Monday 15 August 2011

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep Paralysis
Have you ever feeling unable to move during sleep no matter how hard you tried? This experience usually accompanies with great fear. If so, you might be suffering from sleep paralysis. In ten people, there are four of us. Sleep paralysis can happen to a person once in a life time or may be few times a night. What can we do about this problem? Let’s find out.
Sleep paralysis happens when we are in the transition phase of awake and sleep. It’s more common to experience sleep paralysis when falling asleep rather than when waking up. The symptoms of sleep paralysis can be different between people. However, most people will experience the inability to move while the mind is still conscious. We usually feel that “someone” is trying to do “something” harm to us, such as demon, alien… Some people still see frightening illusional images. Doctors call this hallucination. If you experience hallucination, it’s almost you are suffering from sleep paralysis as a symptom of a more serious health problem called narcolepsy. Please see your doctor soon to have appropriate treatments.
Causes of sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis can be causes by quite a lot of factor. It might be a symptom of narcolepsy as I sated above or as a result of the shortage of proper sleep. You may also experience sleep paralysis when you change your sleeping schedule. First year students are the ones falling in this group. When they move to the colleges or universities, their sleeping schedules usually change result in sleep paralysis.
Another possible cause of sleep paralysis is stress. When you have a lot of stress, sleep paralysis can happen quite often. Some people have sleep paralysis when they sleep alone but don’t have when there is someone sleeps with them. Why so? The reason is originally this person has the fear of sleeping alone (or fear of ghost). Sleeping alone causes him/her a lot of stress so he/she can easily suffer from sleep paralysis. When there is someone sleeps with this person, the fear is no longer the case so the possibility of sleep paralysis is almost eliminated. If you fall into this group, having a roommate will be a great help.

There are some medication can cause sleep paralysis too. If you are using medications to treat other health problem, check out with your doctor for the possible side effects.
Sleep paralysis treatments

While the inability to move during sleep is frightening, you may be happy to know that sleep paralysis ALONE is not a serious health problem. I mentioned the word alone here because it can be the symptom of other serious health problem (narcolepsy sleep disorder). Generally, you don’t need any treatment for sleep paralysis. However, if the problem occurs quite frequently, you can try these tips out.
Have enough and regular sleep

Lacking of sleep, as mentioned above can be the cause of sleep paralysis. With that said, having sufficient sleep is required. As an adult you will need from 7 to 8 hour for sleeping each day. Try to arrange your job so you will not have to sacrifice your sleeping time for working. In addition, try to set yourself a regular sleep schedule even in the weekend. You can use antidepressant if needed to regulate your sleep cycles.
Reduce stress

Have a lot of things to think about when going to sleep is not good. It will cause you a lot of problem including sleep paralysis. Try to relax, use meditation methods if you need to or even start practicing yoga.
Sleep on your side

Many people say that if they sleep on their back, sleep paralysis will happen quite frequently. However, when they sleep on their sides, the problem seems to be disappeared. I have tried this and found it’s very effective. You should definitely give it a shot.
Treat the core problems

Usually, sleep paralysis is a symptom of narcolepsy. It’s recommended that you should go to see your doctor when you experience the problem at the very first time. Having a thorough diagnosis soon can make the problem much easier to treat.
Conclusion

So you see, there is nothing to fear about sleep paralysis. Many other people have this problem just like you do. It can be treated by using some simple home remedies as mentioned above. However, it’s always recommended to see your doctor to find out what is the problem. If it’s sleep paralysis alone, there is nothing to worry about. However, if it’s a symptom of other more serious problems, be prepared for a long treatment.

No comments: