Post by Iris Skyline on Jul 26, 2011 19:28:21 GMT -5
Many people experience it; waking up paralyzed, fearful for your life, contemplating religions, hallucinating nightmarish creatures that you can't run away from because you're paralyzed. This is a very real and very wide spread condition known solely as Sleep Paralysis, abbreviated SP for short in this entry. SP can be caused by many things, from poor diet to sleep deprivation, to chronic history of it in the family. SP affects many Americans, and is recorded as the number one cause of “alien abduction” cases in recorded history. A brief history on SP is well and good, but how does it work? Why do we wake up paralyzed? Why do we hallucinate such things during? Could this be the answer to the mystery of extraterrestrial visitors?
Sleep Paralysis(SP) is defined as the inability to move upon waking, or just before going to bed. Cases date back as far as the early folklore of Old English texts, depicting the condition as “The Demon On Your Back” and often thought the condition was directly related to an Incubus sitting on the sleeping person, creating nightmares. The more recent trend in most SP victims is the tendency to think they were abducted by aliens(MedicineNet.com). The truth behind the condition, however, is so far from the supernatural or science fiction scale that these reported historical cases become laughable. In many countries, SP is depicted as a ghost, demon, or some form of evil creature sitting or bouncing on the sleeping person's chest, making them unable to move and only look on in horror.
The condition occurs most often in those who are sleep deprived, such as teenagers who feel the need to “party all night” and wake up regretting it anywhere from a few hours to a few days later. Some cases of SP have been linked to Narcolepsy, in which the part of the brain responsible for alertness is disrupted, causing spontaneous fainting or sleep spells. The two conditions have been closely rooted together in medical science for several years now, but there is no evidence supporting that there is a direct, positive correlation. There are two defined typed of SP, which break down as such due to the times during sleep they occur. If the paralysis occurs before sleep, it is called Predormital Sleep Paralysis(PreSP). If the paralysis occurs upon waking in the morning, it is considered Postdormital Sleep paralysis(PoSP).
What does SP do to the body? Thankfully, it is not a harmful condition. SP has no known physiological downsides, and the only real issue it presents is the horrible nightmares and the memories thereafter of such things. It is actually normal, and healthy, for the body to become paralyzed during REM(Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, as it prevents the body from harm during the sleep process. This natural paralysis is called REM Atonia. SP occurs when the body does these things out of order, or not quickly enough in unison. The cause of PreSP is the body going into REM Atonia before the brain consciously goes into REM sleep, creating the effect of an “out of body experience”(WebMD). PoSP occurs when the body awakens from REM sleep before it leaves REM Atonia. This is the case most commonly called “Demon On Your back” and is the more common of the two types of SP. During PoSP, the brain is still in an active, lucid dream, which is projected outward onto the waking world in the visual mind of the person. This accounts for most of the world's “alien abduction” stories, and in fact is the cause of many religious changes of heart. Most cases of both types last between a few seconds to several minutes.
Reported probable causes of SP are alcohol abuse, use of hallucinogenic drugs, sleep deprivation, Migraine, anxiety disorder, and high stress levels. SP affects most of the human population without them ever even knowing, due to how quickly it passes for some. Those who do experience it, consider it a spiritual visit or a demonic possession, and some see it as extraterrestrial abduction, but in all of these reported cases, one element is constant; victims report not being able to move, seeing strange, otherworldly things, and having a sense of unease and distress. In Western culture, especially in the United States, it is rumored that cases of SP were the doing of witches during the Salem Witch Trials, and is the probable reason for much of the “magical attacks” that lead to the stoning, burning, and crushing of “witches”.
The actual science behind SP is a much different field than the myths that accompany it, though the latter does provide most pop culture with its creative ideas on what scares people(Read: it gives Hollywood ideas.) and what is considered real or false. The medical diagnosis of SP is generally accompanied by other sleep disorders, leading to mass studies about connections between the two. The most common, most debated connection is between Chronic SP and Narcolepsy. It is hypothesized that Narcoleptics are prone to SP because of the blackouts that occur, and that these blackouts do not give the brain enough time to shift gears between REM Atonia and full alertness. However, this is still a hypothesis, and further testing is required.
This overview of Sleep Paralysis is meant to inform, and should not in any way be used to diagnose a person with the condition. This information is useful, and it should be considered, because a large percentage of the population suffers from the condition. You may have it and never know what to call it because of how hotly the topic is called into question as a symptom of other sleep disorders. Understanding Sleep paralysis is the first step towards understanding if the brain is telling you to get more sleep, to cut back on the drinks, to stop the Heroine abuse, or just to try relaxing and de-stress for a while. Sleep Paralysis can actually be seen as a helpful asset to our health, since it does not physically damage our bodies and can alert us to many problems we may have. It is often viewed as a miniscule problem, treated at best with increased sleep. However, it can tell us many other things about our health without harming us, making it almost as important to understand as bodily needs like hunger and thirst. Analysis of a person's life after Sleep Paralysis could show them a negative lifestyle choice, and improve overall health if acted upon.
