“Horror is the truest feeling. It is impossible to move or scream, sometimes mooing is possible. If it hits you in the morning, when it’s light, you can still survive. And if it’s at night, you’ll turn gray with fear...”
An unusual state that occurs or awakens, when a person is aware of himself, but cannot move, is known as sleep paralysis.
The symptoms and causes given in the article will help you recognize and overcome this terrible ordeal calmly.
Briefly about the phenomenon of sleep paralysis
1. Sleep paralysis (SP) - parasomnia (sleep disorder), in which the coordination of the functions of brain vigilance and muscle stupor is disrupted.
2. Is not a disease.
3. Episodes are short-term (from seconds to a couple of minutes), but can be repeated.
4. The details of the “nightmare” are well remembered.
5. Does not pose a health risk.
6. Episodes can be managed (resolved and prevented).
Synonyms: sleepy stupor, witch syndrome, paralytic attack.
Symptoms
Inability to move or speak- the most common sign that you have been visited by a SP. In this case, all muscles are paralyzed, except for the eye, heart and respiratory muscles.
A paralytic attack is always tinged with extremely realistic hallucinations visual, auditory, olfactory and physical nature:
1. Insurmountable fear and horror.
2. The clearly felt, and sometimes visible, presence of an alien and malicious creature nearby.
3. Constricted breathing, suffocation, pressure on the chest (feeling of physical weight). It may feel like someone is pressing hard on your chest.
4. Experiences of movement: floating above a bed, floating, being caught in a tunnel or vortex, going up, down, moving in an elevator, being pulled or pushed out of bed.
This is the influence vestibular apparatus, whose activity increases during the rapid stages of sleep. When we sleep, we are not aware that our body is lying on the bed, hence the illusion of spinning or flying.
The most common hallucinations are the first three points. Physiological sensations are caused by suppressed motor skills* in the stage REM sleep, and visions are the brain’s efforts to find an explanation for strange feelings.
*The large muscles of the body relax, as if paralyzed, this suppresses gross motor skills so that we can lie quietly in bed while dreaming.
The attack quickly passes on its own, or with the help of others: just talk, touch, or stir.
The next day you may feel anxious and depressed, and feel unwell, which does not pose a threat to health.
Why do hallucinations happen in SP?
It can be assumed that hallucinations are “day dreams”, because they come in the rapid stage of sleep, in which we usually have the most vivid dreams.
In a paralytic attack against the background of REM sleep, the cerebral cortex suddenly comes into a waking state, and it is precisely the part of it that is responsible for human awareness. And only through short time(up to two minutes) areas of the brain that control muscles are activated. We can say that the mind is waking up, but the body is still sleeping.
It turns out that the brain works in two modes for some period of time - sleep and alertness, i.e. dreams occur when consciousness is turned on, although not completely.
A person susceptible to SP clearly perceives distinctive elements in the room (bed, sleeping partner, doors, clock).
Sections of the cortex responsible for critical thinking turn on later, so dreams seem like real events.
Why are the feelings in the joint venture so threatening?
Japanese researchers conducted an interesting experiment: participants were systematically awakened in the paradoxical phase (deprived of REM sleep), as a result, the subjects plunged from wakefulness directly into paradoxical sleep, bypassing drowsiness and sleep spindles that precede it. SP happened to many participants, which once again convinced the scientists:
A paralytic attack occurs precisely in the paradoxical stage of sleep; inadequate sleep provokes sleep paralysis.
Heredity.
Scientists studied the frequency of paralysis in identical and non-identical twins and hypothesized that a particular variant of a gene involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle is associated with sleep paralysis and is passed on from generation to generation.
Medicines.
Alcohol.
Drugs
Physical and psycho-emotional fatigue.
Intensive meditations.
A radical change in routine (change of job, environment, place of residence, responsibilities, vacation, etc.).
Electromagnetic storms.
Prolonged fatigue, especially more than 5 days, and close to the full moon.
Sleeping on an empty stomach increases the likelihood of SP, while eating heavy food helps prevent it.
There is an explanation: energy etheric body it intensifies when the stomach is empty and slows down if a person eats shortly before bedtime.
Resume
A paralytic sleep attack can be a difficult experience for an ignorant person. If you have an attack, try not to panic and remember that this phenomenon is short-term and safe.
I hope that information about the mechanism, symptoms and causes of sleep paralysis will help you survive the attack without fear.
Elena Valve for the project Sleepy Cantata.
Sources:
Stanford University sleep paralysis page web.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html, “Astral Dynamics” by Robert Bruce, “Handbook of sleep disorders” by A. Kushida Clete (2008), Wikipedia.
