Why do I get sleep paralysis

Many people may have experienced sleep paralysis. The main characteristic is that the mind is conscious when sleeping, but the body cannot move, and it is often accompanied by hallucinations. Sleep paralysis used to be a superstitious belief, but science has also made a detailed analysis of this behavior. Knowing the cause can not only eliminate panic, but also help us better avoid similar situations. So, why does sleep paralysis occur? Let’s take a look below.

Sleep paralysis refers to the condition in which one suddenly becomes conscious while sleeping but is unable to move his body. In sleep neurology, this is a symptom of sleep paralysis. The sleep cycle consists of the falling asleep phase, light sleep phase, deep sleep phase, and finally the rapid eye movement phase (dream phase). Sleep paralysis occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of the sleep cycle, which is the sleep cycle when we enter deep sleep and begin to dream. During rapid eye movement sleep, a person's dreaming activities accelerate and the body's voluntary muscles begin to become still. This temporary paralysis sometimes causes the patient to be unable to move after waking up from a dream. During REM sleep, our skeletal muscles, except for the respiratory muscles and eye muscles, are in a state of extremely low tension. This is a protective effect that prevents us from acting out our dreams and hurting ourselves or our partner. Sleep paralysis occurs when, for unknown reasons, during rapid eye movement sleep, the consciousness is awake but the muscles of the limbs remain in a state of low tension, causing them to not obey the conscious command. Hallucinations are often caused by abnormal physical conditions that the brain cannot explain, coupled with fearful fantasies.

Sleep paralysis can occur during naps and nighttime sleep. In fact, this situation has nothing to do with ghosts. It has a formal medical name: sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis usually occurs when one has just fallen asleep or is about to wake up. The patient feels that he has woken up and can hear the surrounding sounds and see the surrounding images, but the body cannot move or make any sound, and sometimes is accompanied by hallucinations. Most people will feel panic at this time, but fortunately, this situation will usually restore the limb movements slowly or suddenly within a few minutes. Because of the panic feeling at the time of the attack, many people will feel scared after waking up, and intuitively think that they are being pressed by some unknown object, so there is the saying "sleep paralysis".

Precautions

There are several taboos to be aware of in terms of sleep preparation, posture, and habits:

1. Avoid eating before going to bed: If you eat before going to bed, your stomach and intestines will be busy again, which will increase their burden. Other parts of the body will not be able to get a good rest, which will not only affect your sleep but also damage your health.

2. Avoid overusing your brain before going to bed: Do something relaxing before going to bed to relax your brain, so that it will be easier to fall asleep. Otherwise, the brain will be in an excited state, and it will be difficult to fall asleep even if you lie in bed. Over time, you will easily suffer from insomnia.

3. Avoid being emotionally excited before going to bed: People’s joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness can easily cause excitement or disorder of the nerve center, making it difficult to fall asleep and even causing insomnia.

4. Avoid talking before going to bed: because talking can easily excite the brain and make the mind active, thus affecting sleep.

5. Avoid drinking strong tea or coffee before going to bed: Strong tea and coffee are stimulating drinks, which contain caffeine and other substances that can make people excited. Drinking before bedtime can easily cause difficulty falling asleep.

6. Avoid lying in bed for long periods of time: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "lying in bed for a long time will damage your energy". Too much sleep will cause dizziness, weakness, listlessness, and loss of appetite.

7. Avoid sleeping in the wind: Keep the room well ventilated, but do not let the wind blow directly on your body. Over time, cold air will invade through the capillaries and cause diseases such as colds and chills.