What is a Paralysis Dream?

Throughout my childhood, I experienced dreams that involved fighting or survival scenarios, which often left me frustrated because I could not move my arms, no matter how hard I tried to swing. One morning, I awoke to find my blankets tightly wrapped around me, causing the sensation of partial paralysis, which finally revealed the reason behind my dreams.

The Phenomenon of Sleep Paralysis

A paralysis dream, often referred to as sleep paralysis, is a phenomenon that occurs when a person is temporarily unable to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up. During this state, individuals may experience a range of sensations, including:

Inability to Move

The person is awake but cannot move their body, including lifting their arms or speaking, which can be distressing.

Vivid Hallucinations

Many experience vivid hallucinations, which can include seeing figures in the room, feeling pressure on the chest, or hearing sounds. These sensations can lead to feelings of fear or anxiety.

Awareness

Individuals are typically aware of their surroundings but feel trapped in their own body.

What Triggers Sleep Paralysis?

According to research, sleep paralysis is often associated with disrupted sleep patterns, sleep deprivation, or conditions like narcolepsy. It is more common during the transition between sleep and wakefulness, particularly during periods of stress or irregular sleep schedules.

During a sleep paralysis episode, the neurons in the area of the brain responsible for motor activities often dysfunction. The medulla, a region in the brain, contains the circuit for the motor control of the body, which has the capacity to paralyze the body when we are asleep.

When we are dreaming, our body is expected to be paralyzed to prevent us from acting out our dreams. However, the system may remain active even after the body is awake, or the reticulated activating system, which is responsible for making us alert, may delay or dysfunction, resulting in sleep paralysis.

Experiencing Sleep Paralysis

These are the dreams, usually but not always, in which a person screams or tries to move to get out of a unpleasant situation but is unable to speak or move while being awake. This is why such dreams are often called sleep paralysis dreams.

During an episode of sleep paralysis, the body is sort of paralyzed. We may try our best to speak or move, but we can't or it takes time, which is why it is called sleep paralysis.

Research suggests that the system responsible for motor control might remain active since the body is awake even after sleep, or the reticulated activating system, which has the opposite effect of making us alert, may delay or dysfunction, resulting in sleep paralysis. Understanding the brain's role in this phenomenon can help us better understand and manage these experiences.