Loff's Dream Book
Why does a woman dream of paralysis:
One of the most alarming phenomena, as well as a surprising side effect of REM, is paralysis. During sleep, large muscle groups are often paralyzed, most likely as a warning. physical injury sleeping in the event that his reflexes cause a physical reaction to the images that he sees in a dream. This state can cause anxiety if the sleeper feels that the body is in a paralyzed state, without realizing that his mind is still asleep. Deprived of any opportunity to provide physical resistance, the sleeper may feel helpless in a dream and succumb to panic.
The scenario could be a worrying option CONSCIOUS sleep. Instead of awareness of the mind about what is happening and control over the body, the sleeper has only the sensation of the body and no control of the mind.
This phenomenon, observed for hundreds of years, is called the "witch on the back." The idea is that a hostile spirit from your dream has chained you to your bed. In fact, if paralysis occurs in dreams, in reality, as a rule, this corresponds to a feeling of spiritual depression.
See also "OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE"
Wanderer's Dream Book
Seeing paralysis in a dream means:
Paralysis - stagnation in business, psychological discomfort; very slow progress of affairs or development of relationships.
Dream Interpretation Tarot
A dream with paralysis in the dream book is interpreted as:
Paralysis - ill-treatment, slavery.
Miller's Dream Book
Dreaming of paralysis means:
Dream about paralysis - bad sign, foreshadowing financial failures and disappointments in literary pursuits. For lovers, it foretells the end of love.
Seeing yourself suffering from paralysis in a dream means that you will enter into unreliable contracts.
Seeing a friend paralyzed is a sign that fatal uncertainty will develop in your relationship and will fall like a shadow on your home.
If lovers see their lovers suffering from paralysis in a dream, it means that dissatisfaction in the relationship can destroy their happiness.
Miller's Dream Book
Meaning of sleep paralysis:
A bad sign, foreshadowing financial failures and disappointments in literary pursuits.
For lovers - the end of love;
suffer from paralysis - you will enter into unreliable contracts;
to see a friend paralyzed - fatal uncertainty will develop in your relationship and a shadow will fall on your home;
for lovers - seeing your lover suffering from paralysis - dissatisfaction in a relationship can destroy your happiness.
Also see Suffering.
Slavic dream book
What does it mean if a woman dreams of paralysis:
To have is a misfortune.
Small dream book
What can paralysis mean in a dream:
Dreaming of paralysis is an unfavorable dream. It portends financial losses and disappointment. For lovers, such a dream predicts mutual cooling of feelings.
Newest dream book
Paralysis in a dream means:
Seeing yourself paralyzed means that you will be unable to fulfill the request of someone dear to you.
Family dream book
If a girl dreams of paralysis, it means:
A dream about paralysis predicts financial failure for business people, and the end of love for lovers.
If you saw yourself paralyzed in a dream, beware of unreliable contracts.
A dream in which your friend is paralyzed means uncertainty in your relationship.
If you see a loved one paralyzed, your happiness may be in jeopardy.
Why does a woman dream of paralysis:
A dream about paralysis is an unfavorable dream, foreshadowing financial losses and disappointment in literary activity. For lovers, such a dream predicts mutual cooling of feelings.
Dream Interpretation modern woman
Paralysis in sleep from Dream Interpretation of a Modern Woman
A dream about paralysis is a bad sign, predicting financial failure and disappointment in your work. For lovers, it foretells the end of love.
Seeing yourself paralyzed in a dream means concluding dubious deals.
Seeing a friend paralyzed is a sign that uncertainty will appear in your relationship, which will cast a shadow on your home.
Seeing your lover suffering from paralysis in a dream signifies dissatisfaction with the relationship, which can destroy your happiness.
Dream Interpretation of Fedorovskaya
Paralysis in sleep from Dream Interpretation of Fedorovskaya
In a dream you were paralyzed - to financial losses.
If you dreamed that paralysis struck one of your relatives or friends, know that this person will be the reason for you losing a large sum of money.
Meeting a paralytic means an obstacle in business.
New dream book 1918
Paralysis in sleep from New dream book 1918
Having paralysis is a misfortune.
Dream Interpretation of Denise Lynn
Paralysis in sleep from Dream Interpretation Denise Lynn
Paralysis - do you feel completely immobilized in one area of life: Dance, move, run. By going through the motions, you create matrices for all aspects of your life.
Paralysis - Are you experiencing any conflicting feelings or impulses? For example, you want to say goodbye to your job and go on a trip, but you are afraid of losing your sense of confidence and stability. Or you are torn between the desire to succeed and the fear of success. This means that you lack the confidence to take a step in any direction, and do not have the strength to admit it to yourself. Reassure yourself: “I have determination. I make any decisions in my life easily and quickly.”
