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Sleep Paralysis: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment, Home Remedies

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Have you ever experienced a kind of temporary paralysis where you are unable to speak, move or react to the situation? Have you felt ever that even after trying hard you are not able to control over any of the physical experiences happening with or through your body for a temporary basis, maybe while falling asleep or while awakening? If yes, then it is perhaps you are meeting with Sleep Paralysis. You must be wondering about the term. Well! Sleep paralysis is actually a phenomenon where a person temporarily experiences a kind of paralysis occurring on a temporary basis and he is unable to speak, move or react for some time. Getting this term into a much simpler way, it can be said that sleep paralysis is actually a transitional state between the sleep and wakefulness which is primarily accompanied by terrifying hallucinations to which the affected person is unable to react because of the temporary paralysis occurred as a result of muscle weakness during the short term paralysis condition.

For all those people who are eager knowing about this condition of Sleep Paralysis, this is the right place you could find out your necessary searches. Yes! The current article includes the symptoms, preventions, diagnosis, treatment processes and some of the available home remedies for Sleep paralysis. Let us get into the details below.

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What is Sleep Paralysis
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Introducing Sleep Paralysis:

Sleep paralysis is a form of sleeping disorder where there is a kind of restricted muscle activity or the muscle atonia or the muscle weakness either during the time of falling asleep (hypnogogic type) or during the time of awakening( hypnopomic type) and the patient is unable to move, speak or react to the physical experiences. Such a condition is followed by hallucinations in some cases. Sleep paralysis is known to be linked with some other sleeping disorders and the most common being the sleeping disorder of narcolepsy.

More about the condition can be known from the following array of the article.

Symptoms Of Sleep Paralysis:

  • Temporary paralysis of voluntary muscles and inability to speak, move and react
  • Muscle weakness or muscle atonia.
  • Sometime there may be growing symptoms of hallucinations.
  • There are rare growth of symptoms like improper breathing or a kind of choke at chest.

Causes Of Sleep Paralysis:

  • Physical fatigue
  • Lack of sleep
  • Excessive mental stress
  • Certain medications
  • Preexisting conditions of sleeping disorders like migraine, narcolepsy, etc.

Statistics Related To Sleep Paralysis:

  • About 30-50% of the patients with narcolepsy are known to experience sleep paralysis
  • Only 3% of the total population with sleep paralysis are known to not be linked with any kind of neuromuscular disorder
  • Approximately 36% of the normal mass suffering from sleep paralysis is known to be grown at an age group between 25 years to 45 years of age.
  • About 6.2% of patients with sleep paralysis are known to experience sporadic episodes once in a month to once around one year.

Sleep Paralysis: Is It Dangerous?

It is true; the patient might be left with a kind of serious frightfulness with the first encounter of sleep paralysis. However one of the most relaxed notes on this type of temporary paralysis condition during falling asleep or awakening is that it does not affect the involuntary muscles like those functioning for breathing and thus has no physical danger to the patient. But again, it must be noted this sleep paralysis many times creates dangerous thoughts and gets negative impacts on the person’s usual lifestyle.

Sleep Paralysis Prevention

Though patients with neuromuscular disorders have greater chances of growing this condition, Sleep paralysis is primarily related to lack of sleep and unhealthy life style. Here below are some of the preventive measures for sleep paralysis.

  • It is advised to practice a healthy lifestyle and keep strict note on regular sound and comfortable sleep, at least for 8 hours a day. Managing a regular sleep schedule is advisable.
  • It is also known that sleep paralysis is also accompanied due to over stress and physical fatigue. So to prevent sleep paralysis it is recommended to learn how to cope up with stress and have a check on physical pressures.
  • It is advised not to take heavy meals at least 4 hours before sleep.
  • It is recommended to go for exercises 2 hours before sleep which would help in proper and soothing sleep.
  • It is advised to avoid excessive intake of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine etc.

How Is Sleep Paralysis Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of sleep paralysis is made possible because of the fact that the symptoms grown with such a form of sleeping disorder are also similar to other sleeping disorders like the narcolepsy. There are simpler diagnosis tests for narcolepsy. So in case a person grows up with any of the symptoms that are common to sleep paralysis and the narcolepsy; there are diagnosis tests done to check if he/she is suffering from narcolepsy. In case the test report for narcolepsy (and also all the reports for the tests done for various other sleeping disorders with the similar symptoms to sleep paralysis) come negative, it is considered that the person is suffering from Sleep Paralysis.

Treatment For Sleep Paralysis

Here comes the general fact, “We know our enemy well; time to find the trick for winning against them!” So here below are some of the most common treatment processes for sleep paralysis.

  • Medications like the tricyclic antidepressants; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors etc are used to treat sleep paralysis. However it must be noted that this is not effective for all the patients.
  • The finest treatment for sleep paralysis is a regular sleeping schedule and proper sleep.
  • It is also recommended to consult a good psychologist and have the absolute knowledge on sleeping stages and various relaxing techniques.

There are some special home remedies which can be highly essential for treating sleep paralysis. Let us study them in the next section.

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Home Remedies For Sleep Paralysis:

You do not need to take any professional help for sleep paralysis in most cases. The solution to your problem lies within you. So have a check on some of the special self help therapy and home remedies for sleep paralysis below.

  • Maintaining a regular sleeping schedule is an essential self help therapy for sleep paralysis.
  • Regular exercise can be very much effective for people with sleep paralysis.
  • One cup of warm soup is an effective home remedy for sleep paralysis. Take it before bed.
  • A glass of warm milk before bed is helpful.
  • Aromatherapy is also recommended for sleep paralysis so as to reduce the unwanted stress that causes lack of sleep or generates the sleeping disorder. You can try figuring out the fragrances beneficial for you and make use of them in your regular life. Using herbal tea or essential oils in your bathing water can be extremely beneficial. Rose, Lavender, etc are some of the most common fragrances beneficial in reducing stress and essential for sleep paralysis.

Now that it is known that sleep paralysis is not a dangerous condition and cannot be life threatening, it must be a great relaxation to all those who have ever met with this kind of temporary paralysis of the voluntary muscles or unable to speak, move or respond to the physical stimuli due to a kind of temporary muscle arrest. So do not take much of the stress and engage yourself in a happy and relaxed life.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:February 19, 2020

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