Sleep paralysis victims often complain of hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, such as seeing space aliens and shadow-people in their bedroom (Cheyne et al.
An estimated 75% of sleep paralysis episodes also involve hallucinations that are distinct from typical dreams. These can occur as hypnagogic hallucinations when falling asleep or as hypnopompic hallucinations when waking up.
Sleep paralysis may include hallucinations, such as an intruding presence or dark figure in the room, suffocating or the individual feeling a sense of terror, accompanied by a feeling of pressure on one's chest and difficulty breathing.
Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid visual, auditory, tactile, or even kinetic perceptions that, like sleep paralysis, occur during the transitions between wakefulness and REM sleep. Examples include a sensation of impending threat, feelings of suffocation, and sensations of floating, spinning, or falling.
They can impact all five senses, leading people to see, feel, hear, or smell things that seem very real, even though they're not there. While hypnopompic hallucinations can frighten some, their occurrence is relatively common and rarely cause for concern.
Hypnagogic Hallucinations
The auditory hallucinations can range from a collection of sounds to an elaborate melody. The hallucinations may also occur on awakening (hypnopompic hallucinations). When these hallucinations occur along with sleep paralysis, the experience can be particularly frightening.
Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis (RISP): multiple episodes over time that are unrelated to any sleep disorder or medical problem that may cause excessive daytime sleepiness due to fear of sleeping. Note: RISP is extremely rare, occurring in less than 0.5% of healthy people.
For some people with PTSD, sleep paralysis is not only a symptom but also a trigger for additional anxiety and general mental ill-health. That's because temporary immobility from sleep paralysis can blur the boundaries between reality and nightmares.
This usually occurs as you're waking up, but can happen when falling asleep. During an episode of sleep paralysis you may: find it difficult to take deep breaths, as if your chest is being crushed or restricted. be able to move your eyes – some people can also open their eyes but others find they can't.
Similarly, the auditory (hearing) hallucinations in sleep paralysis can range from routine to bizarre. Many people hear various noises, but hearing voices is the most common. The voices may sound like whispers, screams, or laughter.
- It's a completely natural occurrence, and is definitely not a disease! Sleep paralysis can happen to anyone under the sun. In fact, several studies have shown that most people have at least one episode in their life, and they aren't even aware of it.
Although the exact cause of sleep-related hallucinations remains unknown, many experts believe that hallucinations during sleep paralysis occur when people experience the vivid dreams of REM sleep while they are awake.
During sleep paralysis, your body remains paralyzed, but your mind wakes up. Because you are technically in the dream stage of sleep, you may also hallucinate sensations such as feeling pressure on your chest or limbs, seeing a shadowy figure, or even have an out-of-body experience.
Sleep paralysis is when you cannot move or speak as you are waking up or falling asleep. It can be scary but it's harmless and most people will only get it once or twice in their life.
People with narcolepsy often have sleep paralysis. If you are diagnosed with narcolepsy, a sleep doctor will work with you to find a treatment plan for your narcolepsy. When sleep paralysis is not associated with other disorders there are few treatment options.
There are no proven therapies that can stop a sleep paralysis episode, but most people who experience it routinely report that focusing on making small body movements (such as moving one finger, then another) helps them to recover more quickly.
Sleep Paralysis Post-Episode Distress (SPPED) is characterised as negative feelings and memories associated with SP experiences that occur immediately after an SP episode. SPPED has received little empirical attention7.
Sleep paralysis can begin at any age, but initial symptoms usually show up in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. After starting in the teenage years, episodes can occur more frequently in later decades.
1 Most people don't have more than one or two episodes in their lifetime unless their sleep paralysis is caused by another condition. If needed, treatment focuses on reducing episodes and helping you cope with anxiety and stress caused by episodes. It also addresses any underlying causes of sleep paralysis.
It affects approximately 7.6% of the general population during their lifetime.
This body movement is what doctors and scientists call a hypnic (or hypnagogic) or myoclonic jerk. It's also known as a "sleep start," and it can literally startle you out of falling asleep. This type of feeling is normal, and it can happen before people enter the deeper stages of sleep.
While it is a symptom of certain mental health conditions, other more common reasons that might be causing someone to hear voices are medical conditions such as narcolepsy, infections, lack of sleep, recent bereavement, and fever.
The scary image which pops into your head when you're about to fall asleep is probably a hypnagogic hallucination. We can see, hear, or feel things which aren't there when we are falling asleep or when we are waking up. These things can be upsetting, but they are really nothing to worry about.