Dream book alphabetically
Paralysis in sleep from Dream Interpretation Alphabetically
Seeing yourself in a dream as weak and paralyzed in old age is an unkind sign, heralding a health disorder in the future. nervous soil. A dream where you were paralyzed as a result of a serious injury due to an accident foreshadows a decline in business and failure in love.
If paralysis has befallen your husband or lover, know that they are in danger from insidious and evil ill-wishers. Seeing paralyzed animals means in reality you will receive an invitation to the banquet table. To be paralyzed by the fear of facing mortal danger means that in reality you will show determination and unexpected courage.
Stiff legs: Are you experiencing any conflicting feelings or impulses? For example, you want to pass on a sign that you do not feel confident in your position or have insufficient material base to promote your business.
If your hands do not obey you: are you experiencing any conflicting feelings or impulses? For example, you want to say goodbye, this may mean that you lack the skill or experience to do something.
A special case if your fingers don’t obey you.
Immobility of a large or index finger: a sign of loss of will.
Rommel's Dream Book
Paralysis in sleep from Rommel's Dream Book
If in a dream you are paralyzed, this dream predicts troubles in financial matters, difficulties in love relationships or disappointment in literary pursuits, the conclusion of unreliable contracts.
If a loved one is paralyzed, your relationship will become very complicated and will be full of uncertainty and conflict.
Dream book for girls
Paralysis in sleep from Dream Interpretation for Girls
To dream that you are paralyzed is an unpleasant chore.
Do you even know what paralysis is? Maybe you, like Tom Sawyer, have “gangrene on your finger” so you don’t have to go to school?
The phenomenon in which a person suddenly wakes up at night and cannot move is called sleep paralysis. This manifests itself in people of different age groups and becomes the cause. A somnologist will help cure the disease after diagnosing and establishing the cause of the disease. If the problem is ignored, there is a high probability that cases of sleep paralysis will become more frequent, interfering with healthy sleep and normal life activities during the daytime.
What is it
Syndrome old witch or sleep paralysis is a disease in which there is a sudden dysfunction of muscle tissue during sleep. As a result, the person completely loses mobility.
On early stages As the disease progresses, sleep paralysis occurs no more than once or twice a night. If treatment is neglected, loss of mobility is observed up to 5 times during one rest. Each exacerbation is accompanied by a strong nervous shock - the person wakes up, along with which strong fear and even panic appears. IN difficult cases patients report the occurrence of hallucinations.
Many mystical stories, associated with the appearance of ghosts and brownies in the middle of the night, are told by people who have no idea about the existence of the problem, suggesting that they are paralyzed by some higher or otherworldly forces. Meanwhile, sleep paralysis is a disease that requires treatment. Proper therapy can restore healthy sleep to the patient.
Symptoms
Night paralysis is a condition in which a person comes out of sleep, but has not yet entered the period of wakefulness. The phenomenon combines physiological problems and a psychological disorder, accompanied by a number of symptoms:
- Complete immobility of the body, with the exception of the eyes;
- Syndrome of suffocation or heaviness on the chest;
- The apparent presence of third parties, accompanied by an auditory or visual hallucination;
- Fear turning into panic.
All these symptoms are combined in the false stages of the disease. Due to the strong pressure on the chest, the patient feels as if someone is sitting on him and trying to strangle him, which causes even greater fear and aggravates the situation.
Reasons
The causes of sleep paralysis are sleep disorders. Normally, the fast-wave rest phase is accompanied by dreams. If due to some factors there is a desynchronization of consciousness and the musculoskeletal system, a person wakes up, but his body does not yet. As a result, the patient cannot move. That is, in fact, what is observed is not the development of paralysis, but maximum muscle relaxation, which is normal for a sleeper.
Sleep doctors tend to believe that the causes of sleep paralysis in most cases are the result of genetic predisposition and disorders of the central nervous system. Together, these factors lead to an imbalance between physiological and psychological state person. However, there are other reasons for the development of the disease:
- Long-term stress, depression;
- Reception medicines, causing disorders sleep;
- Drug or alcohol addiction;
- Psychiatric disorders;
- Frequent changes in time zones, leading to a shift in the body’s normal biorhythm;
- Sleeping on your back throughout the night;
- Lack of a stable daily routine;
- Overwork.
Treatment of sleep paralysis is possible only after determining the cause of the disease. If it lies in external factors, then therapy and prevention methods will help completely get rid of the problem. In cases where the sleep disorder is based on a genetic predisposition, comprehensive treatment will reduce the number of exacerbations to a minimum.
Species
- Hypnopompic paralysis
This is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the transition from REM sleep to awakening. If during the process of rest the part of the brain that “turns on” consciousness is activated, the person begins to perceive the world around us as during the waking period. At the same time, the part of the brain responsible for muscle activity continues to rest, which leads to temporary paralysis. The duration of this phenomenon ranges from several seconds to several minutes. The hypnopompic type of numbness occurs when waking up naturally, or, for example, when an alarm clock goes off.
