Here's A List Of All The Types Of Hallucinations You Might Experience During Sleep Paralysis

Jul 04, 2018

You’ll find hundreds of web pages detailing how you can get a good night’s sleep. However, if you are part of the 7.6% of the population who experiences sleep paralysis on a regular basis, you probably haven’t found as much information on this disorder as others! This condition is very under-reported and you just can’t find the same amount of information on it as you can with other sleep disorders.

Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder that occurs when you wake up and realize that you cannot move any part of your body.

When you are in the non-rapid eye movement stage of sleep, or REM, your dreams seem more realistic. The condition can occur for a few seconds to a couple of minutes and it often happens to those who are sad and/or depressed.

There are a couple different types of sleep paralysis that can occur:

When you experience an Incubus hallucination you will feel as though there is something on your chest squeezing the air out of your lungs. It feels as if someone is on top of you, suffocating and strangling you. It is a scary feeling but it is important to try and remember that it is not real.

Many people who experience sleep paralysis also feel as though there is an intruder in their room or house. They will also feel fear and can experience visual and auditory hallucinations at the same time.

The body then goes into a “hyper-vigilant state of mind,” making the person very aware of any stimuli around them. Even very small sounds during sleep paralysis can be terrifying. Incubus and intruder hallucinations typically go hand-in-hand.

This specific sleep paralysis hallucination is one of the more uncommon ones. Users describe the feeling of an out-of-body experience. They may feel as though there are flying around the room or having a strange encounter. Different parts of the person’s brain are active during this time.

There is a specific time during REM sleep when the cerebellar, brainstem, and cortical vestibular centers are activated together.

Sleep paralysis is often hereditary. However, it can happen to anyone, man or woman. There are some factors that may increase a person’s likelihood of experiencing sleep paralysis, such as age, mental state, jet lag, sleep disturbances, and lack of sleep. Some individuals who work multiple shifts also experience sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis has also been linked to issues such as narcolepsy, seizures, and hypertension. It is also more common among specific groups of people.

Being depressed and dealing with a lot of stress can also cause sleep paralysis to happen. It may help to try and reduce how much stress is in your life and try to maintain a proper sleep schedule. However, there is not yet a cure for sleep paralysis. If you or someone you love is suffering from this disorder, try to apply the solutions that are applicable to your situation to prevent further episodes from occurring.

Have you experienced sleep paralysis at some point in your life? Tell us your experience and show this to a friend who you know is dealing with this problem, or to show them what you're going through!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!