Not everyone has experienced sleep paralysis, but if you have, you probably remember the experience.
Sleep paralysis is technically a brief loss of muscle control, a short state of what feels like paralysis. It happens just after falling asleep or waking up — often in that in-between feeling where a person is mentally alert and knows they are sleeping.
When sleep paralysis happens, it is impossible to move the body. It can be accompanied by hallucinations, lucid dreams, or “waking dreams”, and it does normally subside fairly quickly. But, as you can imagine, it is a pretty terrifying experience!
Some people experience sleep paralysis only once or twice in their lives. Others, however, suffer from it often. It is connected to the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of the sleep cycle and is therefore considered to be a REM parasomnia. (A parasomnia is an abnormal behaviour during sleep.)
Since this phenomenon interrupts the deepest part of the sleep cycle, living with it means that the person is not getting the sleep and rest they need. Seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is extremely important for the body and mind to function in a healthy way. Without it, a person is prone to a range of challenges like mood swings, weight gain, poor concentration, and so on. It can’t be overstated how important healthy sleep really is.
So, if a person is experiencing sleep paralysis, what can be done to prevent it? There are a few things that actually everyone can do to improve their sleep health. By following these healthy sleep tips, the better sleep a person will likely get.
4 Healthy Sleep Tips To Get Better Sleep
1. Keep a Routine
Conditioning yourself to fall asleep and stay asleep might take some time but by following the same routine every night helps the body relax and fall into a deep sleep. This includes winding down from screens and going to bed at the same time every night.
2. Invest in Comfort
This includes a high-quality mattress that suits your needs, comfortable bedding that is appropriate for the season and temperature, and pillows that are the right size and height for your body.
3. Stay Healthy
Common factors that are associated with sleep paralysis include chronic and acute anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and insomnia, high blood pressure, PTSD, as well as other sleep disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy. Ensuring a good diet, exercise, mental health support will all help contribute to optimal health and fewer conditions.
4. Reduce Sleep Disruptions
Keeping your sleep space dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature will help ensure that a good night’s sleep will go uninterrupted. It’s also a good idea to avoid things like caffeine in the afternoon and evening, limit alcohol intake, and ensure that medications are not impacting sleep.
The truth is, there is no conclusive agreement on what causes sleep paralysis. But since it is a sleep disorder, improving the conditions for sleep is important. If it is affecting your life, getting a medical diagnosis is a good step, in addition to following the above steps which should hopefully put you on the right track for a restful sleep, free from paralysis! Please contact us if you are looking for mattresses in Surrey.