Sleep Paralysis?

Its when your mind wakes up just before your body. I have only ever had this once and it was terrifying, it didnt last very long but i was so aware that i couldnt control anything of my body, my eyes were open and i tryed to scream for help but couldnt move my mouth at all, it was really freaky!!! From what ive looked up since this can be quite common but it is only ever a very short while before your body wakes up too and its all over, makes you wonder if theres any connection there with people who are catatonic.

Sleep paralysis is a natural effect of the sleep cycle. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM (RAPID EYE MOVEMENT) state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state may be accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.

More often than not, sleep paralysis is believed by the person affected by it to be no more than a dream. This is the reason why there are many dream recountings which describe the person lying frozen and unable to move. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as simply a dream, as one might see completely fanciful objects in a room alongside the normal vision one can see.

I HOPE THIS HELPS. You should be able to understand this a little better. Good luck!

Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis).

Physiologically, it is closely related to the normal paralysis that occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, also known as REM atonia. In that, some scientists and physicians believe it to be a "natural" effect of the sleep cycle. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state may be accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.

More often than not, sleep paralysis is believed by the person affected by it to be no more than a dream. This is the reason why there are many dream recountings which describe the person lying frozen and unable to move. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as simply a dream, as one might see completely fanciful objects in a room alongside the normal vision one can see.

Everyone has provided you some great info about the science of sleep paralysis. During a certain year in my life, I had many episodes of this and it was very scary each time. It turns out that it may have been related to the stress I was going through. If this is happening to you be cognizant of your stess levels and access support if you need it. I also find that on the rare times it happens now (maybe only once in the last two years) I mentally talk it through in my brain and remind myself that everything is okay, to keep breathing, to relax and soon my brain will join my body back in sleep. If you are researching for a paper - good luck on your final product!

What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis consists of a period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at sleep onset (called hypnogogic or predormital form) or upon awakening (called hypnopompic or postdormtal form).

Sleep paralysis may also be referred to as isolated sleep paralysis, familial sleep paralysis, hynogogic or hypnopompic paralysis, predormital or postdormital paralysis

What are the symptoms?

A complaint of inability to move the trunk or limbs at sleep onset or upon awakening

Presence of brief episodes of partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis

Episodes can be associated with hypnagogic hallucinations or dream-like mentation (act or use of the brain)

Polysomnography (a sleep recording) shows at least one of the following:

suppression of skeletal muscle tone

a sleep onset REM period

dissociated REM sleep

Is it harmful?

Sleep paralysis is most often associated with narcolepsy, a neurological condition in which the person has uncontrollable naps. However, there are many people who experience sleep paralysis without having signs of narcolepsy. Sometimes it runs in families. There is no known explanation why some people experience this paralysis. It is not harmful, although most people report feeling very afraid because they do not know what is happening, and within minutes they gradually or abruptly are able to move again; the episode is often terminated by a sound or a touch on the body.

In some cases, when hypnogogic hallucinations are present, people feel that someone is in the room with them, some experience the feeling that someone or something is sitting on their chest and they feel impending death and suffocation. That has been called the “Hag Phenomena” and has been happening to people over the centuries. These things cause people much anxiety and terror, but there is no physical harm.

What else can you tell me about sleep paralysis?

Some people with disrupted sleep schedules or circadian rhythm disturbances experience sleep paralysis

A study found that 35% of subjects with isolated sleep paralysis also reported a history of wake panic attacks unrelated to the experience of paralysis

Sixteen percent of these persons with isolated sleep paralysis met the criteria for panic disorder

How can I stop the sleep paralysis?

In severe cases, where episodes take place at least once a week for 6 months, medication may be used.

You may be able to minimize the episodes by following good sleep hygiene:

getting enough sleep

reduce stress

exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)

keep a regular sleep schedule

I'll try and make this simple. There is a sequence of events that occur when people go to sleep. Some parts of it can go wrong. Here is the sequence: you go to sleep; your body shuts off in preparation for dreaming, so that when you dream you can't get up and hurt yourself; then you dream; then your dream stops and your body restarts; then you wake up. Sleep paralysis happens when you stop dreaming and your body doesn't restart before you wake up. It takes a couple of minutes for your body to get back in sync so you can move again. It's scary but harmless.

BTW, sleepwalking happens when the body doesn't shut off before dreaming. Hypnogogia, which is seeing things like bugs as you wake up, happens when the dream sequence doesn't shut off before you wake up. So, different things can go wrong.

See? Not difficult, just a little freaky.

MY ANSWER IS SHORTER!!!!

My understanding is that when the body is asleep it interrputs the brain's signal to the nerves and muscles to move so that we don't act out our dreams etc. Sleep paralysis occurs when you awake but that isgnal has yet to be turned back on if you will. I have xperienced this a few times. You?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis