How to avoid sleep paralysis
Most of us think that being awake and being asleep are two very separate things, but sleep paralysis can blur that line. Anyone who’s ever experienced sleep paralysis knows that it can be pretty scary. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to help you avoid or ease the stress of an episode.
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis refers to a temporary inability to move any part of your head or body, while asleep. During an episode, you are fully ‘awake’ and conscious, but you are unable to move. Sleep paralysis usually occurs right after you fall asleep or wake up - the time in between waking and sleeping.
Often people will experience visual, auditory, and sensory hallucinations while they’re having an episode. It might feel like you’re dreaming, or maybe more appropriately, like you're having a nightmare.
What are the types of sleep paralysis?
There are a few different types of sleep paralysis, and not everyone experiences the same symptoms.
Isolated sleep paralysis
Isolated sleep paralysis refers to episodes that occur very infrequently. They’re random and there’s no pattern to them. There may be a large gap between episodes.
Recurrent sleep paralysis
Recurrent sleep paralysis is a little more serious. Sufferers of recurrent sleep paralysis experience frequent episodes. Recurring sleep paralysis is associated with sleep deprivation, which can be caused by changing sleep schedules or poor-quality sleep.
What are the symptoms of sleep paralysis?
There are several unusual phenomena associated with sleep paralysis, although not everyone who has an episode will experience every single sensation.
The ‘sleep paralysis demon’
One of the most common experiences people have during an episode is seeing a ‘sleep paralysis demon’. The ‘demon’ usually refers to a shadowy figure that can be seen standing near you.
Often referred to as ‘the intruder’, the experience may cause you to hear the sounds of walking around and doors opening. You often see a shadowy figure or the ‘sleep paralysis demon’ and you can feel the sense of a threatening presence in the room.
Incubus
Incubus is another common phenomenon associated with sleep paralysis. Incubus refers to the sensation of feeling pressure on your chest. It may feel like you’re struggling to breathe, or that you’re being strangled or assaulted.
Not surprisingly, incubus can be panic-inducing. This is one of the more frightening things people experience during an episode of sleep paralysis.
Vestibular-motor
Vestibular-motor is when you experience a sense of spinning, falling, floating, flying, or hovering. It may feel like an “out-of-body” experience, and many people report feeling like they’re floating above their own body.
How to avoid sleep paralysis
The best way to avoid sleep paralysis is to learn more about what causes it.
While we’re sleeping, our bodies become very relaxed and don’t move much. This is to make sure we don’t injure ourselves while we’re dreaming.
Sleep paralysis involves a disruption of the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycle. When your body’s transition to or from the REM cycle is out of sync with your brain, that is when sleep paralysis can occur. Because your brain is now in a conscious state, while your body is still ‘asleep’ and in a paralysed state.
If you’re asking yourself, “why do I get sleep paralysis?”, you’re not alone. There are many factors that have been linked to the sleep disorder.
Those who suffer from narcolepsy are very susceptible to sleep paralysis. People with irregular sleeping patterns from shift/night work and jet lag are much more vulnerable to experiencing sleep paralysis as well. A family history of sleep paralysis increases your susceptibility, as well as just sleeping on your back.
Tracking your sleep to help you get back into a good sleeping pattern is a great way to minimise your chances of sleep paralysis.
While avoiding sleep paralysis can be quite a difficult thing to achieve for most of us, your best defence against sleep paralysis will be making sure you get consistent quality sleep. Some tips on how to maintain quality sleep are and try to avoid sleep paralysis are:
Limit blue light exposure
Using screens at night emits blue light that can also leave you feeling groggy in the morning, and can result in chronic sleep deficiency over time. We recommend you set curfews and stick to them. Give your body time to wind down before bed and pick up a book instead of your phone.
Keep a regular routine
As humans, we are creatures of habit, and rhythm is so heavily built into the way our body likes to function. So creating a consistent routine is going to help your body achieve high quality sleep each night, which is great for your long term health.
Make time to unwind
Listening to some music or reading a book before bed is a great way to start winding down. If you do this at least an hour before sleep in a dimly lit room it can start letting your body know that it’s almost time for sleep.Winding down before bed is a great way to reduce the amount of time it takes you to get to sleep as well.
Is sleep paralysis dangerous?
Sleep paralysis is often a very unpleasant experience, with some people getting so scared they ask, “can you die from sleep paralysis?“.
More research into the long-term effects of sleep paralysis on the mind and body is required, and frequent episodes could be linked to some troublesome sleeping disorders, like narcolepsy and insomnia. However, you can rest easy (or easier, perhaps) knowing that although it can be a traumatic experience and make you feel very anxious, sleep paralysis is not considered life-threatening.
How to wake up from sleep paralysis
Unfortunately, most of us can’t teach our bodies how to wake up from sleep paralysis. There are a lucky few who are able to slowly and gently wake their bodies up so they can move again.
They achieve this by identifying parts of their body that aren't being affected by sleep paralysis. You might try to blink, wiggle your fingers or toes, or simply move the muscles on your face. If you’re able to move any part of your body, this may help you wake up the rest of your body.
Key takeaways
We’ve run through some of the most common questions we get about sleep paralysis.
How to avoid sleep paralysis A consistent sleeping pattern is a great tactic to help battle sleep paralysis.
Can you die from sleep paralysis? No, sleep paralysis is not life-threatening.
How to wake up from sleep paralysis Not many can, but wiggling small parts of your body can help the rest of you wake up too.
Why do I get sleep paralysis? Family history, irregular sleeping patterns, and sleeping on your back are all common factors that contribute to sleep paralysis.
So next time you have a run-in with a sleep paralysis demon, you can understand why it’s happening, and try some of these tactics to stay calm and help the episode pass.
The episodes usually only last a few seconds and up to a few minutes, so if you can weather the storm for that long you’ll come out on the other side alive and well.
IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING PERSISTENT DISRUPTIONS TO YOUR SLEEP, CONSULT WITH A PHARMACIST OR TRUSTED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
Any advice provided in this content is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, health or needs. The information in this post is not intended to substitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be exclusively relied on to diagnose or manage a medical condition. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice we give you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on our advice or purchasing any over-the-counter sleep product.