We’ve all experienced it—waking in the middle of the night, often during a bad dream only to discover you can’t seem to move, as much as you’d like to. It’s like being trapped inside your own body; your mind is aware, but you physical self seems disconnected. Your brain actually shuts down voluntary use of your muscles during deep sleep to keep you from acting out your dreams, points out Buzzfeed.com. However, with sleep paralysis, this mechanism remains engaged despite the fact your conscious brain is “on”. Here are 7 facts about sleep paralysis…

1. 7 Facts about Sleep
Paralysis to Avoid
Being Scared Stiff

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We’ve all experienced it—waking in
the middle of the night, often
during a bad dream only to discover
you can’t seem to move, as much as
you’d like to. It’s like being trapped
inside your own body; your mind is
aware, but you physical self seems
disconnected.

3. Your brain actually shuts down
voluntary use of your muscles
during deep sleep to keep you from
acting out your dreams, points out
Buzzfeed.com. However, with sleep
paralysis, this mechanism remains
engaged despite the fact your
conscious brain is “on”. Here are 7
facts about sleep paralysis…
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4. You Might be
Seeing Things

5. One of the most troubling tricks our
brains play on us during sleep
paralysis is creating imaginary
things that we believe are real—
otherwise known as hallucinations.
They seem believable because we
are conscious, although our bodies
are still asleep.
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6. This is course can be traumatic, as
many hallucinations are of an
unpleasant nature (our brain has a
weird sense of humor sometimes).
Buzzfeed notes the strongest
hallucinations actually occur in the
transition between sleeping and
waking.
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7. Sleep Paralysis is
Not a Nightmare
(at least
Scientifically)

8. Many people associate the feeling
of not being able to move as part of
a nightmare, but unpleasant
images from true nightmares
actually only occur when you’re in a
deep state of sleep. Sleep paralysis
is essentially the opposite of a
nightmare, due to when it occurs in
the sleep cycle.
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9. WebMD notes that sleep paralysis
only takes place when you’re
transitioning into a sleep mode
(hypnagogic), or coming out of it
(hypnopompic). Sleep paralysis is
arguably more terrifying than a
nightmare, due to the fact you’re
conscious yet seem helpless against
any perceived dangers.
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10. It’s Not a
Common
Occurrence

11. According to Thought Catalog,
while most people seem to have a
sleep paralysis story, it’s actually
quite rare. The article cites a
European study of 8,000 subjects
that showed only 6.2-percent of
them ever had an instance of sleep
paralysis.
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12. Even if you have had a sleep
paralysis experience, chances are
you’ve only had the one or maybe
two. The study also showed less
than 1-percent of the subjects had a
weekly visit from sleep paralysis,
while 1.4-percent experienced it
once a month.
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13. It’s The Gateway
to Out-of-Body
Experiences

14. Whether you agree or disagree
there’s such as thing as an “out of
body experience” or argue what
one really is, Dream Studies Portal
says they may be more likely to
occur when you’re in a conscious
but paralyzed state of sleep.
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15. The article notes that an out-of-
body experience—or OBE as the
source refers to it—is more likely to
occur if you’ve been in a state of
sleep paralysis for more than 2-
minutes. OBEs are the sensation of
“leaving” your physical self and
traveling somewhere else, only to
return to your sleeping body.
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16. Some
Medications can
Cause Sleep
Paralysis

17. Healthline notes that people with
anxiety can be more likely to
experience sleep paralysis. That
being said, it notes certain
medications and recreational drugs
can actually increase the risk of
sleep paralysis happening—
although the jury is still out on this
one.
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18. Narcolepsy—sudden attacks of
drowsiness or falling asleep—can
be an underlying cause of sleep
paralysis. Stimulants and
antidepressant medications can
apparently help reduce the
occurrences of this sleep
phenomenon if narcolepsy is the
underlying cause, according to the
source.
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19. Caffeine Can be a
Culprit

20. LiveScience.com explains that
regular sleep is important to
keeping episodes of sleep paralysis
at bay. One way to help achieve this
is by limiting your caffeine intake;
try to avoid having that extra cup of
coffee after 2 p.m., notes the
source.
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21. Other substances that should be
avoided include alcohol and
nicotine, which should be cut off at
least 3-hours from bedtime. If
you’ve followed these guidelines
and are still having episodes, it may
be time to see a doctor, adds the
source.
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22. Try to Remain
Calm

23. After several episodes of sleep
paralysis, you may start to get
accustomed to the sensation (not
to say it becomes more pleasant;
perhaps just easier to cope with).
The bottom line is that experts
agree it’s not life threatening and it
will pass, however terrifying.
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24. A frequent sufferer of sleep paralysis is
cited in a Thought Catalog article,
which details how he managed to take
control of the situation. The subject
breathed through it and managed to
wiggle a finger, after which their arms
followed and the episode ended.
Following some deep breathing to
relax, he fell back sleep uninterrupted.
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