Sleep Paralysis, a Terrifying Reality

Imagine you wake up and see some sort of monster running toward you and you're so frightened that you can't even move.

That is a very real problem. There is no monster. But you really are paralyzed in fear.

Dr. Bhupesh Dihenia is a neurologist at Grace Clinic who also specializes in Sleep Medicine.

He explains that Sleep Paralysis is an event that comes when the body is in between sleep stages.

These are not night terrors, which usually happen in children. They wake up and scream for someone to comfort them.

Instead, Sleep Paralysis usually happens in adults and the paralysis may continue from seconds to minutes.

Dr. Dihenia says a lot of different things can cause sleep paralysis

Fortunately, it is usually an isolated event. It can be triggered by a sleep condition like narcolepsy or even sleep



apnea.

But he says perhaps the biggest culprit is simply sleep deprivation.

Dr. Dihenia empathizes with patients who come to him with this problem. He says, “It's very scary to be paralyzed in bed and think that monsters and various things are coming after you and you can't move.

It's very common. There are studies that show it can be 9 percent to almost 30 percent can have sleep paralysis.”

So what is the treatment?

He says the best thing we can all do is practice good sleep hygiene.

He explains what that means, “ Get at least 6, 7 hours of sleep. Try not to sleep on your back. Control your sleep apnea. Try not to take too many stimulants because stimulants can also lead to having sleep paralysis.”

If you have an episode of Sleep Paralysis, tell your family doctor.

And if a sleep specialist is recommended, Dr. Dihenia says be sure to follow through with that because Sleep Paralysis can be terrifying, and perhaps just as easily prevented.