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Waking up unable to move can be very scary. The medical term "sleep paralysis" may frighten you more.
But sleep paralysis is really not all that complicated: Simply put, your mind wakes up before the rest of your body. During the dreaming stage of sleep, your muscles relax to a point where you can’t control them, probably to keep you from acting out your dreams. If you become mentally aware while in that state, you experience a sense of paralysis, but it usually goes away within minutes.
According to a review of the research, about 8 percent of the population will experience sleep paralysis at some point. That number jumps to 32 percent, though, for people with mental disorders — and nearly 35 percent for those with a panic disorder.
By itself, sleep paralysis is harmless. However, it can be a clue to other issues that might be worth checking out. It can be one symptom of narcolepsy, a neurological problem that also causes daytime sleepiness. When you feel strong emotions, you might briefly lose a sense of control over your muscles. Episodes of sleep paralysis seem to come more often to people with other sleep problems such as sleep apnea, nighttime leg cramps, and nightmares. It may also be a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Other sensations may come along with paralysis: You might wake up sensing a presence in the room, hovering nearby or sometimes sitting on your chest. You might be sure you’re about to die or feel you are falling, floating, or having an “out-of-body experience.” Some people believe that they have been abducted by aliens or visited by a ghost.
The more fear you feel during the episode, the more likely you are to stay anxious about it during the day. Your ideas about what causes sleep paralysis will also affect how much it bothers you, at least one study found. But accepting that you’re experiencing a common, harmless glitch can put your mind at rest.
According to one theory, people who feel outside of their own bodies, or who sense ghostly presences, may be experiencing a glitch in their mirror neurons, the brain cells that fire when we observe activity in other people — and so learn to imitate them.
However, some people get more relief from their own interpretations. If someone tells you he woke up unable to move and saw his late father’s ghost, or had an out-of-body tour of the cosmos, hear him out. You can try mentioning this explanation. If he asks, “What is sleep paralysis?” then answer. But don’t assume he’ll agree, and don’t push it.
Can you prevent or limit sleep paralysis? Some people say that trying to wiggle their fingers or toes shortens the time that they feel trapped. You can also try holding your breath.
Sleep paralysis often seems to come in waves. To prevent a recurrence, the first step is to rule out medical conditions that may be interfering with your sleep. Ask your doctor to reevaluate your medications. You’ll need to adopt good sleep hygiene and minimize interruptions. When researchers tried to figure out how to induce sleep paralysis, they succeeded by waking up volunteers as soon as they entered “rapid-eye-movement” (REM) sleep. Block out light and noise. Make sure your phone is off, your pets aren’t going to jump on you, and your partner isn’t snoring. If you normally sleep on your back, try a different position. You might also try a meditation exercise before you go to bed, or other remedies for anxiety. If you know you have anxiety, PTSD, or panic disorder, think about whether you need to do more to address the larger problem. (For a detailed scholarly account that includes remedies, see "Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives.")
People with sleep paralysis may be especially good at the technique called “lucid dreaming,” in which you can consciously manipulate your dreams.
A version of this story appears on Your Care Everywhere.
