Sleep Paralysis
Health News June 24th, 2009
Sleep Paralysis is a condition when a person is awake and is in cautious state but could not move his /her body parts. The condition of ‘Sleep Paralysis’ occurs when person from stage of wakefulness and sleep. In such a condition, person is not able to move or speak for few seconds or up to few seconds. Sleep Paralysis is often accompanied by another sleep disorder called ‘Narcolepsy’. It is a condition of overpowering need to sleep and is caused due to brain’s disability to regulate sleep.
Types Of Sleep Paralysis:
According, to time of occurrence of disease or condition, Sleep Paralysis can be divided in two types:
Hypanagogic Sleep Paralysis: This condition occurs when person is falling asleep. Actually, when person sleeps, body relaxes slowly. In this situation, when person realizes that he/she cannot move or speak then such situation is considered as ‘Hypanagogic Sleep Paralysis’.
Hypnopompic Sleep Paralysis: During sleep, body alternates between REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non rapid eye movements). within a time span of 90 minutes one cycle of REM and NREM is completed. NREM utilizes 75% of the total time and then shifts to REM. During the period of NREM body relaxes and restores itself. When sleep is shifted to REM eyes moves quickly and dreams begins but rest of body remains relaxed. In such situation, body turns off REM cycle and before this is completed person realizes that he/she cannot move or speak.
Causes:
The main reason for disease is ‘genetic disorder’. It is seen that this disease is carried down in families through ‘genes’. Some other causes of disease might be any one of the following:
- Lack of sleep
- Changes in sleeping schedule
- Stress or bipolar disorder
- Sleeping on back
Symptoms:
- When person is about to sleep or wake up he/she will complain immobility in trunk or limbs.
- Brief episodes of complete or partial skeletal muscles can be present.
- These episodes can be associated with hypanogogic hallucinations or dream- like mentation.