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Writer's pictureScience Holic

The Nightmare You Can’t Escape

Author: Katherine Chen

   Editors: Miriam Heikal, Emily Yu

Artist: Chiara Chen


         Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and spotting something moving in the corner of your room—a person perhaps? On closer inspection, it appears to be a demon. You try to get up and scream for help, but your body refuses to respond. You’re immobilized. This is sleep paralysis. 

           Most of our sleep occurs during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the deepest stage of sleep that begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep and carries over into each sleep cycle. During REM sleep, our brains are highly active—this is when we dream. During these dreams, special neurotransmitters including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine contribute to muscle atonia, a state where almost all of our muscles are temporarily paralyzed. This helps prevent us from fully enacting our dreams. Normally, when we wake up, our brain also wakes up and turns on muscle activity simultaneously. However, during an episode of sleep paralysis, the brain becomes conscious while muscle atonia persists, typically occurring as we wake up before or after a REM cycle. Episodes can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Longer episodes can even trigger panic responses.  

Hallucinations are common during sleep paralysis and generally fall into three categories: intruder hallucinations, chest pressure hallucinations, and vestibular-motor (V-M) hallucinations. A mix of dream and reality often makes individuals report seeing supernatural creatures, such as demons. Chest pressure hallucinations create sensations of suffocation or being physically pinned down. Vestibular-motor (V-M) hallucinations cause out-of-body experiences or feelings of movement, like floating or flying. These hallucinations, along with paralysis, usually end when someone touches or speaks to you–or when you summon enough effort to move on your own. 

         Sleep paralysis can be classified into two types: isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) and recurrent isolated sleep paralysis (RISP). ISP occurs with no association with other sleep disorders, whereas RISP involves frequent episodes often associated with narcolepsy, a neurological disorder where a person can fall into sudden, deep sleep episodes.  

           Although sleep paralysis may cause emotional distress, it poses no real significant medical risk. Sleep paralysis can occur in normal sleepers and is rather more common than you think, with nearly half the population experiencing it at least once in their lifetime. However, for individuals with recurrent episodes, the fear of paralysis may lead to sleep avoidance, resulting in sleep deprivation and worsened health.

            While sleep paralysis and its causes are not fully understood, researchers have identified several factors that contribute to the condition. These include inadequate sleep or an irregular sleep schedule, stress and anxiety, and sleep conditions such as narcolepsy and insomnia. All of these factors can go on to disrupt your REM sleep cycle and increase the likelihood of overlap between REM sleep and wakefulness. Additionally, genetic predisposition may play a role–if sleep paralysis runs in the family, you are more likely to experience it. 

Though there is no direct treatment for sleep paralysis, there are effective measures we can take to lower the chances of getting an episode. These include getting regular, adequate sleep with about seven to nine hours a day, exercising regularly, and relaxing before bed by taking a bath, reading, or perhaps trying a meditation technique. If you’d rather not wake up to a demon in the corner of your room, consider taking control and working toward banishing your figurative ‘demons’ with these strategies.   

 

Citations:  

Cuncic, Arlin. “Understanding Sleep Paralysis.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 15 May 2024,

Farooq, Maheen, and Fatima Anjum. “Sleep Paralysis.” StatPearls [Internet]., U.S. National

Library of Medicine, 4 Sept. 2023,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562322/#:~:text=Sleep%20paralysis%20refers%20

“Researchers Have Found Chemical Controllers of Sleep Paralysis.” Advanced Center for Sleep

“Sleep Paralysis.” NHS Choices, NHS, www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-

“Sleep Phases and Stages.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/stages-of-

sleep#:~:text=When%20you%20sleep%2C%20you%20cycle,classify%20sleep%20

phases%20and%20stages. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

“The Terrors of Sleep Paralysis - Ami Angelowicz.” YouTube, TED-Ed, 25 July 2013,

“Understanding and Overcoming Sleep Paralysis Demons.” The Better Sleep Council , 14 June

2023, bettersleep.org/blog/understanding-and-overcoming-sleep-paralysis-

demons/#:~:text=During%20sleep%20paralysis%20episodes%2C%20the,highly%

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