Just try not to be too scared at the thing you fear most coming after you when you can't move long enough to consider that it was a hallucination.
Cited sources:
"Sleep Paralysis Symptoms, Treatment, and Causes." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 17 June 2011.
"Sleep Paralysis Information by MedicineNet.com." Web. 17 June 2011. Web. 17 June 2011.
Sleep Paralysis(SP) is defined as the inability to move upon waking, or just before going to bed. Cases date back as far as the early folklore of Old English texts, depicting the condition as “The Demon On Your Back” and often thought the condition was directly related to an Incubus sitting on the sleeping person, creating nightmares. The more recent trend in most SP victims is the tendency to think they were abducted by aliens(MedicineNet.com). The truth behind the condition, however, is so far from the supernatural or science fiction scale that these reported historical cases become laughable. In many countries, SP is depicted as a ghost, demon, or some form of evil creature sitting or bouncing on the sleeping person's chest, making them unable to move and only look on in horror.
The condition occurs most often in those who are sleep deprived, such as teenagers who feel the need to “party all night” and wake up regretting it anywhere from a few hours to a few days later. Some cases of SP have been linked to Narcolepsy, in which the part of the brain responsible for alertness is disrupted, causing spontaneous fainting or sleep spells. The two conditions have been closely rooted together in medical science for several years now, but there is no evidence supporting that there is a direct, positive correlation. There are two defined typed of SP, which break down as such due to the times during sleep they occur. If the paralysis occurs before sleep, it is called Predormital Sleep Paralysis(PreSP). If the paralysis occurs upon waking in the morning, it is considered Postdormital Sleep paralysis(PoSP).
What does SP do to the body? Thankfully, it is not a harmful condition. SP has no known physiological downsides, and the only real issue it presents is the horrible nightmares and the memories thereafter of such things. It is actually normal, and healthy, for the body to become paralyzed during REM(Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, as it prevents the body from harm during the sleep process. This natural paralysis is called REM Atonia. SP occurs when the body does these things out of order, or not quickly enough in unison. The cause of PreSP is the body going into REM Atonia before the brain consciously goes into REM sleep, creating the effect of an “out of body experience”(WebMD). PoSP occurs when the body awakens from REM sleep before it leaves REM Atonia. This is the case most commonly called “Demon On Your back” and is the more common of the two types of SP. During PoSP, the brain is still in an active, lucid dream, which is projected outward onto the waking world in the visual mind of the person. This accounts for most of the world's “alien abduction” stories, and in fact is the cause of many religious changes of heart. Most cases of both types last between a few seconds to several minutes.
Reported probable causes of SP are alcohol abuse, use of hallucinogenic drugs, sleep deprivation, Migraine, anxiety disorder, and high stress levels. SP affects most of the human population without them ever even knowing, due to how quickly it passes for some. Those who do experience it, consider it a spiritual visit or a demonic possession, and some see it as extraterrestrial abduction, but in all of these reported cases, one element is constant; victims report not being able to move, seeing strange, otherworldly things, and having a sense of unease and distress. In Western culture, especially in the United States, it is rumored that cases of SP were the doing of witches during the Salem Witch Trials, and is the probable reason for much of the “magical attacks” that lead to the stoning, burning, and crushing of “witches”.
The actual science behind SP is a much different field than the myths that accompany it, though the latter does provide most pop culture with its creative ideas on what scares people(Read: it gives Hollywood ideas.) and what is considered real or false. The medical diagnosis of SP is generally accompanied by other sleep disorders, leading to mass studies about connections between the two. The most common, most debated connection is between Chronic SP and Narcolepsy. It is hypothesized that Narcoleptics are prone to SP because of the blackouts that occur, and that these blackouts do not give the brain enough time to shift gears between REM Atonia and full alertness. However, this is still a hypothesis, and further testing is required.
This overview of Sleep Paralysis is meant to inform, and should not in any way be used to diagnose a person with the condition. This information is useful, and it should be considered, because a large percentage of the population suffers from the condition. You may have it and never know what to call it because of how hotly the topic is called into question as a symptom of other sleep disorders. Understanding Sleep paralysis is the first step towards understanding if the brain is telling you to get more sleep, to cut back on the drinks, to stop the Heroine abuse, or just to try relaxing and de-stress for a while. Sleep Paralysis can actually be seen as a helpful asset to our health, since it does not physically damage our bodies and can alert us to many problems we may have. It is often viewed as a miniscule problem, treated at best with increased sleep. However, it can tell us many other things about our health without harming us, making it almost as important to understand as bodily needs like hunger and thirst. Analysis of a person's life after Sleep Paralysis could show them a negative lifestyle choice, and improve overall health if acted upon.
Just try not to be too scared at the thing you fear most coming after you when you can't move long enough to consider that it was a hallucination.
Cited sources:
"Sleep Paralysis Symptoms, Treatment, and Causes." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 17 June 2011.
"Sleep Paralysis Information by MedicineNet.com." Web. 17 June 2011. Web. 17 June 2011.