What is sleep paralysis?
Your diagnosis is sleep paralysis if you wake up but cannot move and feel like you are a prisoner of your own body.
During an episode of sleep paralysis, the person actually wakes up, the consciousness is awake and active, but the body is still in the paralyzed phase of sleep, therefore, it cannot move or speak. To make it easier to understand, imagine that the body and the mind are in different phases, that is, one is sleeping and the other is awake.
Often, a person has visual and audio hallucinations, which aggravate the already unpleasant symptoms characteristic of sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis is not a life-threatening condition, but it causes anxiety and a number of symptoms.
In some clinical cases, it is a sign of the following pathologies:
- Depression;
- Migraine;
- Obstructive sleep apnea;
- Anxiety disorder;
- High blood pressure.
The main symptom of sleep paralysis is that a person has difficulty moving their body while awake.
During an episode of sleep paralysis, it is quite expected that you will notice other symptoms as well, namely:
- You cannot speak;
- You have sensations and hallucinations;
- Pressure, feeling of pressure on the chest;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Sweating;
- Headache and muscle pain.
Most people experience sleep paralysis once or twice in their lives. If this feeling is chronic and bothers you often, you should definitely consult a doctor.
The specific course of treatment is unknown, but some methods can be used to manage symptoms, improve sleep quality, and prevent attack episodes.
Source:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/295039#what-is-sleep-paralysis
