Sleep Paralysis Overview
Learn About Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a condition in which you are unable to move or speak right as you're falling asleep or waking up. During an episode of sleep paralysis, you are totally aware of what is happening.
Parasomnia - sleep paralysis; Isolated sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is fairly common. Many people have at least one episode during their lifetimes.
The exact cause of sleep paralysis is not fully known. Research shows the following are linked to sleep paralysis:
- Not getting enough sleep
- Having an irregular sleep schedule, such as with shift workers
- Mental stress
- Sleeping on your back
Certain medical problems can be associated with sleep paralysis:
- Sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy
- Some mental conditions, such as bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and panic disorder
- Use of certain medicines, such as for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Substance use
Sleep paralysis that is not related to a medical problem is known as isolated sleep paralysis.
The normal sleep cycle has stages, from light drowsiness to deep sleep. During the stage called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, your eyes move quickly and vivid dreaming is most common. Each night, people go through several cycles of non-REM and REM sleep. During REM sleep, your body is relaxed and your muscles don't move. Sleep paralysis occurs when the sleep cycle is shifting between stages. When you wake up suddenly from REM, your brain is awake, but your body is still in REM mode and can't move, causing you to feel like you're paralyzed.
Episodes of sleep paralysis last from a few seconds to 1 or 2 minutes. These spells end on their own or when you are touched or moved. In rare cases, you can have dream-like sensations or hallucinations, which may be scary.
In most cases, sleep paralysis occurs so rarely that treatment is not needed. If the cause is known, for example, due to lack of sleep, correcting the cause by getting enough sleep often resolves the condition.
Sometimes, medicines that prevent REM during sleep are prescribed.
In people with mental health conditions, such as anxiety, medicine and behavioral therapy (talk therapy) to help treat the mental health condition may resolve sleep paralysis.
Stanford Health Care
Emmanuel Mignot is a Sleep Medicine specialist and a Neurologist in Stanford, California. Dr. Mignot has been practicing medicine for over 40 years and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sleep Paralysis. His top areas of expertise are Drowsiness, Narcolepsy, Kleine Levin Syndrome, and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness.
North County Neurology Associates Medical Group
Aman Savani is a Neurologist and a Sleep Medicine provider in Carlsbad, California. Dr. Savani has been practicing medicine for over 21 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sleep Paralysis. His top areas of expertise are Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, Memory Loss, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Parkinson's Disease.
Saint Agnes Medical Foundation
Saqib Rashid is a Pulmonary Medicine specialist and an Addiction Medicine provider in Fresno, California. Dr. Rashid and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sleep Paralysis. His top areas of expertise are Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, Atypical Pneumonia, Pneumonia, Gastrostomy, and Hip Replacement.
Discuss your condition with your provider if you have repeated episodes of sleep paralysis. They may be due to a medical problem that needs further testing.
Summary: Narcolepsy (NRL) is a rare chronic central nervous system dysfunction disease, which is more common in children and adolescents, and less common in adults. Its typical clinical features include excessive daytime sleep, paroxysmal cataplexy, sleep paralysis and sleep hallucination. In addition to the above typical manifestations, patients with narcolepsy can also manifest as hyperappetite, weight g...
Summary: Narcolepsy is a chronic brain disorder. The mechanism is the impairment of brain controlling of sleep and wakefulness. The cause of this disease is still unclear, but common symptoms include excessive day time sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnogogic hallucination, sleep paralysis, and sleep disturbance. Because these symptoms are easily confused together in many situations, it is difficult for doctors t...
Published Date: April 20, 2023
Published By: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, VA New Jersey Health Care System, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Sleep education: sleep paralysis. sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis/. Updated August 2020. Accessed April 27, 2023.
Sharpless BA. A clinician's guide to recurrent isolated sleep paralysis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:1761-1767. PMCID: 4958367 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958367.
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