This sleep disorder occurs in 5-10% of the population and good sleeping habits help prevent its appearance. Dr Àlex Iranzo, a neurologist and an expert in sleep disorders, explains.
The best way to stop this from happening is to have good sleeping habits.
Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder that can occur in healthy people and is not associated with other diseases. It is usually experienced as an episode of panic and anguish, as the person is awake and aware of his surroundings but cannot move. This happens when the waking phase overlaps with the REM phase of sleep. However, good sleeping habits can prevent it from appearing.
"Even if it seems like hours, in a few seconds, all will be well." Dr Alex Iranzo
"When the patient experiences it, he is in the waking phase - and so is awake and conscious - but his body is still in the REM phase and in this phase the body cannot move," explains Dr. Iranzo, a neurologist who is an expert in sleep disorders. When this happens, the best thing to do is try to stay calm. "Even if it seems like hours, in a few seconds, all will be well," he adds. If the episodes are very recurrent, medication may be prescribed in some cases.
“People who sleep between 4 and 6 hours are more likely to suffer from this condition.” Dr Alex Iranzo
The best way to stop this from happening is to have good sleeping habits. “People who sleep between 4 and 6 hours are more likely to suffer from this condition.” Despite this, the disorder is common in 5-10% of the population. "It is so common that, in countries like Mexico, it is known as 'the dead riding you’,” says Dr Àlex Iranzo.
The stages of sleep
Before the body falls asleep, it is in a state of wakefulness. In this stage, the person is fully awake and aware of what is happening around him.
Once the body falls asleep, it goes through different stages, mainly divided into the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase and non-REM stage. A healthy adult sleeps 75% of the time in the non-REM stage and 25% in the REM stage.
In the non-REM stage, there are no eye movements as such, and it is divided into a ‘drifting off’ phase (corresponding to 10% of the time), a light sleep phase (45% of the time) and a deep sleep phase (20% of the time).
In the REM stage, rapid eye movements occur. Although your body in this stage cannot move, the brain is highly active, and this is when dreams occur. This stage is also related to memory and learning processes.
