Today we will talk about sleep paralysis, a sleep disorder that affects 40% of the population at least once in their lifetime. This disorder is divided into:
hypnagogic paralysis (adj. hypnagogic [comp. of hypno- and of the gr. ἀγωγός “leading”; prop. “inducing sleep”]. The term hypnagogic in psychology is the phase of drowsiness that occurs before sleep during which consciousness and thoughts float free and hallucinations and illusions can occur.
Hypnopompic paralysis : when they occur in the phase of awakening between sleep and wakefulness
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that occurs between wakefulness and sleep with the inability to move. This phenomenon usually occurs when REM begins . The Rem phase is the phase of sleep in which we dream deeply and our body is immobilized, just to protect us from movements that could be dangerous for us.
What does sleep paralysis consist of?
Paralysis begins with a tingling sensation or sometimes with a deafening noise in the ears, then one feels immobilized and unable to move in any way. Usually your eyes are open and you can’t speak or ask for help. This feeling of stillness in the subject triggers a deep fear and a sense of strong oppression on the chest . The sensation actually lasts a few seconds even if it is perceived by the subjects as a very long experience.
Hallucinations or visions
Some patients along with paralysis also have terrifying visions called hypnagogic illusions. This disorder feels real and leads people to believe they are experiencing it by not dreaming. Many people affected by this phenomenon are ashamed of suffering from it and fear for their sanity . Having hallucinations can lead people to seek a supernatural explanation for what actually happens in the dream phase of sleep.
Can sleep paralysis be prevented?
It is not possible to prevent it with certainty but it is important to realize if you are subjected to it that this disorder is much more common than you might think . Being aware of this problem will surely help to deal with it differently as soon as it recurs.
How can sleep paralysis be overcome?
First of all, to overcome sleep paralysis it is necessary to understand the causes, whether medical or psychological. It is necessary to evaluate case by case to decide on a psychological and medical treatment path. There are centers in Italy specialized in the treatment of sleep disorders in which a course of therapy can be undertaken after having performed specific polysomnographic examinations.
Some advice I can give to those suffering from these disorders and on how to overcome the moment of paralysis are to learn to recognize the symptoms of when this phenomenon is about to manifest itself (for example a deafening noise or the feeling of falling), try to create a bodily stimulus such as blinking your eyes or trying to wiggle a finger to allow your body to wake up, avoid lying on your back while you sleep, and have as much regular sleep as possible.
Sleep Paralysis in History
Sleep paralysis is a disorder that has always existed and it is as if it represented the greatest fear of man. The impossibility in the face of the inevitable brings those who suffer from it back to the atavistic fear of the unknown. The etymological root of the word Nightmare in many languages seems to refer to a feeling of oppression. The word Nightmare comes from the late Latin incŭbus “being who lies on the sleeper”. Only later did the word nightmare take on the meaning of bad dream in current Italian.
In English Nightmare, in French Cauchemar and in German Nachtmar the meanings derive from Mare a nocturnal mare carrying monsters on the chest of sleepers, or according to another tradition from Mara a mythological female figure who suffocated those who slept during sleep. Humans have always tried to explain this disorder through their cultural heritage . Many in the dream see demons, dark shadows slowly approaching while, pervaded by fear, the subjects are unable to move or defend themselves. They are usually menacing figures. Even the figure of the witch or demon who takes possession of the victim during the night can be traced back to episodes of nocturnal paralysis.
In the famous 1692 Salem , Massachusetts trial in which many women were tried for witchcraft and executed, a witness reported that they had been cursed by one of the alleged witches, who would arrive at his room at night in the form of a cat. grabbing him by the neck and nearly choking him. According to some researchers, even the phenomena of alien abductions are to be linked to episodes of hypnagocic hallucinations.
Sleep paralysis in literature:
Even in literature there are examples of this phenomenon:
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet , Mercutio says about Queen Mab: “She is the sorceress who when virgins / lie in bed with their stomachs in the air, / presses them because they learn to “carry” / and makes them women of “good bearing”.
In the novel Moby Dick we find this description: “You couldn’t see anything, you couldn’t hear anything; but it seemed to me that a supernatural hand was shaking my hand. My arm hung along the blanket, and the silent, indefinable, unimaginable shape or phantom to which the hand belonged seemed to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. For what seemed to me to last for centuries and centuries, I stayed like that, frozen by the most terrible fears, and I didn’t dare to withdraw my hand, yet I continually thought that, if I could only move it a little bit, the horrible spell would be broken “.