- Hypnagogic paralysis
Otherwise, he is called semi-conscious. It occurs during the process of falling asleep in cases where the muscles relax faster than the area of the brain responsible for consciousness can switch off. If a person does not fall asleep short term, then he becomes aware of this state, which will lead to the emergence of strong fear, activating the full awakening of consciousness while maintaining muscle immobility.
The type of night stupor influences the choice of therapy to treat the disease, so doctors often conduct research on the patient in laboratory conditions to recognize all the nuances of the occurrence of sleep paralysis.
Danger of disease
Night paralysis itself is not dangerous to human life and health, since it is not pathological or destructive process. However, the fear and panic that accompany a sleep disorder can cause heart attack, nervous shock or even breakdown, and in in rare cases and death. For this reason, treatment of the disease should not be neglected.
The effect of sleep paralysis on mental state humans have not yet been fully studied, so somnologists cannot guarantee the absence of danger from this side.
Possible complications
In a healthy person, natural fear during sleep paralysis is accompanied by such manifestations as:
- Increased heart rate;
- Shortness of breath;
- Rapid or intermittent pulse;
- A sharp increase in muscle activity immediately after returning to normal.
When the condition stabilizes, all symptoms accompanying fear and panic quickly subside. Only right decision in this case, breathe deeply at a steady pace, try to calm down and move your fingers and toes.
Sleep disturbance causes complications in people with diseases of the cardiovascular system and in hypertensive patients. Intense fear complicates the condition, which may cause fatal outcome. If there are such problems, you should contact a somnologist immediately after the first case of sleep paralysis.
Complications arise in people who tend to attribute the manifestations of the disease to otherworldly forces. They explain their condition by the arrival of a brownie, deceased relatives, or the phenomenon of imminent death. This fixation leads to fear of sleep, disorders of the Central nervous system and even more problems with sleep. Against the background of the above problems, after the attack is over, the accompanying symptoms remain:
- Breathing problems;
- Tachycardia;
- Hallucinations of various types.
In the case of physically healthy patients who do not see a mystical basis in what is happening, curative therapy aimed at stabilization physiological state. When an illness is accompanied by strong feelings, it is necessary to work with a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Ways to induce sleep paralysis
While people with sleep disorders try to get rid of the condition, others are learning how to induce sleep paralysis. This phenomenon is of interest because it allows you to feel an out-of-body state, so people who are passionate about esotericism try to induce numbness.
- Try to fall asleep on your back without a pillow, relaxing your muscles as much as possible, but controlling your consciousness and your own feelings. The transition to the required state is indicated by a change in sounds and perception of the surrounding world.
- If you drink a drink before bed that has a tonic effect on the mind, the body will relax and the mind will remain in an active state. To achieve the desired effect, preliminary overwork is necessary so that the muscles “switch off” much faster than consciousness.
- For people with a well-developed imagination, there is another way - lie in bed and try to reproduce the feeling of flying. In this case, you should relax your muscles as much as possible.
Any of the methods does not guarantee a transition to a state of night paralysis, but with some effort and adjustment of the experiments according to your body, you will be able to achieve your goal.
How to relieve the condition
The panic and horror that a person feels during sleep paralysis are emotions experienced at the animal level. It is very difficult to cope with them, since they defy rational explanation. But man, as a rational being, is capable of this. If a symptom recurs, you must adhere to several rules:
- There is no need to immediately try to get up - the brain is not able to react so quickly to the awakening of consciousness and as a result defensive reaction will further weaken muscle tone.
- After your breathing has stabilized, you should try to realize what is happening. Fear comes when a person is in the gap between sleep and reality. If you force your consciousness to work at full strength, you will realize that hallucinations are nothing more than remnants of dreams.
- After the panic subsides, you can try to move your eyes, fingers, or at least your tongue a little. As a rule, partial mobility is preserved, which will help you get rid of the state of helplessness.
- Before you go back to sleep, you need to calm down. You can wash your face, take a shower, or drink warm, soothing tea.
When a disease occurs in one of the spouses, you need to warn your partner about this and ask to wake him up or calm him down if he notices an attack. Observation of patients has shown that emotions are clearly reflected on the face, so it is not difficult to understand that a person is terrified.
Diagnostics
A single manifestation of sleep paralysis may be the body's response to overload, so there is no need to worry. But if sleep disturbance recurs frequently, you should seek help from a somnologist or neurologist. The primary task is to determine the cause of the disease. For this purpose they are used various methods diagnostics:
- Conversation with the patient and his relatives;
- Sleep monitoring using a polysomnograph;
- Study on psychological balance;
- Search for problems related to neuralgia.
