Trouble in Bed: When Sleep Turns Against Us

Having trouble sleeping? In this episode of SciShow, Hank explores different kinds of sleep disorders, from insomnia to apnea to sleepwalking.
----------
A message from our President of Space Doug Mestanza:
Be good to each other.
----------

----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?

Sources:

[loganondos]

YouTube insomnia: in which an individual cannot fall asleep due to the endless array of suggested videos

[heeshi]

My sleep problem is that I'm nocturnal. No matter how hard I try I always end up awake at night and asleep in the day. It just feels the most natural but it's ruining my life

[neot]

Anyone else experience their body jumping out of sleep the moment you fall asleep, like something has scared you awake. I hate that, like grrr it took me ages to fall asleep and now i'm awake.

[Geekio]

I had sleep paralysis for the first time a few days ago. I was still able to move my eyes and blink, but aside from that it was just "oh shit why can't I m-- oh, right. sleep paralysis. ok then. cool." *falls back asleep.*

[ThatGuyYouArent]

I've had sleep paralysis a couple of times. First time it happened, I'd already heard all about it, so wasn't nearly as freaked out as I would have been without that knowledge. It was so weird. I tried SO hard to take the covers off of myself, but my arms just wouldn't move. It only lasted about 10 seconds, though, and I didn't get any nightmarish visions, so it was definitely far more interesting than it was scary. :)

[ForgottenFirearm]

*Insert joke about staying up late to watch this video*

[CorneliusSneedley]

I once "awoke" from a nightmare about walking dead who were closing in on me. I became aware I was in my own bed, but still could not move, and I felt hands on my chest and stomach. Eventually I woke up enough to realize what I was feeling were my own arms lying across my torso.

It was quite frightening to awake from a nightmare, but have it seemingly follow me into the conscious world.

[Ral]

Thank you for making me add "sleep" to the things I am afraid of.

#SciShow   #HankGreen   #sleep  

[UnwantedSpirits]

Before this video first aired, I thought vivid sleep paralysis was normal. Thanks to this video, I was able to talk to my doctor, and after some tests quickly find out I had Narcolepsy. Thank you Scishow for helping find normalcy in life.

[SmashtheCmachine]

I've had convincing conversations with family trying to wake me up, and convince them that I *AM* indeed awake, and when I *DO* wake up, not remembering it at all. The oddest experience was when I was younger, and was aware of all my other senses then sight. I felt the mattress throughout the entire night, heard the crickets, and when the radio came on, I woke as if I hadn't even been sleeping, but I genuinely *was* sleeping.

So this especially interests me a bit, especially after watching videos involving narcolepsy and cataplexy.

[facundocorradini]

I had sleep paralysis twice.

The first time I wasn't aware it was even a thing, so it resulted in the most frightening episode in my life: I remember trying to move just a finger with all my might and wanting to scream "mom" like a child would do after a nightmare, but it was certainly impossible. Only thing I could move were my eyes, and that was the worst part, as soon I became convinced that some weird presence was watching me from below. Then I felt a gigantic pressure in my chest and felt choked, so the horrendous thought of a lifetime paralysed soon turned into the certainty of imminent death. But the most terrifying was yet to come, as that "being watched" sensation turned into the hearing of diabolic high-pitched laughters and the horrendous feeling of my arms being scratched by the claws of those creatures below. I'm not sure how much time did it take, but it felt like eternity until I somehow managed to relax and go back to sleep, from which I woke up like any other night. I was given a "demonic attack" explanation by my religious friends, and recommended me to command the demons to go back in the name of the lord and all that mumbo jumbo.  Meantime I couldn't find any reasonable explanation, so that was the closest I was in my life from entering religion.

Then I found out about sleep paralysis and everything became clear: the chest pressure was just the body auto-breathing (otherwise I'd have really chocked) while I was trying to have a deep breath to try to scream, the scratching and laughters were just hallucinations, the "being watched" sensation a consequence of my inability to make sense of what was really going on..

Anyway, second time it happened (fortunately after I learned about it) I thought "fuck, I have sleep paralysis", stood calmed, and went back to sleep. So yeah. Knowledge is power. Thanks science. 

And yeah, sleep paralysis is probably the scientific explanation for alien abductions, and many other stuff traditionally attributed to demons, witches and all that sort of things.

[Krypent]

I should probably be sleeping, but I'm watching this instead.

[AMAJAR]

Wow! Now I know what happened to me in that plane when I was 10 ! I was terrified that I wasn't able to move and feel my limbs ! Thank you guys

[cowforceseven]

Sometimes I think I dream while I’m awake. I’ll be dreaming, then be like “my blankets making me too hot” so I’ll reposition it, then go right back to the dream. It’s like I’m conscious of both my dream body and real body at the same time.

[Sentinalh]

That dreaming while awake thing could explain people who think a ghost is trying to kill them. The whole pressure on the chest difficulty breathing, hallucinations thing.

[vladoportos]

Sleep paralyses sounds horrifying, I never had it luckily what I have from time to time is what I call "brain overdrive" my stupid brain decide to solve all puzzles and problems before sleep and just won't power down, just constant fast non stop thinking. Body does want to relax just mind is racing like crazy, strangely my mom get this states as well some times...

[Shystichu]

Hank, when I do sleep, why are my dreams so vivid that I always remember them every time I wake up? They are like memories of real experiences, that after a while I start to confuse my memories w/ my dreams o.O

[tayomwilson]

I have every single one of these problems and I have had it for seven years. My dad also has a severe snoring problem too! This explains why it runs in the family. Thanks

[marioperez-pher]

Thanks for this one. I have chronic anxiety and have had a few times where I wake up feeling like I can't breathe. I'm a pretty healthy individual so I didn't want to freak out. Knowledge is power and you gave me some power to fight my nerves. Gracias señor!

[syedmonzareen]

Yes you did Hank, I am terrified to go to sleep.