Have you ever experience feeling like you have awaken in the middle of your deep sleep but realized you can’t move your body? You must have been trying hard to move your body but none seemed to work.
If you did, that might be something you don’t want to experience again. Some say it’s a sleep paralysis which is typical for someone who is tired from work or school. But other say, there is something more behind that experience.
While we experience sweet dreams and nightmare, this kind of experience is something deeper. As you open your eyes but can’t move your body, fear starts to linger.
Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, describe the experience based on what most patients said as that feeling like you woke up dead.
It is when your mind is awake and your body is not.
Those who experience Sleep Paralysis become aware in a transient conscious state which however prevents them from moving or speaking. While breathing is not affected, there is much horror as one would feel the pressure at the chest.
If you can notice it that is the reason why you gasp for air after you wake up from the experience.
However, of all the discussions, it is still a question of why can’t the body move smoothly? Is there something stopping you?
The severity and degree of consciousness vary greatly when one experiences sleep paralysis as well as how long it could take.
The Horror
If you have experienced sleep paralysis you might also say that even if you haven’t seen something inside your room as you think your visual still functioned, you felt something inside the room—something very scary.
Although hallucinations both visual and auditory are relatively rare, the strange feeling inside your room forces your mind to move. Yes, we tend to freak out because we can’t move.
While so, sleep paralysis increases our hear rate as it causes extreme anxiety of our surrounding.
What Causes It?
According to Breus, those who have less sleep and those who are more exhausted are more likely to experience sleep paralysis. However, there are various things linked to sleep paralysis. There is no clear cause of sleep paralysis.
For over centuries, people have been trying to explain this weird sleep experience. And this Renaissance painting seems to show how what happens when you experience it. Doctors at that time have growing interest about the weird phenomenon, this inspired the painter to recreate the experience using brushes and canvass.
Whatever that is sitting on the woman’s chest might be the same thing that causes the sensation of chest pressure.
How to Avoid It?
While some accounts of sleep paralysis are aligned to be caused by demons, research says that it could be caused by not enough sleep. Detting enough of it might help a lot. Breus noted that any abnormal sleep behavior that can be noticed could be diagnosed for sleeping disorder.
Could it Kill You?
According to Breus, there are no clinical deaths known to date. He also added that sleep paralysis causes no physical harm. However, people should not be afraid of it. Continued irregularity in sleeping should be consulted to sleep disorder specialist.
While some of us are squared with various interpretations, there is one best thing you should do—stay calm.
How to wake yourself up.
Most patients suggest that wiggling your toes, fingers and facial muscles slowly by slowly helps you wake the rest of your body. However, according to Breus there is no way to pull yourself out of it. He added you just have to wait it out.
(Source: Buzzfeed)
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