When factors influencing the development of night paralysis are discovered, therapeutic therapy is developed aimed at restoring healthy sleep.
Treatment methods
The main methods include:
- Stabilization of the daily routine;
- Maintenance physical activity at a normal level;
- Elimination of alcohol and tobacco smoking;
- Ensuring inflow fresh air during sleep;
- Mandatory 15-minute appointment hot bath before bed;
- A course of vitamins that support immune system;
- Proper nutrition;
- Treatment or prevention of chronic diseases.
Medications
Since desynchronization of the processes of physical and brain activity is not a full disease, a drug has not yet been invented that would help quickly cope with such a sleep disorder. As an alternative, medications are prescribed that suppress the activity of the central nervous system and guarantee a calm rest:
- Melatonin
Intended for the treatment of insomnia. Helps normalize blood pressure and has a slight calming effect. Contraindications to treatment are the period of pregnancy and lactation in women, age under 12 years.
- Neurostabil
Biologically active additive allows you to stabilize nervous system, helps fight depression and stress. Neurostabil has short list side effects and has virtually no contraindications. The main “disadvantage” of the dietary supplement is that the minimum course of treatment lasts 4-5 weeks.
- Vita-melatonin
An effective remedy that has a complex effect on the body. Vita-melatonin activates the immune system, improves intellectual abilities and productivity at work, and helps fight anxiety. The maximum course of treatment is 4 weeks. Main disadvantage drug - a long list of possible side effects.
Vitamins
Doctors often note that nighttime numbness is directly related to exhaustion of the body, although the person does not notice this.
- A– normalizes sleep, strengthens the nervous system;
- IN– increases stress resistance;
- WITH– improves the activity of happiness hormones;
- D– normalizes physical and mental activity;
- E– helps relieve drowsiness;
- TO– removes unreasonable anxiety;
- Mg– stabilizes the process of falling asleep.
In a number of cases, it was noted that taking vitamins was the only in an efficient way treatment of sleep paralysis - after the body’s resistance was restored, the balance of all systems returned to normal.
Physiotherapy
The procedures are necessary for elderly people and patients with sedentary image life. Physiotherapy tones the entire body and normalizes the psycho-emotional state. The main methods used are:
- Climatotherapy;
- Baths;
- Acupuncture;
- Exposure to direct current;
- Massage.
This or that type of physical therapy is prescribed only in accordance with the general state of health, so self-medication is not recommended.
Prevention
If night paralysis occurs once, then they will help prevent relapse simple methods prevention:
- Treatment of exacerbations of chronic diseases;
- Drinking soothing herbal teas;
- Ventilate the room before and after bedtime;
- Increased time spent on rest;
- Eat food no later than 3-4 hours before going to bed.
These measures will allow us to normalize the deep and rapid phases of sleep and eliminate possible desynchronization in the work of individual brain centers.
Since sleep disorders are most often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, experts recommend reconsidering your worldview and creating a personal schedule in such a way that there is time to maintain health:
- Stabilize the schedule, depending on the time of work, so that the body gets used to the same regime;
- Get smart alarm clock, which turns on during the fast-wave sleep phase;
- Provide the body with normal physical activity at least 3-4 times a week;
- Refuse bad habits and turn to proper nutrition.
If sleep paralysis begins to bother you constantly, there is no need to self-medicate or take strong sleeping pills- this will only worsen the situation. The disease requires treatment, so you should consult a doctor who can find the cause of the problem and act on it, and not on the symptom itself.
Sleep paralysis (sleep stupor) is a fairly common phenomenon. It is not included in the international classification of diseases for a number of reasons, but there is a considerable amount of information in scientific publications foreign authors.
Mentions of sleep paralysis can also be found in the works of historians from around the world. There is a historical name for the phenomenon - “witch syndrome”, which is explained by an outdated view of it as the arbitrariness of supernatural forces.
Facts
As the name suggests, sleep paralysis is inextricably linked to the process of sleep. This condition occurs at the beginning of falling asleep, or after waking up in the morning, but in any case - in fast phase sleep. In general terms, sleep stupor is characterized by complete immobilization upon restoration of consciousness after awakening.
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- We kindly ask you NOT to self-medicate, but make an appointment with a specialist!
- Health to you and your loved ones!
In other words, being in a clear consciousness, a person is not able to perform any actions. This unusual phenomenon lasts only a couple of tens of seconds and is not at all life-threatening, but even this time interval is enough to experience unpleasant, frightening and obsessive emotions.
Thus, people who have experienced a state of sleepy stupor describe panic, fear of approaching death, various kinds of hallucinations, difficulty breathing, and others. discomfort. According to statistics, this phenomenon occurred at least once in almost 40% of people’s lives. healthy people usually young. Characteristic is the lack of need for special treatment.
