Sleep paralysis, aka sleeplessness, what causes it?

Have you ever felt like your whole body is paralyzed when you are about to sleep or wake up from sleep? Or, have you ever felt your chest so tight when you fell asleep? If so, you are experiencing sleep paralysis, or what in medical language is called sleep paralysis, aka sleep paralysis .

Until now, there are still many myths that develop in society about sleep paralysis. One of the well-known myths is that sleepiness is caused by disturbance by jinn or spirits that roam. But did you know that this phenomenon is a unique event that is officially recognized in the field of medicine?

What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is a type of parasomnia, which is a group of sleep disorders that cause an unwanted event or experience that occurs when we are just asleep, asleep, or when we wake up from sleep. Please note that this is common and not related to a particular mental illness.

This phenomenon of squeezing is harmless and will last after a few seconds or minutes. Everyone will experience the phenomenon of paralysis at least once or several times in his life. This phenomenon can also occur to anyone, young and old, women and men. However, this is more common in adolescents to young adults.

What causes sleep paralysis?

There are many mystical myths that arise around sleep paralysis because this phenomenon makes you hallucinate to see black shadows around you, which are considered as spirits. In fact, sleep paralysis actually occurs when the mechanisms of the brain and body overlap, do not work in harmony during sleep, causing us to jolt awake in the middle of the REM cycle. When you wake up before the REM cycle is over, your brain is not ready to send wake-up signals, so your body is still conditioned to sleep semi-consciously. Therefore, you will feel your body stiff, have difficulty breathing, cannot speak, and still have a wandering mind when you are "in depression".

A study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science states that the sensation of being overwhelmed and panicked from a series of sensory experiences tends to make a person feel even more depressed, especially when they already believe that the phenomenon of sleep paralysis occurs due to supernatural factors. This is what makes the experience of sleep deprivation for some people a terrible and traumatic experience. The same study states that people who tend to think logically do not experience significant problems or trauma after recovering from sleep paralysis.

'Sleepiness' may be a genetic factor, but there are a number of other factors that may be associated with this phenomenon, such as disorganized sleep, staying up late, stress, supine sleeping position, bipolar disorder or other sleep disorders (narcolepsy or nighttime leg cramps). Sleep paralysis can also be a side effect of taking certain medications, such as ADHD drugs or narcotic abuse.

What can you do when you are "crushed"?

If you have sleep paralysis, all you can do is take a deep breath and exhale loudly. Then try to force a move, such as moving the tips of your fingers / toes as a form of resistance. This is done to help you wake up and escape the sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis can improve over time, you still need to make efforts to prevent sleep paralysis, such as getting enough sleep, creating a comfortable sleeping environment, avoiding eating before bed, don't smoke or drink alcohol, exercise regularly, and before bed try to do it. some breathing exercises or reading something pleasant to relieve anxiety which could be a contributing factor to sleep paralysis.