Some sleep paralysis experiences are caused by sleeping in a supine (on the back) posture. A supine sleeper can feel paralyzed due to an atonic bladder, which means that one's urinary sphincter is relaxed and therefore unable to tighten the urethra to stop urination during sleep, thus leading to involuntary loss of urine. This condition has also been shown to cause occasional sleep paralysis.
A supine sleeper can also feel paralyzed due to a full stomach pressing on the diaphragm, exerting pressure against the phrenic nerve. This causes paralysis of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles (between rib pairs). In this case, it is possible for a person to awaken in order to take an anti-nausea medication such as Reglan.
While the above physiological causes explain most cases of sleep paralysis, there are some paranormal explanations for this phenomenon. Sleep Paralysis is a gateway to other realities and altered states of consciousness. Sleep Paralysis can be interpreted as an out-of-body experience (OBE), in which one perceives their own body from an objective perspective outside the physical body.
In some cases, sleep paralysis has been linked with alien abduction experiences, and in these situations the experiencer perceives an 'alien presence' that is sometimes described as a Grey. Such experiencers are often paralyzed either while they are in bed or upon awakening from a state of hypnagogia (a transitional mental state between wakefulness and sleep).
Because of the association between sleep paralysis and alien abduction, it is comforting to know that multiple studies have been conducted on people who claim to have had an alien abduction experience. These experiencers are surprisingly normal psychologically speaking.
Interestingly, there is a higher prevalence of sleep paralysis among people who experience microsleep episodes during the day. A microsleep episode is simply when one falls asleep for a few seconds and then abruptly awakens. These episodes are often brief enough that they don't lead to an OBE.
Sleep Paralysis is a phenomenon that occurs when the brain awakes from an REM cycle without having completed it. The body will wake up, but the mind may not yet be aware of this fact.
This can be quite a frightening experience for the human, and usually is because of not knowing why one cannot move. I will provide an example, which occurred to me last week:
I was sleeping when I awoke to a sensation of paralysis. My body was completely paralyzed, but my mind was fully aware-I could think clearly.
I was unable to move a muscle, but I could hear everything and after a few moments realized that my roommate had turned off the light and gone to sleep.
This was an interesting experience, as I had never been awake during this period before.
The first thing I noticed was that my body was frozen and could not move. It is a very unsettling feeling to be aware of one's surroundings, but unable to do anything.
There are two possible solutions to this.
One is to allow the mind of a human being to be so easily controlled and influenced by other humans, that they can manipulate it into sleep paralysis simply by telling them about it. This seems highly unlikely.
The other is that you are simply not aware of the true nature of sleep paralysis, and how it works. If this is the case then we should begin by looking at what exactly sleep paralysis is.
Sleep paralysis is something that happens to humans when they are going in, or coming out of sleep. It can happen at any point during the night.
When a human is in the process of going into sleep, or coming out of sleep, there are bodily changes that take place.
At the point where a human is going into sleep, their heart rate slows down and their body temperature drops. This is referred to as hypnagogia, and it occurs in all humans at this point.
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which the subject feels unable to move, speak or react due to sleep. It is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations and sometimes frightening experiences of being crushed, suffocated or paralyzed.
It is currently unclear what causes sleep paralysis. Scientists believe that it occurs during a phase between wakefulness and REM sleep, in which the body paralyzes itself as a protective measure to prevent dreamers from physically acting out their dreams.
The nature of sleep paralysis makes it a common condition for humans to experience in their lifetime. It can be quite frightening, as well as disruptive to one's life.
Because of its commonness and occurrence, there are many theories on the true nature of sleep paralysis. I'll summarize a few:
The first is that the brain cannot distinguish between actual and imagined events. When we dream, our brains often simulate bodily sensations, but when sleep paralysis occurs, we are not dreaming.
Another theory is that parts of the body may develop a form of neuralgia, which is characterized by intense and persistent pain in some part of the body. The brain then reacts to this sensation with paralysis.
Sleep Paralysis is when the body and mind are awake, but one cannot move. The nervous system is just 'frozen' or locked in place for a few moments. Sleep paralysis happens to most people on at least one occasion.
And as such, I see it as an actual opportunity to learn something about yourself. In that moment of paralysis, in which you are completely awake and conscious but unable to move, what thoughts cross your mind?
Are you afraid? What do you think will happen next?
If you are not afraid, then why are you consciously aware? Is it because your body is paralyzed, so the mind becomes more active to compensate for the lack of physical movement?
Now imagine that you have a condition where your mind would remain conscious while the body is paralyzed, or perhaps to a greater extent. Then what might happen?
In such a state, the mind would be free to roam. It could go anywhere that it wanted to and do anything that it chose. How might this affect your life?
Well, the first thing is to look at your life's goal. If you want to feel free and have no obstacle in their lives, then I don't think it too bad for people to feel like they are being pushed down by a force that they can not resist.
You can not solve this problem, because it is part of the human experience. However, you should feel free to live your life as you want. As for me I do not think are paralysed by a force that she can not resist, but rather sleep paralysis.
Therefore, I could not answer this question because it is a subjective matter. Moreover, there is no real way to prevent sleep paralysis.
I could say that you are asleep, but if it is not true. You might try to do things or move away from your bed because of sleep paralysis.
However, if your body is not moving and you feel like it is, then you can not do anything but wait for sleep paralysis to subside.
If you are unable to move your body, then it is not a bad thing. It feels very nice and comfortable. Instead you might want to try and learn how to navigate sleep paralysis experiences.
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