A few other facts about sleep paralysis:
- an episode of sleep paralysis can be controlled and even prevented;
- the duration of the attack is from several seconds to one or two minutes;
- You can completely stop an attack using a strong stimulus, for example, a loud sound or a flash of light;
- pathognomonic (cardinal) symptom – inability to speak and move;
- most often develops in adolescents and young adults;
- quite widespread in the world, estimates range from 5 to 60%;
- safe for the body, but requires exclusion more serious problems with health;
- There is wide variability in the frequency and intensity of paralysis between individuals.
Reasons
To date, sleep paralysis syndrome has been studied in detail by somnologists. It has been established that its occurrence is due to an imbalance between the regulatory influence of the brain and tone skeletal muscles. Thus, deep sleep is accompanied by maximum muscle relaxation, while the sleep phase light sleep characterized by an increase in muscle tone and even the occurrence of some involuntary muscle contractions.
The alternating change of two phases normally occurs gradually, without sharp fluctuations muscle tone and brain activity. However, in some cases, a person may suddenly wake up a little earlier than his muscles receive the corresponding signal from the brain.
The reason for this is an imbalance in the interaction of neurotransmitters such as melatonin, choline, serotonin. It also causes hallucinatory manifestations and disorientation in the environment.
After a couple of minutes, the muscles will react to the late command and the person will be able to carry out the movements. But precisely in these couple of minutes, while conscious, he is actually completely paralyzed and unable to even speak.
In addition to the immediate causes of sleep paralysis, there are predisposing factors. These include:
- hormonal disorders - the neurotransmitter system is subject to misregulation due to an imbalance of other hormonal systems;
- previous use of psychoactive drugs and drugs, alcohol dependence;
- violation of sleep and rest patterns (rapid change of time zones, irregular working hours);
- chronic lack of sleep;
- frequent stressful situations;
- comorbid mental disorders;
- genetic predisposition;
- young age;
- antecedent jar of Hearts– loss of loved ones, accident, fire.
In addition, a dependence of the occurrence of symptoms on the sleeping position has been noted: sleep paralysis most often occurs when falling asleep on the back, and extremely rarely - on the right side.
Symptoms
Manifestations of sleepy stupor arise from its pathogenesis. In the vast majority of cases, a person wakes up and suddenly finds himself absolutely helpless. He is unable to move his limbs or call for help while being lucid and having clear thoughts.
This combination of symptoms provokes fear of approaching death, a feeling of pressure on the chest, difficulty breathing and difficult-to-control panic. Neurotransmitter imbalance leads to hallucinations various types, more often visual and auditory (one of the names of the syndrome is hypnagogic sleep paralysis).
So, a person feels the presence or touch of a stranger in the room, hears other people's voices. There may be false perceptions of opening doors, moving furniture and one's own body.
In addition, against the background panic attack sweating increases significantly, breathing rhythm is disrupted, and headache and myalgia. It is noteworthy that the attack occurs only during natural awakening and cannot be provoked by external awakening stimuli. After recovery normal condition a person who clearly captures all his experiences is not sure of their reality.
Diagnostics
Since sleep paralysis is not a nosological entity and is not included in International Classification Diseases, then a diagnostic algorithm has not been developed for it.
As a rule, people begin to think about sleepy stupor on the basis of the patient’s subjective experiences, which are characterized by a certain stereotypicality. A reasonable suspicion of this condition is supported by identifying risk factors, clarifying the genetic history and excluding more serious ones. mental disorders. Studying the sleep structure using special equipment can help.
It would not be superfluous to record the symptoms and conditions of their occurrence in a special diary if similar signs appear regularly. If a connection between symptoms and signs of other neuropsychiatric disorders, diagnostics are carried out in the appropriate direction.
| Night terrors |
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| Sleepwalking |
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| For nightmares |
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| Talking in your sleep |
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| Confusion |
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Treatment
It is useful for a person who regularly encounters witch syndrome to know the procedure for relieving this unpleasant and frightening condition. In most cases, you can take the necessary steps on your own, but sometimes the help of a loved one, such as a spouse or parents, can help.
First of all, if you experience an attack of sleep paralysis, you should never panic. If you experience a feeling of suffocation, it is important to remember that breathing is not actually impaired. Taking a few deep breaths helps a lot.
You can also try to scream. It will not be possible to scream physically due to general relaxation, but the increased energy at this moment brain activity will give a signal to the muscles and bring the body out of the stupor. To stop an attack, it is useful to wash your face cold water and cheer up a little.
Rational therapy under the supervision of a specialist consists of taking antidepressants and drugs of other classes.
Prevention
Prevention takes a leading place in measures to eliminate the manifestations of witch syndrome. First of all, it is necessary to significantly reduce or completely eliminate the influence of provoking factors.
