Sleep paralysis

Overview Sleep terrors are episodes of screaming, intense fear and flailing while still asleep. Also known as night terrors, sleep terrors often are paired with sleepwalking. Like sleepwalking, sleep terrors are considered a parasomnia — an undesired occurrence during sleep. A sleep terror episode usually lasts from seconds to a few minutes, but episodes may last longer. Sleep terrors affect almost 40 percent of children and a much smaller percentage of adults. However frightening, sleep terrors aren't usually a cause for concern. Most children outgrow sleep terrors by their teenage years. Sleep terrors may require treatment if they cause problems getting enough sleep or they pose a safety risk. Symptoms Sleep terrors differ from nightmares. The dreamer of a nightmare wakes up from the dream and may remember details, but a person who has a sleep terror episode remains asleep. Children usually don't remember anything about their sleep terrors in the morning. Adults may recall a dream fragment they had during the sleep terrors. Sleep terrors generally occur in the first third to first half of the night, and rarely during naps. A sleep terror may lead to sleepwalking. During a sleep terror episode, a person may: • Begin with a frightening scream or shout • Sit up in bed and appear frightened • Stare wide-eyed • Sweat, breathe heavily, and have a racing pulse, flushed face and dilated pupils • Kick and thrash • Be hard to awaken, and be confused if awakened • Be inconsolable •...

You wake up out of a murky sleep and find that you’re unable to move your body, from your forehead all the way down to your little toe. You’re completely paralyzed! You also have a crushing feeling in your chest, as if something heavy is sitting on it, and an uneasy sense that someone's in the room with you. Your heart pounds and your thoughts spiral as you silently scream inside. Is this a scene from a great horror movie or something more ominous? What is sleep paralysis? Varying cultures have explained this frightening experience in various ways. In Brazilian folklore, a crone with long fingernails skulks on roofs and tramples on sleepers’ chests. In Japanese mythology, vengeful spirits come to suffocate their enemies while they sleep. In contemporary American culture, sleep paralysis has taken on the mythology of alien abductions—sleepers wake up feeling the presence of aliens in the room while experiencing zapping sensations and a feeling of suffocation. Sleep paralysis is a fairly common experience—almost 8% of the general population has experienced it at least once. But if you’re a student or someone with a Rest assured, sleep paralysis is usually harmless, especially if it only happens rarely. But why does it happen at all, when is it cause for concern, and how can you prevent it? Source: Shutterstock/Andrey_Popov Why does sleep paralysis happen? You’re typically not aware of it, but the “paralysis” part of sleep paralysis actually happens every night when you sleep...

Hypnagogia is the transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. It’s the opposite of hypnopompia, which is the transitional state that occurs before you wake up. During hypnagogia, it’s common to experience involuntary and imagined experiences. These are referred to as Muscle jerks, Let’s break down the science behind hypnagogia, examine what you may experience during this state, and look at why some of the world’s most famous thinkers have tried to induce it. Neurons in your brain communicate with each other through bursts of electrical activity. This electrical activity can be measured in waves with a machine, called an An EEG can measure five types of brain waves. From slowest to fastest, these waves are called: • delta waves • theta waves • • beta waves • gamma waves When you’re awake, your brain produces measurable alpha and beta waves, with beta waves being predominant. Once you become drowsy, alpha waves take over. Stage one is the lightest form of sleep and typically lasts for between 1 minute and 5 minutes. During this stage, alpha waves drop to less than Hypnagogia occurs during the transitional period of During this period, your sense of “here” and “now” transitions from the real world to the dream world. When this happens, people commonly experience: • hallucinations • lucid dreaming • body jerks • sleep paralysis We’ll discuss each of these experiences in more detail below. During hypnagogia, you start to lose touch with reality as your bo...

Narcolepsy is a condition where your brain can’t control your ability to sleep or stay awake. People with this condition often fall asleep during the day, along with other symptoms. While this condition is serious and disruptive, it usually responds well to treatment. With care and precautions, it’s possible to manage this condition and adapt to its effects. Overview What is narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a What are the symptoms of narcolepsy? There are four main symptoms of narcolepsy, but most people with this condition don’t have all four. The four symptoms are: • Excessive daytime sleepiness. This symptom happens to everyone with narcolepsy. People with narcolepsy and experts on the condition often describe these as “sleep attacks.” • Sudden muscle weakness (cataplexy). This can have mild effects, affecting one side of your body or only light muscle weakness. (See below for more about this symptom.) • Sleep-related hallucinations. These happen right after falling asleep or right before waking up. • Sleep paralysis. When you have this symptom, you’ll wake up — sometimes fully, but not always — but find yourself unable to move. (See below for more about this symptom.) More about cataplexy There are two main types of narcolepsy, and whether or not you have cataplexy separates the two. The two types are: • Narcolepsy type 1: This form involves cataplexy. About 20% of narcolepsy cases are type 1. • Narcolepsy type 2: This form doesn’t involve cataplexy. The majority of narcoleps...

Medical News Todayonly shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: • Evaluate ingredients and composition:Do they have the potential to cause harm? • Fact-check all health claims:Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence? • Assess the brand:Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices? We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness. You wake up in the middle of the night, convinced that an evil figure is lying in wait. You attempt to move, but your body just will not budge. You try to scream, but nothing comes out. The monster draws closer. It may sound like a horror movie scene, but this is the real deal & you’re experiencing sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is like a waking nightmare, and the underlying causes for this condition remain unclear. This terrifying and mysterious sleep disorder, or parasomnia, has been experienced by people possibly since the dawn of humankind. And, it may have given rise to numerous ghost stories and mysterious accounts involving “things that go bump in the night.” This most unsettling experience was first clearly documented in a medical treatise in the 17th century, by Dutch physician Isbrand Van Diembroeck, who “[W]hen she was composing her self to sleep,” explains Van Diembroeck, “some...