by Trenna Sue Hiler

Created on: January 05, 2009   Last Updated: March 07, 2012

Sleep paralysis is not an uncommon occurrence. About half of all people experience it at one time or another during their life time. Many times it is associated with narcolepsy, but it happens independently as well.

There are two basic types of sleep paralysis. Hallucinatory sleep paralysis is the more rare type of sleep paralysis. In the form of sleep paralysis it may be accompanied by nightmare like hallucinations. They may feel like someone is sitting on them or strangling them. They may see and smell things that are not there. These can actually be very terrifying as they are unable to move at all. This form of sleep paralysis tends to last longer than the common form of sleep paralysis.

Common sleep paralysis normally doesn't last more than about 90 seconds. Although there is paralysis, there are no hallucinations accompanying the episode.

To understand the experience of sleep paralysis is helps to understand the stages of sleep. The body shifts between non-REM (NREM) and REM sleep. REM sleep is our deep sleep where we dream and our heart and breathing rate slow. The body protects us from acting out our dreams by secreting a hormone that keeps us from moving. This is called muscularatonia. So in some cases the hormone is still active and we are motionless until it is gone. That is what sleep paralysis is.

To truly have a diagnosis of sleep paralysis there would have to be a test called a polysomnography test that would be administered in a sleep lab.

The number one cause of sleep paralysis is sleep deprivation. The can come from an irregular sleep pattern. Or it can also be just a one time sleep disruption. There are medications that may cause sleep paralysis. Some find other triggers like caffeine and heavy meals may bring on sleep paralysis. It is a good idea to track sleep paralysis and see if triggers can be found.

Knowledge it truly the best defense. If the patient knows what is happening it is not nearly as frightening. Those who experience Hallucinatory sleep paralysis are sometimes afraid to tell others about the situation. It's not easy to tell someone you could move and were seeing ghosts. It is important to talk about these experiences so others can know what is happening.

The good news is that you can also train yourself to help move quicker. If you realize what is happening just try moving your eyes or facial muscles. By the time you can move your eyes the episode should be over.

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