Getting rid of various kinds addictions (primarily alcohol and drugs), avoiding stress, normalizing the daily routine, bringing sleep within limits physiological need– all these steps reliably prevent the violations in question.
Taking into account the dependence on the preferred posture during sleep, in some cases attacks are reliably prevented simple change body position when falling asleep.
- improving sleep conditions, which includes changing bed linen and pajamas, improving ventilation and indoor microclimate, and optimizing lighting;
- regular physical exercise should not end later than a couple of hours before bedtime;
- before going to bed, it makes sense to relax with a calm activity - this could be a good book or soothing music;
- TV, working with a computer and a hearty dinner before bed are strictly prohibited not only in this context, but also in relation to all other neuropsychic disorders;
- daytime sleep, if necessary, should end before 15 hours and should not exceed 90 minutes;
- Dozing should be avoided during other hours, especially in the first half of the day;
- It is very important not to be left alone with the problem. Having told to a loved one about what is happening and by enlisting his support, you can eliminate one of the risk factors - worry and stress.
How to induce sleep paralysis
Not everyone finds sleep paralysis an unpleasant experience. There are a number of people who deliberately strive to fall into a sleepy stupor. It turns out that you can provoke an episode of paralysis yourself.
You just need to follow the following instructions:
| Use a posture that promotes paralysis | On the back with the head thrown back, often in the absence of a pillow. |
| Try to accurately reproduce the sensations that occur when you quickly fall headfirst | Gravity effect, wind, whistling and ringing in the ears, the feeling of the approach of the earth and an imminent impact. |
| Experience fear | The technique involves maximum relaxation and drowsiness, after which you need to remember or feel something terrible. |
| Intense exercise before bed | Push-ups or quick squats cause increased heart rate and relative oxygen starvation that help achieve the desired effect. |
| In some cases, sleep stupor syndrome can be caused by too much sleep. |
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Is it dangerous?
As already mentioned, sleepy stupor does not pose any threat to life. All the symptoms that bother such people have a scientific basis.Recommendations for stopping an attack have been no less scientifically developed. Moreover, if sleep paralysis bothers you often enough, the person is subconsciously ready for the next episode, accepts it quite calmly and finds a way out of the situation without any problems.
Thus, sleep paralysis syndrome is a benign, non-life-threatening condition. If risk factors are excluded, quality diagnostics and adequate therapy in most cases manages to completely get rid of unpleasant symptoms.
Alexandra Savina
“That was three or four years ago. I went to bed as usual, and then woke up in the same room, with the same furnishings and lighting. I woke up to the sound of someone walking around me - I clearly heard footsteps,” says Olga. “I tried to move, but I couldn’t, and because of this, panic began. I thought I was waking up three times, but I really woke up and was able to move only on the fourth - and I realized that it was all in a dream. A terrible feeling: panic, you start screaming inside yourself, but, naturally, nothing is heard. Everything is very realistic." The condition that Olga describes is called sleep paralysis: the person experiencing it understands that he has woken up, but cannot move, as if he is paralyzed. Sometimes people experience hallucinations in this state.
What is sleep paralysis
In fact, paralysis is an integral part of sleep. When we are in REM sleep, our brain is active (it is at this time that we usually dream), and our body is practically paralyzed - only the eyeballs and muscles responsible for breathing. Thanks to this, we cannot harm ourselves when we see something in a dream and want to act.
Usually the ability to move returns to us even before awakening, but it happens that this process is disrupted. The person is in a semi-conscious state: his brain wakes up, sometimes he can even open his eyes and look at the room, but still cannot move. It is this condition that is called sleep paralysis - such episodes last from a few seconds to several minutes. “The reason for the development of sleep paralysis is considered to be the recently discovered ability of the brain to sleep and remain awake only partially. Thus, when most of the brain has already woken up, those areas that inhibit muscle tone during sleep with dreams continue to “sleep,” notes the head of the department of sleep medicine at the First Moscow State Medical University. I. M. Sechenova, associate professor Mikhail Poluektov.
Sleep paralysis is a fairly common phenomenon: according to American studies, almost 8% of people have experienced it at least once during their lives. Among students and patients of psychiatric clinics, the proportion of such cases is even higher: 28% and almost 32%, respectively. Mikhail Poluektov notes that young people experience it more often: according to his data, symptoms of sleep paralysis were experienced by up to 40% of people under the age of thirty and 5% of people older age groups. Symptoms of sleep paralysis most often appear upon awakening, but it can also occur while a person is falling asleep.
Sleep paralysis has other symptoms: in this condition, many people feel as if their chest is being squeezed and they find it difficult to breathe - although in fact they are breathing freely. Some people manage to open their eyes during this state, which is not possible to do in normal sleep. Many people feel as if there is someone in the room, and some even experience visual and auditory hallucinations- they see or hear a creature that wants to harm them.
