What is sleep paralysis?

During sleep paralysis, the person can seem that he was kidnapped by aliens

Did you ever see a dream that occurs like in reality — you are lying on the bed unable to move, and all around something terrible happens to you in the window is taken by the monster or even sitting on your chest, trying to tear you to pieces. Or you can see if someone sinister in the room watching you, creeping closer and closer. In this case, you have no influence on what is happening, as your arms and legs don't obey you. You can't do anything, not even scream. If something like that happened to you or your loved ones, remember that being scared and you — this condition is called sleep paralysis and is described in detail by specialists.

What are sleep disorders?

We just wrote about the benefits of healthy sleep. However regardless of every day or not, there are sleep disorders that can seriously spoil your life. So, one man dreamed that he plays football. At the crucial moment of the game the man shouted “I'm gonna score a goal!”, grabbed his head next to the sleeping wife and tried to throw the ball to the foot of the bed. Also, there are cases when in the dream the people had committed crimes — one man strangled his wife because he dreamt of being chased by two armed soldiers.

Nightmares, according to scientists, even animals dream. If you have Pets, you probably noticed that cats and dogs in a dream can make a quick motion with their paws. Perhaps you even saw the video, which is sleeping peacefully on his side, the dog suddenly begins to pull the legs and grins. Then the animal suddenly jumps up and swung crashed into the wall.

But how to explain such behavior of animals and people? Such have nothing to do for example with sleep apnea — a delay sleep apnea and even restless leg syndrome — it is a condition in which a person experiences unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities that make it intense to move the legs to relieve the tension. To understand what can cause this strange behavior during sleep, you need to look into a condition known as sleep paralysis.

Monsters of nightmares

In every culture there are stories about demons who attack peacefully sleeping people. In fact, this is not surprising. Biologist Alexander Panin in the book “ the dark arts”, dedicated to the explanation of a variety of paranormal phenomena, describes the state that our ancestors could be explained solely by the intervention of evil spirits. But we all know that demons and spirits are not to blame.

photo biologist, and popularizer of science Alexander Panin, author of “Defense against the dark arts” — highly recommended reading

In fact, a condition known as sleep paralysis — it is a surprisingly common sleep disorder, or just before bedtime, or during a revival: the man suddenly wakes up, fully aware of yourself and what's around them while remaining physically paralyzed. Despite the fact that the eye of man can discover, make any sound or move any of the limbs impossible. Not surprisingly, this condition causes intense fear. In this case, being in limbo between sleep and awake, the person suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations, which usually coincide with the sense of presence and movement around the body.

However, no matter how terrible didn't seem like sleep paralysis, it causes is quite simple to explain — this disorder is associated with disruption of REM sleep during which we dream — the so-called REM (short for rapid eye movements — rapid eye movement). During REM, the brain blocks the movement of most of the muscles that we did not get up while sleeping and was not injured. Thus, during this phase of sleep may receive the sleep paralysis — the movement of muscles locked, while the man is already awake.

Sleep paralysis occurs in healthy people who are influenced very tired, changed the time zone and too quickly reached a deep sleep phase (first two hours). Also sleep paralysis overtakes people who sleep on their back. To get rid of sleep paralysis you need to properly rest. Also, this condition affects people suffering from anxiety disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Why sleep paralysis is not dangerous?

According to scientists, during the terrible visions that accompany sleep paralysis, there is no risk to life, because nothing that we see and hear is not real. In addition, the paralysis lasts for several minutes. After full awakening experts advise to get up and move, otherwise there is the likelihood of recurrence of this unpleasant condition. Thus, the terrible stories about the night dushitelej and house that sit on the chest, allegedly intending something to alert a sleeping person, caused by a failure in REM due to excessive fatigue. So ifyou suddenly caught up with sleep paralysis, feel free to take a day off, and it is better to go on vacation.

And you've never experienced sleep paralysis? Participants share with each other stories of life, join.

But how then to explain the strange behavior in the dream of humans and animals described in the beginning of the article?

Scientists believe that the physical activity during the phase of REM can cause neurological damage. In cases where the people in the dream to cause harm to themselves and others, as the man who played the head of the wife in football, the experts found damage to the brainstem in the region of the Pons — it is a part of the brain responsible for sensory, motor and reflex functions. At the same time, experts note that this condition must be distinguished from lunacy — the condition in which a person walks in sleep. The fact that sleepwalking has nothing to do with REM and expressed in unconscious movements during the phase of slow sleep. According to experts, sleepwalking suffer from 6-7% of children, but with age, the sleepwalking takes place.

it is not Surprising that our ancestors were telling spooky stories about monsters and demons that come during sleep

So the next time you hear a story about demons and the monsters that come at night to someone's bed, remember this article and do not be afraid.