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Have you ever woken up after sleeping, unable to move?
This is known as sleep paralysis and anyone who has experienced it will know how terrifying it can be.
Plus she shared her tips for preventing sleep paralysis episodes and how to deal with it in the moment.
What is sleep paralysis?
It happens when your body is in between stages of sleep and wakefulness.
Although generally harmless, it can be extremely frightening.
As you’re able to imagine, or may know, this can be distressing.
3 ways stress can cause sleep paralysis
1.
Stress prevents deep sleep
Activating the sympathetic nervous system, stress can negatively impact your ability to sleep well.
Poor mental health damages sleep
Stress is associated with and can cause poor mental wellbeing.
What else causes sleep paralysis?
Besides stress, there are a number of other causes of sleep paralysis.
Studieshave also found that using certain drugs or medications likeantidepressantscan cause sleep paralysis.
Dr Rohrscheib says good sleep hygiene will ensure you get enough sleep for your brain to function properly.
Avoid alcohol
Dr Rohrscheib recommends avoiding alcohol, especially before bed, to avoid sleep paralysis.
Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to sleep paralysis.
You might have even noticed that your episodes occur after a boozey weekend.
This way you’re free to practice exercises to help you through the episode.
As previously discussed, mental health struggles, especially those revolving around stress, can cause sleep paralysis.
Therefore, cognitive behavioral therapy can prevent the distress associated with the episodes.
Who is more likely to suffer from sleep paralysis?
However, there are factors that make you more susceptible to the sleep problem.