Sleep paralysis is a fairly common phenomenon: according to American studies, almost 8% of people have experienced it at least once during their lives
“When sleep paralysis occurs, it’s hard to believe that I’m still sleeping, because the situation exactly copies reality,” says editor Yulia. - I dream that I open my eyes in my room, in my bed, but I feel the presence of something “demonic”. And then every time your fantasy throws up something new: this “creature” is hanging over you, it’s running towards you across the room, it’s standing in the corner - and so on. Appearance of this “creature” also varies. What is constant is that you cannot move a single muscle, you try to shout, wave your hand - and nothing. A real paralysis, mixed with pure horror and such a heaviness in the chest that it is impossible to breathe.”
Many people note that attacks of sleep paralysis worsen when it comes to difficult period in life. “I studied at the institute and worked at the same time, drowning my sadness with alcohol at constant parties,” says designer Dasha. - And then sleep paralysis began to manifest itself more severely and more often. For example, I remember sleeping and having a nightmare. I wake up and see a black, incomprehensible mass that floats in the air above me and seems to begin to pull me out of my body - an eerie feeling. There was a deafening ringing in my ears, it seemed as if eardrums They're about to burst. I became so scared that I ran away to sleep with my parents (I was still living with them at that time) as soon as I was able to finally wake up.”
Head of the Center for Sleep Medicine, Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov Alexander Kalinkin notes that even repeated sleep paralysis can be a separate symptom, which does not affect the quality and life expectancy - but there are more difficult situations: “Sleep paralysis can also be a symptom of narcolepsy. This neurological pathology, she has several characteristic features, the main one among them is severe daytime sleepiness (that is, a person can fall asleep during active actions during the day)". According to the specialist, it is important to distinguish between such cases.
Angels and demons
They began to study sleep paralysis relatively recently, but there is every reason to believe that it has existed much longer - it’s just that humanity has long considered its attacks to be the machinations of demons and evil spirits that attack at night. “This condition is truly frightening for a person, especially if he encounters it for the first time. If a person does not understand what is happening to him, then he explains it by various unscientific factors - aliens, otherworldly forces and so on,” says Alexander Kalinkin. Neuroscientist Baland Jalal notes that in such a frightening situation human brain tries to interpret what is happening and can use cultural attitudes, beliefs and memories to do this: “This is why people see ghosts, demons, aliens and even fictions from the past that seem to want to attack them.”
Among different peoples of the world you can find many examples of what we would today explain as sleep paralysis. For example, the Greek physician Paul of Aegina in the seventh century AD believed that the Faun jumped on the chest of his victims at night. German folklore mentions a mare that sits on the chest of a sleeping person. Similar demons (mara), which come at night and strangle a person, were believed in other countries - for example, in France, Iceland, Denmark and Norway. There are legends about succubi and incubi - night demons who seek to have sex with people.
If a person does not understand what is happening to him, then he explains it by various unscientific factors - aliens and otherworldly forces
The Hmong people believe in the “pressing demon” tsog tsuam. Connected with him enough creepy story: In the late 1970s, 117 Hmong refugees who emigrated to the United States died unexpectedly in their sleep. Perhaps the refugees experienced enormous stress due to the fact that in a foreign country they could not carry out the usual rituals with shamans that frighten away tsog tsouama - and this affected their health. Sudden Night Deaths Inspired Director Wes Craven's Freddy Krueger, But That's Not the Only Thing possible manifestation sleep paralysis in culture. The most famous illustration of this phenomenon is the painting by Johann Fussli " Nightmare": it depicts a sleeping woman with a demon sitting on her chest, and next to her a blind mare is looking at her. Psychiatrist Jerome Schneck in 1969 believed that the painting depicted manifestations of sleep paralysis - and this interpretation is still adhered to. Director Rodney Asher made a film about sleep paralysis documentary, where I wanted to show what people who experience sleep paralysis experience - and this is probably the most terrible documentary you have ever seen.
How to cope with sleep paralysis
Attacks of sleep paralysis are frightening, but they are not dangerous in themselves - and often go away on their own over time. Sleep paralysis can be associated with insomnia or sleep deprivation, as well as disruption of the schedule - for example, due to shift work or being in a different time zone. “Factors contributing to the development of attacks are heredity (the presence of the same attacks on the maternal side), sleeping position on the back, time zone changes, sleep disturbances, withdrawal of psychotropic drugs,” notes Mikhail Poluektov. “Accordingly, if these factors are eliminated - do not sleep on your back, do not disturb your sleep patterns - then the likelihood of developing attacks will be reduced to a minimum.”
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