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Sleep Paralysis- A Real-Life Nightmare

Sleep paralysis (SP) is defined as a temporary conscious state in which the victim becomes paralyzed upon waking or falling asleep and is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations. Although SP is becoming more prevalent across cultures the experiences may vary. However, they all seem to include the same similar factors of a sensed evil presence and trouble with respiratory functions. A factor model of hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences has been developed based on these cultural narratives of SP. These factors include Intruder, a sensed presence, and Incubus, common symptoms such as pressure on the chest and trouble breathing REM sleep plays a huge role in SP, as this is the stage in which most victims experience the dreadful feelings of SP. There are a number of experiences and a variety of sensations inflicted during SP such as approaching footsteps, whispering voices, or apparitions of a threatening presence. REM associated with sleep paralysis seems to differ from dream-related REM in that there is little or no blocking of external stimulation and no loss of waking consciousness. The REM stage of sleep familiar to us is one in which we are not aware of external stimuli while sleeping and a temporary loss of consciousness. However this type of REM associated with SP, is one in which we are, in fact receptive to external stimuli and become fully awake (rather abruptly) and conscious of our surroundings. point out that during REM, motor paralysis will lead to the experience of breathing difficulties when the person attempts to breathe deeply. This can sometimes result in the experience of choking or suffocating sensations. So the muscle paralysis of REM sleep leads one to feel like they are trapped, which can turn to panic and lead the victim to gasp for air. This inability to breathe could also be the reason why people report feeling weight or pressure on their chest. Intruder The first factor, Intruder, is the initial effect of sleep paralysis. This is the stage that imposes a sense of fear on the victim, bringing them to a realization of an evil presence. Auditory and visual hallucinations are frequently experienced during this time, as there is a heightened awareness of one’s surroundings. “The experience of the Intruder begins with brain-stem-induced amygdaloid activation producing a hypervigilant state in which detection thresholds are lowered and biased toward cues for threat or danger” (Cheyne, p. 329). The amygdala is the part of the brain most important in understanding the nightmare. It produces a keen watchfulness that is programmed to detect danger in our surroundings. It is suggested that the threatening presence experienced during sleep paralysis is often associated with ‘thalamic projections to the amygdala’. The thalamus sends signals to the amygdala, which then picks up cues for danger, but because REM sleep includes paralysis of muscles, the victim wakes up completely aware but unable to react. In normal emergency situations, the immediate sensing of danger is quickly realized and can be resolved with action. The amygdala is helpful in enhancing the examination of important factors of a threatening stimulus and can then concur the nature of the threat. However, in the absence of an external cause, attempts to detect the source of fear will fail to produce a confirmation of what is really happening around the victim undergoing sleep paralysis. This is a chilling experience that might normally last a few milliseconds, but in sleep paralysis is may last many seconds or even minutes! Under these conditions, subjects might experience an elongated but insubstantial conscious awareness of an unknown presence strongly associated with fear and/or misinterpretation of normal objects and surroundings”. The victim seems to be conscious for a fairly long time once they awaken, but this consciousness is weak and seems only imaginary. Because of the amygdala’s ‘false’ signals, the brain awakens in fear but the source of fear is unknown. The muscles are then paralyzed so that escaping it is not an option. This results in what ‘fear’ doesn’t even begin to explain. Incubus features of the nightmare include various characteristics of REM respiration. These features include shallow rapid breathing, choking, pressure, and sometimes-even pain. “Both tidal volume and breathing rate are sometimes quite variable during REM, and because of paralysis of the major anti-gravity muscles, thoracic contribution to breathing is even lower during REM than NREM sleep” (Cheyne, p. 330). This explains the respiratory contribution to sleep paralysis. Because breathing is already slow and lower during REM, this combined with muscle paralysis can be extremely terrifying. The victim will then attempt to breathe deeply, just as they attempt to move their body parts that are also unsuccessful. When these attempts fail, the sense of resistance will be ‘interpreted as pressure’. Increased airflow resistance due to hypotonia of the upper airway muscles along with the constriction of airways can result in feelings of choking and suffocation. This can then lead to panic and strenuous efforts to overcome the paralysis. As for pain, the paralysis of voluntary movements can lead to struggle and can further lead to painful muscle spasms. In fact, 13 women involved in a study regarding sleep paralysis all described their SP experience as feeling similar to be sexually assaulted or raped. It is evident that both of these factors collectively capture the various hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences occurring during sleep paralysis. Both the Intruder and Incubus experiences were strongly associated with the emotion of fear and were also proven to reflect mechanisms underlying reactions to threat and assault. The intensity of Intruder experiences seemed to increase the intensity of the Incubus experiences. Depending on how vivid the Intruder experience is, it can largely affect the sequence and understanding of all hallucinations associated with sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is becoming more prevalent across countries and cultures. Approximately 25 to 40% of people report some sleep paralysis experience, although the experience may vary across cultures. Regardless of how different these experiences may vary, from hallucinations to trouble breathing, and a sensed presence, the same model of Incubus and Intruder constructs them all. We realize this recurring pattern of sleep paralysis through studying the elements of Intruder and Incubus. The sensed presence and visual and auditory hallucinations of Intruder, along with the respiratory issues and pressure of Incubus result in this terrifying phenomenon of sleep paralysis.