sleeping paralysis is a common condition characterized by the inability to move the body or limbs, either during sleep or waking. Sometimes it is accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations. People who have sleep paralysis to make sure it has no serious medical or mental illness. sleep paralysis can run in families, but the real cause of sleep paralysis has not been agreed, or even understood. Although this disorder is often seen people with narcolepsy, it happens to many people without narcolepsy. This sleep disorder is not harmful, but they suffer from sleep paralysis are often fearful because they do not know what happens to them. Typically ended stimuli such as sound or touch, a few minutes of playing, sleep paralysis, the person is able to move again. This can only happen once in your life, or it may be repeated.
Medications such as Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) may be prescribed as a cure for sleep paralysis in severe cases, but the best treatment for sleep paralysis is to reduce stress and get the proper amount of sleep.
Here are some steps to help you cope with Sleep Paralysis.
- 1. Learn to recognise your symptoms
- Sleep paralysis affects different people in different ways. Knowing what to expect and how it affects you makes symptoms easier to deal with. Your experience may vary, but some symptoms include: sinister feelings of evil entities watching you, alien abductions, an intruder in your room, rape, an "old hag" attacking or suffocating you in your sleep, and many other frightening experiences that always take place while in a paralyzed state. 2. Learn about the experiences of others It's also easier to deal with such a frightening event when you know you're not the only one. Talk about it with your friends. You may be surprised to learn someone you know has gone through similar occurrences. 3. Learn your triggers Sleep paralysis is triggered by a diversity of situations. Some researchers concur that sleep paralysis is most frequently caused by the position you fall asleep in, usually when lying on your back. Triggers could be things in your life you have no control over, like stress, environment, even your dreams. Keep a journal of your episode of paralysis, tracking details of the experience, the time, your sleep pattern, sleeping position, mental/emotional state before and after you were paralyzed, and if you were paralyzed while falling asleep or upon waking up. This can all be useful information, especially if you decide to see a doctor about the condition. 4. Avoiding Triggers The ideal way to cope with sleep paralysis is not to have it at all, and establishing your personal triggers and working to avoid them will appreciably lessen the chance of experiencing sleep paralysis. For example, if you have sleep paralysis every time you sleep on your back, try sleeping on your side or stomach. If your sleep paralysis happens whenever you work overtime, try to avoid overtime. It's simple and effective. 5. Regular Sleep Sleep patterns have a drastic effect on sleep paralysis. Keeping a regular healthy sleep pattern and getting enough sleep can reduce likelihood of sleep paralysis episodes. Aim to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night at the same time of night every night. 6. RelaxationAlthough sleep paralysis can be frightening when accompanied by a hallucination, some people only experience the feeling of being paralyzed. When this happens, know that although 20 seconds might seem like five minutes, it's not going to harm you. If you focus on moving, you can break out of it quickly. Try wiggling your big toe and you'll be able to move the rest of your body in no time. 7. AgingSleep paralysis commonly starts at a young age and is most frequent during teenage years. Paralysis should become less and less frequent as you get older, and by the time you reach 30 years of age the symptoms may disappear completely.
