and therefore feelings.
Our technique for overcoming sleep paralysis
If you have sleep paralysis, you can try opening and then moving your eyes. Then try moving small muscles such as your tongue, fingers or toes. If this works, you can then try moving larger muscles.
You can also try to influence unpleasant hallucinations, either through your mind or with the help of a nightlight whose light will prevent the appearance of shadows. Avoid sleeping on your back as this position can make you feel suffocated, and the tongue falling back can make breathing more difficult.
As sleep paralysis ceases as soon as there is physical contact with the sufferer, you can set a sound signal so that the person next to you, if you are sleeping with someone, is warned and can put an end to the episode.
Our general advice for better sleep
As you know, sleep plays a significant role in our health, both physical and mental. Groupe Mutuel would like to remind you of the good habits you should adopt to prepare for and manage this extremely important phase of the day, in order to promote your well-being as much as possible.
- Keep your sleep patterns as regular as possible. Everyone has their own ideal sleeping time, some people need 8 or 9 hours while others need 6 or 7 hours. Wake up as often as possible at the same time in the morning.
- In the evening, try to eat light meals so that digestion doesn't interfere with your falling asleep phase and your night's sleep.
- Create a pleasant atmosphere in your bedroom. The room should be neither too hot nor too cold, with simple furnishings and reserved exclusively for sleeping.
- Try to set up a bedtime ceremony with little routines such as music, reading or relaxation techniques like breathing or relaxation exercises.
- Natural therapies (hypnotherapy, relaxation therapy) can be effective in preparing you for sleep and putting you in the best possible conditions to enjoy a restful night's sleep.
- If you have trouble sleeping or suffer from night-time awakenings, never look at the clock. This will disturb your mind and won't help you get back to sleep.
- Once you're in bed, don't do anything you normally do during the day. Avoid watching television or using your tablet or smartphone. In fact, we should avoid screens for at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Conclusion
Experiencing sleep paralysis can be a disturbing experience, but it’s generally harmless to your health. It is nevertheless important to understand its causes and recognise its symptoms so that we can better deal with episodes and prevent them from affecting our well-being.
If you frequently suffer from sleep paralysis, consult a healthcare professional to make a proper diagnosis and manage the condition in the best possible way.
