What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis can be a scary experience, but this video is here to help clear some of the fear and confusion surrounding the strange phenomenon. The video explores what sleep paralysis really is, its biological cause, and also presents some tips to help prevent sleep paralysis.

This video was created by McMaster students Minahil Jabeen, Dhruvika Joshi, Prabhjot Khabra and Vanessa Lombardo in collaboration with the McMaster Demystifying Medicine Program.

This video is provided for general and educational information only. Please consult your health care provider for Information about your health.

Copyright McMaster University 2017

References:

Denis, D., French, C. C., Rowe, R., Zavos, H., Nolan, P. M., Parsons, M. J., & Gregory, A. M. (2015). A twin and molecular genetics study of sleep paralysis and associated factors. Journal of sleep research, 24(4), 438-446.

Guilleminault C., and Fromherz S.: Narcolepsy: diagnosis and management. In Kryger M.H., Roth T., and Dement W.C. (eds): Principles and practice of sleep medicine, 4th edition. Philadelphia (PA): Elsevier Saunders, 2005. pp. 780-790



Ohayon M.M., Zulley J., Guilleminault C., et al: Prevalence and pathologic associations of sleep paralysis in the general population. Neurology 1999; 52: pp. 1194-1200

Plante, D. T., & Winkelman, J. W. (2008). Parasomnias: psychiatric considerations. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 3(2), 217-229.

Sharpless, B. A., & Grom, J. L. (2014). Isolated Sleep Paralysis: Fear, Prevention, and Disruption. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–6. doi:10.1080/15402002.2014.963583

Solomonova, E. (2017). Sleep Paralysis: phenomenology, neurophysiology and treatment. In The Oxford Handbook of Spontaneous Thought: Mind-Wandering, Creativity, Dreaming, and Clinical Conditions. Oxford University Press. Editors: Kieran Fox, Kalina Christoff

[tigerist]

Everyone making jokes have probably never really experienced this. It’s the most terrifying feeling any human can handle. It’s no joke.

[goncalosousa]

This is one of the most helpless and vulnerable feelings a person can experience

[gourmetemiguelin]

Who else started to search this after waking up from sleep paralysis 😏

[losingaces]

i’ve had this happen to me a fair amount of times the past few years, genuinely such a terrifying feeling. the worst is when you’re stuck trying to talk or scream and you cant

[IDoBeParis]

when I wake up with sleep paralysis my first thought is always “Ah shit, here we go again”

[electro-shockblue]

It's the scariest feeling ever i've been having this for the past two years. I see no demons or hear no footsteps but i do feel like i'm dying

[stefanul]

You think ghosts are funny until you experience this. This makes a grown ass man cry of fear

[nixxgg]

"Mom please wake me up! Wake me up!"
I'm always shouting that words in my head every time sleep paralysis hit me. It scares me always.

[iodine]

imagine falling asleep in class and then waking up with sleep paralysis but no one knows whats going on and everyone crowds around you including your sleep paralysis demon

[ambernicole]

For me I wake up and I’m totally calm and my minds just kinda like ‘oh crap not this again’ and I never see anything or feel anything I just can’t move and it’s annoying 😂

[Moreno]

A good tip for people getting sleep paralysis:
When you feel you can't move just keep your eyes closed even when hearing creepy things etc because you can easily try to get back to sleep as long as you keep calm

[marcobala]

Has anyone tried staying calm and pray in your mind, while its happening! It helps me a lot

Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through me"!!!

[jathusansatkunarajah]

It's so sad my mum hears me turning on the ps4 in the middle of the night but she don't hear my screaming in agony when I'm in this state

[Extrnal]

You ever just be in sleep paralysis and try to move your arm and it actually feels like it moves a little when in reality it does not?

[t-boneskillet]

I've suffered from sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember. It used to terrify me because I grew up thinking I was being haunted by a demon. Didn't really talk to much about bc I thought people would think I was crazy. When i did talk about it, I'd get the "it's just a nightmare." Usually the paralysis alone is scary bc I'd feel/see a presence and it would feel like it would put a hand on my chest, holding me still and knocking all the air out of me. One of the scariest episodes was when audio kicked in and i kept hearing a voice repeating non-stop, "kill yourself, you wanna die" as if it were trying to convince me to commit suicide. All I was able to do was lie there crying...then I'd repeat a prayer until it went away.

When I finally searched the internet and came across videos like this, I was able to identify it. Now that I understand that it's no demon, it's occurred less. When it does happen, it's scary but not as terrifying as before. My wife can hear me trying to call for help when it happens, so she's able to wake me up. She's a keeper 😆

[ender.sprite]

all i wanted to do was lucid dream


i didn't sign up for this

[silvycrown]

It actually feels nice to know I’m not crazy because I can’t discuss this with anyone they would think I’m crazy
This is the most terrifying I have experienced

[ginoo]

Had my first sleep paralysis about 30 minutes ago, which is why I'm back watching videos about it now. It's honestly no joke, this was the most terrified I have ever been in my entire life

[backstabber]

Most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced having someone next to you whilst. You’re trying to scream for help but can’t move or scream.

[animesimp]

Why did I have to watch this before I go to sleep