What is sleep paralysis and what happens during this?

The term Sleep Paralysis refers to the terrors that an individual suffers from during the nigh time. It is precisely during this point of time that an individual wakes up from his or her sleep and finds that he or she is unable to move or speak. Dreams, terrors and various other nightmares can also be linked to Sleep Paralysis. The other synonyms for this disease are hymnologic paralysis, postorbital paralysis, familial sleep paralysis and isolated sleep paralysis. It is at the onset of one’s sleep that an individual gets paralyzed.

If an individual has been suffering from sleep paralysis, then he or she will have uncontrolled naps. The symptoms of this disease are that the person concerned will always be coy or afraid of things around him or her as he or she is unaware of the happenings. Several individuals also feel that someone or something is sitting on their chest while others generally feel claustrophobic or suffocated. In case they are alone inside a room, they might as feel the presence of another individual. A feeling of being bitten or the feeling of being choked is also experienced by the victims of Sleep Paralysis.

As the age old adage says, “Prevention is better than cure,” one should always try and prevent oneself of such fatal diseases. Least to say, that individuals should try to keep themselves happy along with sleeping for at least 8 to 10 hours in a day. Regular stretching exercises may also help in keeping away such diseases and keep the body healthy. Reports say that it is mostly because of the stress factor in one’s life that he or she suffers from Sleep Paralysis. It would work wonders if individuals can work their way without getting tensed or bothered too much about anything in life. Calm and a composed body is also good for the heart and mind. Indulgence in too much of smoking or consumption of excess alcohol can also be a major reason as it prevents proper flow of blood to the various parts of human body. It is also advised that one should try and control his or her anxiety if feasible.

Sleep Paralysis may also cause panic and fear within. The other forms of hallucination experienced by the patients of Sleep Paralysis are feeling of being twisted, excess pain in different parts of the body, hearing loud noises and the feeling of being terrified. An immense sense of fear has also been reported. Sleep Paralysis does not target people of any age group. It can happen anywhere between adolescence and old age. Given Below are a few steps to deal with sleep paralysis:

1) Affirmation is a very important thing if one is suffering from sleep Paralysis. Before going off to sleep, one should assure the fact that he or she will remember the dreams. The affirmations should be repeated continuously before one actually drifts into a deep slumber.

2) It is also important to maintain a diary and write everything that he or she has seen in the dreams. The process should be every time, until an individual is able to recall everything that he or she saw in the dreams. If you cannot remember everything that you saw, write all that you could see in your dreams. The process of recalling dreams is the best way of regulating or controlling your dreams.

3) Thirdly, here is a technique that has worked for many. Initially, you need to develop a sleep pattern and adhere to the same for about one week. Next, you got to break the same pattern. The individual needs to go to sleep couple of hours later than the normal sleeping time but get up at the usual time. You need to get of your bed, jerk yourself to get rid of the sleep and then go back to sleep once again. Going back to sleep is indeed an important step. After you go back to sleep, you can always choose the dream you would like to have. Planning a dream is also possible. Once you have gone off to sleep, you will notice that you are dreaming about the same thing that you had thought off. You might hear a few noises which again very normal.

4) Finally, you do not to bother much if you find yourself in a state of sleep paralysis. Keep it simple. Stay happy. Think about the good things. Happy thoughts will soon be transformed in a lucid dream.

Thus, you finally reach a stage where you can get rid of the temporary disease named Sleep Paralysis. As many say, diseases are more in the mind than in the body. A few simple thoughts can indeed change the way we have been leading our lives.