What is Sleep Paralysis

The technical definition of sleep paralysis is a term used to describe the normal paralysis of the body that occurs during REM sleep, or the disorder in which awareness is maintained when the body becomes paralysed when entering sleep (also known as hypnagogic paralysis) or remains inappropriately paralysed when awakening (also known as hypnopompic paralysis).

Having defined it and realised that there are two different forms of sleep paralysis, we are now going to break it down and get a better grasp and understanding of sleep paralysis and how it affects you.

Normal sleep paralysis, which is isolated incidents of sleep paralysis occur most often at the onset of sleep, however it may also happen as you are awakening. The individual, even though aware and maintains that they are awake, is incapacitated seemingly atonic and has great difficulty moving. This atonic state is similar to the atonia experienced during REM sleep. It is not harmful, although many people report feeling fear and anxiety because they do not know what is happening, and within minutes they gradually or abruptly are able to move again.

The disorder known as "sleep paralysis" occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state is usually accompanied by certain specific kinds of hallucinations. This state usually lasts no more than two minutes before a person is able to either return to full REM sleep or to become fully awake, though the sense of how much time has gone by is often distorted during sleep paralysis. People who are fortunate enough to be facing a clock while having an episode may often be surprised to see how little time has gone by during an episode that seems to last a very long time.

Basically the difference is that sleep paralysis as a disorder occurs frequently and when the brain is awakened from the REM state of sleep, however, people who suffer from sleep paralysis disorder, although not common, may also experience sleep paralysis as they are about to fall asleep, or just upon waking from sleep


Dream Tip:
Some individuals who experience sleep paralysis have reported report concurrent hallucinations and the feeling of a presence in the room where they are sleeping.