Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis as the name suggests is a condition that triggers when a person is asleep. A person who is about to asleep or immediately after waking up finds it difficult to move the limbs and perform voluntary movements. They can, breathe and can move their eyes.

Causes-
Reasons could be stress, anxiety, depression, narcolepsy, puberty, bipolar disorder, sleeping on the back, deprivation from sleep, irregular sleep schedules, change in lifestyle, change in environments, hereditary factors etc.

Symptoms associated with sleep paralysis
In this condition the person complaints about the inability to move, arms or limbs upon wakening. The person might not be comfortable or might not be able to speak during the attack. This can happen before or after sleep, after waking up. In case of complete or partial skeletal muscle paralysis, this can happen. It can also be related with hypagogic hallucinations, visual hallucination, and auditory hallucination. The person can feel that the body is being pressed along with occasional sensations. They may even feel light as if floating in the air.

How is sleep paralysis dangerous?
This condition is mostly linked with narcolepsy, it is a neurological condition. But there may be some others who might experience it without narcolepsy. The reasons are still unknown. The condition is frightening. The people get afraid as they do not know what to do. They even might feel looming death and suffocation. The anxiety level on account of these increases.

Treatment-
In most of the severe conditions after the intervention of doctor medicines like sodium oxybate (xyrem) are prescribed. The best and natural way to evade this condition is lessening the stress and getting good amount of sleep. The main problem is due to sleep disorder.

Prevention-
See that you get enough sleep and do not take much stress. Make it a point to exercise regularly and follow healthy sleeping pattern. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals before sleep.