Sleep paralysis attacks have been linked to high stress levels and certain mental disorders.
Scientists from the UK and the US analyzed 42 studies of sleep paralysis and identified the causes associated with the condition. According to scientists, most often an attack of sleep paralysis is preceded by a high level of stress and frequent awakenings. It also manifests itself more often in those who are inclined to believe in the supernatural.
Sleep paralysis is a condition in which a person is unable to move while half asleep before going to bed or, on the contrary, immediately after waking up. Fearful hallucinations may accompany muscle weakness. People with sleep paralysis often report auditory hallucinations, suffocation, or "felt presence" - the feeling that someone is watching from the outside. It is believed that it was sleep paralysis that could become the source of folklore stories about night spirits or succubi that are dangerous for sleeping. Attacks usually last no longer than a few minutes. According to various sources, at least once in a lifetime, up to 50% of the world's population experienced an attack of sleep paralysis. From 5 to 7% of people face it regularly.
The material for the meta-analysis was 42 papers published between 1984 and 2016. The largest of them covered over 90,000 people. The study authors investigated the relationship between sleep paralysis and various aspects of lifestyle, including sleep duration, favorite sleeping position, the presence of diseases and disorders, heredity and stress levels. The personal data of the research participants were also taken into account: gender, age, nationality, income and dietary characteristics.
The authors of the article concluded that sleep paralysis attacks are most often visited by people with sleep disorders. Frequent awakenings and trouble falling asleep can be caused by a variety of reasons, but the most common are certain medications, high levels of stress and mental disorders. In addition, those who usually slept less than six hours or more than nine hours, and those who took naps, were at increased risk of seizures. Among those who suffered from mental disorders, sleep paralysis was most often encountered by patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia.
Two of the studies studied indicated that sleep paralysis is more common in people who tend to believe in the supernatural, including fantastic beings that are asleep. However, the link between seizures and belief in the supernatural was weaker than the effects of stress and sleep disturbances.
The study is published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews.
Natalia Pelezneva
Promotional video: