Common characteristics of sleep paralysis include feelings of:
- being awake and in your actual environment
- paralysis or being "crushed"
- fear and terror
Sleep paralysis is often accompanied by sound and visual hallucinations, including voices, footsteps, and mysterious lights or figures. Sleepers may even feel that they're floating or spinning against their will. These are called hypnopompic and hypnogogic experiences.
The Nightmare Connection
Sleep paralysis can be an intense experience, as vivid as any nightmare. The word “nightmare” originally referred to sleep paralysis – “mare” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word mara, which means “crusher.” Over time, “nightmare” became synonymous with bad dream.
In the Terror that Comes in the Night, anthropologist David J. Hufford collected hundreds of accounts of sleep paralysis, both historical and contemporary, from across cultures. In Newfoundland, sleep paralysis is known as the “Old Hag.” To say you’ve been “hagged" is acceptable shorthand for sleep paralysis. In Japan, sleep paralysis is known as kanashibara, ("tied with an iron rope"), which aptly describes the feelings of pressure and helplessness.
Sleep paralysis is also connected to other sleep phenomena such as dreams, nightmares, and night terrors, in that it occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Studies demonstrate that sleep paralysis often occurs when sleepers are either entering or waking from REM sleep, the period of our most vivid dreams. The body may awaken while the mind is still producing images, but freezes to prevent us from acting out our dreams.
A Common Experience
Dr. J. Allan Cheyne, a psychology professor at the University of Waterloo, used a sleep experiences survey to study the phenomenon. His data shows 25 to 30 percent of people have had at least one sleep paralysis episode. Exact numbers are hard to calculate - people may be embarrassed about it, think they're mentally ill, or believe it's a supernatural encounter.
Many people have more than one episode. About half of Dr. Cheyne’s respondents reported episodes several times in a lifetime or several times a year. Another large group reports monthly attacks. Weekly or nightly attacks are rare.
Age may be a factor. Sleep paralysis episodes often occur in the late teens and early twenties. Attacks after age 30 are rarer, but possible. Episodes generally occur less frequently as you get older.
Sleep position may also play a role. Dr. Cheyne’s survey revealed that 60% of reported episodes occurred while the sleeper was lying on their back, or in the supine position.
Tips for Dealing with Sleep Paralysis
- Reduce stress: Stress prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep, and sleep paralysis is a sleep disturbance. Anxiety could be a trigger.
- Avoid sleep debt: Not being able to maintain sleep, especially REM sleep, for sufficient periods can also contribute to sleep paralysis. Good habits, such as avoiding heavy food or alcohol before bed and going to sleep at a regular time, help prevent sleep debt that takes a toll on restful REM sleep, and thus sleep paralysis.
- Remain calm:Sleep paralysis episodes often end within minutes, if not seconds. You are not really being attacked.
- Make small movements: To break the paralysis, concentrate on moving your fingers or toes. Even wiggling a little finger is often enough to bring you out of it. If you can’t move even a small muscle, try moving your eyes back and forth.
- Breathe: During an episode, you may feel intense pressure on your chest and shortness of breath. Maintaining your breath will help bring you out of the paralysis.
Christine Rowlands - Christine is a writer and editor in Vancouver, BC. She formerly worked in publishing, but now freelances for Web and print magazines ...
