A good night sleep depends on a lot of factors and there is a lot to know about it. You may come across a number of stories on the internet about the right or wrong way of sleeping and even a number of sleeping positions to the correct time when one must sleep or wake up. But there hardly are any articles written on the bizarre situations related to sleep.
Many people experience the problem of suddenly waking up in the middle of the night while being unable to do anything. They wake up in the middle of the night with their eyes closed but they find it really hard to move. Have you ever felt anything like this in your life?
While all this might seem like a scene out of some scary book, it turns out this is true. And this happens a lot of times.
But why?
Stick around to know as I take you further.
This is what happens.
Business Insider gave me an insight that various social and psychological factors influence the prevalence of the condition called sleep paralysis. A 2011 paper that is known to combine 35 studies with more than 36,000 participants found that 7.6% of the general population experiences sleep paralysis.
It was also known that these people include students who have a disrupted sleep pattern and people with mental disorders, like anxiety and depression.
But how can the body not move if the brain is awake?
All of it roots down to the three or four stages of the rapid eye movement or the stages of no- REM. It is possible to dream in all the damn stages of sleep, but the dreams experienced in REM sleep appear to be more real.
The dreams where you feel like you are falling somewhere, they are realistic aren’t they?
The brain is highly active during the REM sleep. YES!
And people tend to be paralyzed often.
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People believe that the body is not able to act as well. This is called REM Antonia. And this effect tends to last longer than a few minutes.
People claim that sometimes they feel some kind of a presence around too. Like a ghost or spirit.
Researchers say that this happens to people who are generally sad or depressed.
It turns out not just one but there are three types of sleep paralysis. Namely, “incubus”, “intruder”, and “unusual bodily experiences”.
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Incubus
People feel intense pressure on their chest and they feel they cannot breathe. This is mainly because they are scared.
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Intruder
This kind of paralysis gives the feeling of a presence, fear, and visual and auditory hallucinations. Even a slight little sound can give you the fright of your life.
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Unusually bodily experiences
The feeling of levitating or flying around the room. This is different because different areas of the brain are active at the time and the person is half sleeping.
However the prevention is difficult, this can be done…
Researchers found the answer that sleeping on the side can reduce sleep paralysis and help you sleep better. Not just this, you can even try reducing your stress quotient and relaxing a little.
Do you have any experiences with sleep paralysis? Let us know.
