sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to move or speek when you're either waking or sleeping. It doesn't usually last long, but can be quite frightening.

Both my son and i suffer from it, although he deals with it better than i do.

He just lays and lets it pass knowing that anything he may be seeing or hearing will pass with it and he'll be fine.

I tend to spin out a little more, although on the whole i deal with it okay.

I have it too Michelle. I was interested to see that both Alwaysalone and her son have it. My father, at least one of his siblings and their mother had it. It's quite strongly hereditary, though of course it always has to start somewhere.

When we're in the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep, where dreams occur, our brain secretes a chemical that paralyses our voluntary muscles, to stop us jumping up and acting out our dreams. Some of us have a mild, harmless brain glitch that causes the chemical to carry on being secreted for a minute or two after awaking from REM sleep or, more rarely, to start being secreted before we've fallen asleep. The muscles controlled by our autonomic nervous system are not paralysed, so things like breathing, heartbeat, digestion etc. are not affected.

Most people actually have one or two attacks of sleep paralysis in their lifetime, but something like 2-5% of the general population get it on a regular basis.

Some of us who experience SP regularly also hallucinate during attacks. The hallucinations can affect any of the senses, including proprioception - e.g. the person can feel as if they're upside down, being pulled around the room etc. Some people also perceive what they interpret as an evil presence, even though they don't feel, see, hear or smell anything. The hallucinations can be a bit alarming, but they're simply the product of our own unconscious mind, activated by the fact that we've just come out of the dream state.

SP typically starts in the late teens or early 20s, but there are exceptions. After the first few times, many of us manage to work out what it is that triggers our attacks, and avoid - or reduce exposure - to the triggers, which vary from one person to another. Over the years, those of us who are prone to hallucinations during attacks also work out ways of "negotiating" with them, but this tends to take a lot longer.

It can be effectively treated by antidepressant medications, which totally suppress REM sleep, where SP arises. Many people go this route. However, the problem is that these medications don't cure the condition, they only suppress it, so as soon as you stop taking them the SP comes back.

There is a link between narcolepsy and SP, but it only works in one direction. Virtually all narcoleptics experience SP but only a tiny fraction of those who have SP are narcoleptic.

Hope this answers your questions. Don't hesitate to contact me again if you want to, either in open forum or by private message on this site.