Sleep paralysis can feel scary, especially the first time you experience it. That strange phenomenon when you can’t move your arms, your legs or even your entire body can happen as you’re trying to go to sleep or trying to wake up. What’s going on?
Bottom Line Personal asked Punithavathy Vijayakumar, MBBS, clinical assistant professor of neurology and a sleep medicine specialist at University of Michigan Medical School, to explain.
What Is Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep paralysis is a temporary physical paralysis that occurs when you’re in a sleep position but awake. It can last for a few seconds or up to a few minutes. You don’t feel pain, but it can come with a hallucination, even the feeling somebody is next to you or talking to you. Sleep paralysis passes quickly and leaves you no worse for the experience. But it can be extremely anxiety-provoking. It is estimated that up to one-quarter of the population will have one or two episodes of sleep paralysis in their lifetime.
What Causes Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep paralysis typically is precipitated by sleep deprivation—perhaps you haven’t had a good night’s sleep for several days, slept for fewer than five hours several nights in a row or have an irregular sleep-wake cycle. These all are linked to not reaching the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. During REM, your brain is active and dreams are vivid. But your muscles are temporarily paralyzed even though you don’t realize it. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body can enter the REM phase even before you’re fully asleep, so you’re aware of the paralysis.
Some REM-related conditions can predispose you to recurrent episodes of sleep paralysis, including narcolepsy, a chronic neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. Also, people with depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can have episodes of sleep paralysis, so treating the underlying disorder at the root of the problem is important to stop it.
If nothing in your health history can explain why you’re plagued by the sleep paralysis demon and if it’s happening frequently, see a sleep specialist. He/she can do a polysomnogram, a type of sleep study, to look for a treatable cause, such as seizures, which can mimic sleep paralysis…nocturnal panic attacks…periodic paralysis, a genetic neurological condition that makes you unable to move or talk for hours after waking up in the morning…or, rarely, a severe potassium deficiency.
What to Do When Sleep Paralysis Occurs
Unfortunately, stopping sleep paralysis while it is happening can be tricky. You may be able to force yourself to wiggle or otherwise move to come out of it…and sometimes a loud noise or your bed partner’s voice or touch can stop it.
