Sleep Paralysis Treatment
Sleep paralysis could be terrifying to say the least. This is characterized by being not able to move on the bed even if you are awake or half-awake. Although generally not harmful, it does leave you feeling stressed and worn out the moment you fully wake up and are able to move again. These incidents usually happen when you are about to go into deep sleep or at the moment you are about to wake up.
What happens when you sleep?
Dreams occur when we reach the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep stage. This is the deepest stage of our sleep and where dreams occur. People’s dreams may vary ranging from happy to terrifying ones. So to keep our body from acting out our dreams and possibly causing harm to us and those around us, our brain produces hormones that temporarily paralyze us during sleep. Sleep paralysis happens when your mind suddenly wakes up while these hormones are still actively circulating in your body making it really difficult to move a muscle.
Although everything will be back to normal after a few seconds, there are instances that during that small window of time being awakened with no movement possible that people experience horrifying things like falling off a cliff, seeing some strangers or alien life forms, near-death experiences, and other terrifying things that urge your body to move but you simply cannot. A simple tap or noise could alter this phase, and you will be able to move again.
Although quite common in occurrence, there is still no exact sleep paralysis treatment to cure sleep paralysis. What we have now are just medicines for us to sleep better. A sleep paralysis experience might happen once in your life, but in some cases it happens in succession and very often. It may be brought about by another medical sleep condition like narcolepsy, yet there is also the possibility that you just need to change your sleeping habits and your lifestyle as well.
Here are some things that you can try to be able to lessen, if not eliminate, the chances of sleep paralysis occurring again:
● Symptom recognition – If you start feeling the sense of danger while you are sleeping, then this is a classic telltale sign of sleep paralysis. You might experience paranoia, being suffocated by somebody, being watched, sensing somebody is inside the room, or even see aliens talking to you. If you do, then you can start working on ways to alleviate the situation by doing these tips listed below.
● Other people’s experiences – Knowing some other people’s experiences will help ease your mind knowing that you are not alone. It will also give you the courage to face it knowing that they are doing well themselves in addressing the situation.
● Triggers — There are several triggering factors of sleep paralysis which include: certain positions you fall asleep in, stress, working or home environment, and many more. Knowing these triggers can help you address the situation directly and apply changes in order to lessen your chances in experiencing it again. This might also come in handy when you see a doctor.
● Sleeping habits – Getting regular sleep and ensuring that it is of a good quality will lessen the chances of a sleep paralysis experience.
● Relaxation – Amidst the terrible feeling you experience during sleep paralysis, knowing that this is just a dream will help you be relaxed. Thus, you can concentrate on things you need to do to overcome the situation like wiggling your big toe or rolling your eyes all over the room.
● Age factor – Sleep paralysis usually starts at a younger age, and its frequency is recorded to be less as a person matures. Research says that when you are about 30 years old or more, sleep paralysis might disappear completely though this is not a conclusive statement.
Sleep paralysis treatment may vary according to each individual’s case. Knowing all these tips, however, will make you one step ahead in dealing with sleep paralysis and eventually towards recovery and total elimination of the experience.
