Sleep Paralysis: Causes & Prevention

If you have ever woken up but were unable to move, saw shadows, or felt something heavy on your chest that seemed like it was holding you down, you have likely experienced sleep paralysis.

The experience can be frightening, and it can feel like it lasts for several minutes. Despite this feeling, the condition will go away in a few seconds, as your brain completes the process of waking up and restores movement to your body.

1. Sleep paralysis may occur in anyone, regardless of gender or age, but there are a few conditions that make it more likely.
2. Research shows that sleep paralysis has a genetic component. People who experience the condition several times have close family members.
3. Situations that cause stress and sleep loss are also associated with an increased risk of sleep paralysis.

How Can Sleep Paralysis Be Prevented?

Generally, your brain will paralyze your body while you sleep so you do not act out your dreams as you enter deep, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM stages of sleep. When you wake up as normal, your brain restores movement to your body as your consciousness returns. If you snap awake out of deep sleep or a dream, it is possible that your brain has not completely restored the connection to move again.

For the most part, sleep paralysis is a random occurrence that will happen on rare occasions in your life. Some people are more prone to experiencing it than others due to genetic factors, sleep deprivation, age, and underlying medical conditions.

If you routinely experience sleep paralysis, there are approaches to preventing it or reducing how often you experience it. If you understand how to recognize sleep paralysis, it can help you to relax for a few seconds until it passes.

For the most part, sleep paralysis is a random occurrence that will happen on rare occasions in your life.

Risk Factors for Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis may occur in anyone, regardless of gender or age, but there are a few conditions that make it more likely.

Research shows that sleep paralysis has a genetic component. People who experience the condition several times have close family members who also regularly experience sleep paralysis. Situations that cause stress and sleep loss are also associated with an increased risk of sleep paralysis.

The most common contributors to the condition include:

• Adolescence. Teenagers and young adults are more likely than other age groups to experience sleep paralysis. Teenagers experience several potential factors preceding sleep paralysis, including environmental stress, physical stress from growing, and changes in the brain associated with becoming an adult.
• Sleep deprivation. This is the leading cause of sleep paralysis for most people. Sleep deprivation is often associated with insomnia, which may be caused by life stress, major personal changes or loss, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or panic disorder.
• Narcolepsy. This is a sleep condition that changes a person’s circadian rhythm, leading to poor-quality sleep and consistent sleep-deprivation. This can lead to sleeping more than usual, taking long naps, and suffering from sleep disorders like sleep paralysis.

How to Prevent Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis can be a disturbing experience, even if you know what it is. Struggling with frequent episodes can lead to further sleep loss, which can increase the risk of more episodes of sleep paralysis.

To prevent bouts of this sleep disruption, here are some recommendations:

Dietary supplements like melatonin or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply, so you feel rested upon waking. Over-the-counter dietary supplements can be found in grocery stores, drugstores, and natural food stores.

Check the label for trustworthy company information, including a seal of approval noting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Follow the instructions on the bottle and always start with the lowest dose, as sedative effects may lead you to feel groggy in the morning. Also, check the expiration date on any supplements you purchase and buy them in person rather than online.

Before you take any dietary supplements or add herbs to your sleep routine, work with your doctor to understand if these will impact the effects of any medications you currently take.

Dietary supplements like melatonin or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply, so you feel rested upon waking. Over-the-counter dietary supplements can be found in grocery stores, drugstores, and natural food stores.

Check the label for trustworthy company information, including a seal of approval noting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Follow the instructions on the bottle and always start with the lowest dose, as sedative effects may lead you to feel groggy in the morning. Also, check the expiration date on any supplements you purchase and buy them in person rather than online.

Before you take any dietary supplements or add herbs to your sleep routine, work with your doctor to understand if these will impact the effects of any medications you currently take.

Check the label for trustworthy company information, including a seal of approval noting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Follow the instructions on the bottle and always start with the lowest dose, as sedative effects may lead you to feel groggy in the morning. Also, check the expiration date on any supplements you purchase and buy them in person rather than online.

Before you take any dietary supplements or add herbs to your sleep routine, work with your doctor to understand if these will impact the effects of any medications you currently take.

Check the label for trustworthy company information, including a seal of approval noting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Follow the instructions on the bottle and always start with the lowest dose, as sedative effects may lead you to feel groggy in the morning. Also, check the expiration date on any supplements you purchase and buy them in person rather than online.

Before you take any dietary supplements or add herbs to your sleep routine, work with your doctor to understand if these will impact the effects of any medications you currently take.