12 Facts You Need To Know About Sleep Paralysis

3. How and when does this occur When a person goes to sleep, they go through phases. The entire 7 or 8 that you are snuggled… Simi - May 24, 2018

3. How and when does this occur

When a person goes to sleep, they go through phases. The entire 7 or 8 that you are snuggled up in bed is not one whole phase. There are actually 5 phases that make up the sleep cycle, and it can take up to 90 minutes to work your way through all of them. During the first four stages, you experience non-rapid eye movement sleep. A person does not move much during this type of sleep, but their muscles are still functioning. As seen in the name, there is no eye movement that is associated with this type of sleep.

When a person goes to sleep, they start at stage one which is a very light sleep. They then process down the stages, and as such, the sleep gets a lot deeper. If a person has reached the 4th stage, it will be incredibly difficult to wake them up. There is not much dreaming that goes on during these sleep phases.

The last phase of the sleep cycle is characterized by rapid-eye-movement sleep. During this phase, the only part of the body that is able to move is the eyes. The heart still beats, and the lungs still move, but there is no other voluntary movement. The eyes tend to dart back and forth for no apparent reason. It is thought that this is due to people following images with their eyes while dreaming. This is where the majority of ones dreaming takes place.

Sleep paralysis can happen either when one is falling asleep or waking up. It is when a person has difficulty moving in or out of the rapid-eye-movement phase. Sleep paralysis while falling asleep is hypnagogic, and if it is experienced when waking up, then it is hypnopompic.

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2. The dying feeling that accompanies sleep paralysis

Fear of death is written in the very DNA of human beings. We are all very aware of the fact that we are all going to die. It is not a possibility. It is a certainty. And yet, we fear it. We dread it, and we even pour billions of dollars into researching how we can actually prolong life. There are many reasons why people fear their own mortality. If they believe that there is nothing after death, then they fear the total cessation of their existence. Those who are unsure of what comes after may fear the unknown, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. Then there are people who don’t want to die because they simply enjoy living. They enjoy the experience as a whole, with the heartaches and happiness that it offers.

This fear is a constant feature of human existence. And death becomes even more terrifying when we actually come face-to-face with it. This can happen to some degree in sleep paralysis. It is not because you stand there looking at the chopping block. This fear emanating from the feeling of death and despair which may be inspired by sleep paralysis.

There are times when the dread and the fear is so overwhelming that people actually think they are dying. It becomes a reality all too suddenly. Once they realize that they are not dying there is generally an overwhelming sense of relief.

Once a person has regained autonomy over their body they can breathe a sigh of relief as the realization dawns that they are alive and will probably be alive for the foreseeable future. This is all well and good. But, there is a time when you can’t move, you have no power or control and do truly believe that this is the end. This element is possibly the most terrifying part of sleep paralysis.

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1. Sleep paralysis explained by science

Science may not have all the answers, but it the matter of sleep paralysis they seem to have a theory which seems far more plausible than an Incubus or Succubus sitting on your chest. It has already been clarified that sleep paralysis involves the rapid-eye-movement cycle (REM). We know that during this time a person has no voluntary movement and they experience very vivid dreams. The reason for this muscle paralysis is thought to be an evolutionary adaption that is meant to protect a person.

When a person is experiencing an intense dream if they were given free reign to move as much and however they pleased, there arises the possibility or injury. The brain, therefore, has adapted to combat this. When a person enters the REM stage of the sleep cycle, there are two neurotransmitters that are released. These are glycine and GABA. Both of these are required for the paralysis of voluntary muscles. In the event of sleep paralysis, there is a mishap involving the REM cycle. A person either transitions badly out of it or into it.

When this happens, the neurotransmitters are released which effectively stop muscle movement and yet the person’s mind does not enter the dreamscape. Their mind is in the here and now, but their body believes that it is dreaming. This miscommunication or disconnect is what we refer to as sleep paralysis.

The brain and the body are however able to communicate very quickly, and it should not take too long to correct the mistake. The secretion of the paralyzing chemicals is stopped while what is left in circulation is taken back up. Once this is effectively done, a person should be able to move their limbs once more. While sleep paralysis can be a terrifying experience, it should be noted that there is no real danger. There are no documented cases of people dying from sleep paralysis.

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