Sleep Paralysis Essay

Sleep paralysis is when, during awakening or falling asleep, a person is aware but unable to move.[1][2] During an episode, one may hear, feel, or see things that are not there.[1] It often results in fear.[1] Episodes generally last less than a couple of minutes.[2] It may occur as a single episode or be recurrent.[1] Imagine waking up from a night’s sleep, only to discover that your body cannot move. You try hard, but it is no use. You feel as if there is a presence in the room with you. Trying to scream for help does not work because your mouth will not open. Eventually, you become able to move again and this living nightmare passed. This is what it is like living with sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis, a common disorder, often due to stress or sleep deprivation, can normally be prevented with a proper sleep schedule.

Sleep paralysis is a condition in which an individual awakens in the middle of a dream (“Sleep Paralysis Treatments”). This often occurs during the stage of sleep known as REM sleep, or rapid eye movement, which is the stage in which our dreams occur. REM sleep is responsible for our inability to move during sleep, due to brain chemicals being released through the body, which forces it to keep still. Without this, one may move during

Having a mindset that it is temporary, harmless, and will only last a short period, can allow one to feel relief and often causes an episode to end (Breus). Another means to end this is focusing on moving a smaller, less important part of the body. The ability to move a smaller part, can awaken the brain and stop the occurrence. When getting into the mindset that this can be controlled, one can usually get out of it (Hurd et al.). Along with trying to move a smaller part of the body, people have found that making an intense movement could also end an episode. The brain becomes aware and tries to wake itself up (“Sleep