Sleep paralysis is a state when a person is fully awake and conscious but unable to move or speak. It is one of the scariest forms of paralysis but it is completely harmless. Most people will only suffer from sleep paralysis only once or twice during their lifespan.
Why is sleep paralysis so scary?
During the state of sleep paralysis, you are fully awake lying on the bed but unable to move any part of the body and even unable to speak any word or open your mouth. You feel like someone’s in your room and it might seem like a ghost. In simple words, Sleep paralysis causes Hallucinations and person feels extreme level of fear reaction. These are mostly named as Hypnopompic Hallucinations. Some people might confuse hallucinations with dreams but these two are not same. Hallucinations are different from dreams. Hallucinations are more real than dreams. When having a dream your body is not conscious of surroundings. But, during hallucination, you are fully aware of your surroundings
Can you scream during sleep paralysis?
As, during sleep paralysis you are unable to move or even talk. It lasts for several minutes and during this state some people try to scream or shout for help. But it can only be a soft voice and you might only be able to whisper a little bit.
What triggers sleep paralysis?
After so many years of researches on sleep paralysis, scientists are still unaware of the main cause of this condition but it is usually linked with the following:
Disturbed sleep patterns: Some people due to extra burden of work are unable to maintain their sleep schedule which might be the major reason for onset of sleep paralysis.
Insomnia: It is a major sleep disorder due to which a person is unable to fall asleep or it may cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep. Stress plays a key role in the onset of insomnia. Due to lack of sleep and a lot of stress, depression and anxiety, onset of sleep paralysis may occur.
Panic disorder: These are sudden feelings of fright and anxiety that causes heart to beat really fast and a lot of sweating occurs. There might be connection of panic disorder with sleep paralysis. There are a lot of people with family history of this disease.
Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy may also cause the onset of sleep paralysis.
How to prevent sleep paralysis?
Regular sleep is the key factor to prevent sleep paralysis. You should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day.
Regular exercise and hard work can also be very helpful in this case and running and jogging is much useful for cardiovascular health and good health of heart is a surety against sleep paralysis.
You should stay away from consuming food with high cholesterol and fat, stay away from smoking or caffeine before going to bed.
Avoid sleeping on your back as it can increase the risk of sleep paralysis.
Treatment and medication for sleep paralysis
There are certain medications and drugs to manage sleep paralysis. Most commonly used drugs include stimulants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Drugs are most commonly prescribed if cause of sleep paralysis is Narcolepsy. Treating these causes can easily cure such condition.