Sleep paralysis

Imagine the scariest nightmare you have ever had, and multiply it by 10. That's the feeling people have, if they suffer from a really special sleeping disorder called: sleeping paralysis.

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How to imagine?

Most of the people describe the phenomena in the same way: it feels like waking up dead. You are conscious however unable to move - it's like being in a trap, from where you can't escape, no matter what.

It's a lot more complicated than a nightmare!

As a matter of fact it's the total opposite. While experiencing sleeping paralysis your body gets paralyzed - it remains asleep - while your brain starts working and your eyes open. People wouldn't even speak, however they are conscious, so they will remember everything that happened at night. Although the phenomena doesn't prevent the working of reflex muscle movements such as breathing, it is likely to have a slight pain in the chest after waking up in the morning. Heavy breathing is also typical.

It may last from 20 seconds to long minutes. It can be experienced two times: before sleep, or before waking up. If the brain is not capable of doing transition between the sleeping status and being awake, that's when the paralysis occurs.

I'm sure it happened to all of us, to dream something of we were sure it was real! Same thing happens while sleeping paralysis, however it is likely to experience hallucinations as well. According to specialists, this is quite rare, but many patients report feeling an undeniably strange or scary presence in the room.

Some say they could move their toes, or facial muscles, this way they could awake all the other parts of the body. But in all other cases when you are in it, you can't just get out. Wait patiently.

Can it happen to anybody?

There is always a slight chance of waking up in sleeping paralysis. It all depends on how conscious we are. In other words we could have already experienced it, without even knowing. Doctors say people who are exhausted or don't sleep well, might get paralyzed. So simply getting enough sleep might be the solution to the problem.

Henry Fuseli's renessaince painting depicts the phenomena perfectly. It is absolutely not harmful to the body whatsoever. People suffering from this sleeping disorder have to learn not to be afraid, and they should have plenty of sleep.