Sleep Paralysis Causes

Sleep paralysis is the feeling of being awake but unable to talk or move one's body. Such episodes usually occur when a person is about to wake up from sleep or has just slipped into one. This is an old phenomenon that has for long invoked fear in human beings. Other than the inability of moving one's body, many people experience pressure on chest and trouble breathing.

Some even say that during these episodes they hear voices or footsteps that they associate with the presence of something malevolent. No wonder that sleep paralysis has been associated with nightmares and negative entities like the Hag, a malevolent figure in folk lore of Newfoundland who leaves her body at night and sits on the chest of mortals who she torments. From aliens and ghosts to inhibition in neural transmission, as far as sleep paralysis causes are concerned there have been quite a few suggestions.

What is Sleep Paralysis
To be able to understand sleep paralysis one needs to know a little about the sleep cycles. Our sleep consists or two cycles. One is the non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep which alternates with the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The non-REM phase lasts for about 80 minutes. In this stage, although the body produces very few movements, it is still capable of moving different parts. In the other state, that is the REM, the body is absolutely relaxed or paralyzed. There is no part of the body that can be moved. This happens because it is during this cycle that we dream. Paralysis of the body ensures that we do not enact our dreams physically. During this state it is just the eyes that make a rapid movement. Hence the name, 'rapid eye movement'.

Causes
Hypnagogic sleep paralysis is that which is experienced as one just passes from a state of being into the NREM phase (with which our sleep begins). One feels the symptoms of this paralysis because as we slowly fall into sleep, our body slowly loses its awareness. However, in some cases an individual may be aware of his surroundings mentally but may often find that he can't talk or move. As far as hypnopompic sleep paralysis (that experienced while waking up) is concerned, a better understanding of the cause is available. However, before that, the physiological cause behind REM needs to be discussed as hypnopompic paralysis is closely related to REM sleep.

Paralysis of the body that is achieved during REM is the result of the action of some neurotransmitters and hormones that result in post synaptic inhibition of motor neurons. Neurologically, one of the causes of sleep paralysis is cited as a defect in neural transmission in brain during the REM sleep. Due to this although the mind has awaken, the body continues to be in the paralytic state of the REM sleep. This results in all the sleep paralysis symptoms. The voices and imagery associated with sleep paralysis are hallucinations the cause of which again lies in brain activities. There are certain conditions that sleep paralysis is found to be strongly associated with. These conditions are:

• Lack of sleep
• Interruption or change of schedule of one's sleep
• Jet lag
• Anxiety and stress
• Certain mental conditions like bipolar disorder
• Sleep disorders such as narcolepsy
• Sleeping on back
• Certain medicines
• Nicotine, tobacco and alcohol consumption

Some findings suggest that sleep paralysis has a genetic basis. However, a look at the common conditions associated with this phenomenon strongly suggests a correlation between interruptions in sleep patterns and lack of enough sleep. This makes one wonder is sleep paralysis one of the lack of sleep side effects. It is more common than it was earlier thought. Almost 40% of people all over the world may suffer from this condition. Some push the occurrence up to every individual experiencing sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime. Nevertheless teenagers are reported to experience more frequent episodes of sleep paralysis than individuals of any other age group. The treatment for sleep paralysis depends on the cause of this sleep disorder.

Although more research is required to understand sleep paralysis causes, we now definitely know that ghosts and aliens have no role to play. Although it does not have any serious effects, an individual suffering from such type of paralysis often complains of fear and a feeling of unease.