Sleep Paralysis Was the Most Terrifying Experience of My Life

What is sleep paralysis and how to deal with it

Some years ago, when I got acute Tinnitus, I went through the most challenging period of my life.

The ringing inside my brain was so loud that it turned my life upside down. One consequence was to make me sleep-deprived. I was exhausted, depressed, and panicking about my future, thinking I couldn't live like that, with a constant high pitch noise bursting out of my ears.

With a lot of internal work and with the help of my dog (that literally saved my life), I learned to live with Tinnitus, instead of living for Tinnitus. After understanding its triggers and how to relieve it when it’s very high, I started to have a normal life again. I regained control.

But it was a hard and long process. One that included the most terrifying thing I’ve experienced in my life: sleep paralysis.

What sleep paralysis is

The NHS defines sleep paralysis as:

When you cannot move or speak as you are waking up or falling asleep. It can be scary but it’s harmless and most people will only get it once or twice in their life.

Those who experience sleep paralysis are awake but their body is asleep; it won’t respond to any command.

This inability of moving your body is called atonia. It’s a process that occurs during the dream phase of sleep. Our brain turns off signals to the entire body, so it will rest and to prevent it from moving around or acting out on our dreams (source).

Sleep paralysis seems to be when this atonia occurs while you are awake. Source

The brain seems to forget to order the body to come out of the atonia state. We are awake, but the body doesn’t know it.

Research shows that the episodes have an average duration of 6 minutes, but they can go from a few seconds to twenty minutes. (source).

My research on the topic wasn’t very helpful about what makes the atonia stop. This article states that “the episode usually ends on its own, although it may also end when someone touches you or speaks to you.”

I was alone during both of my episodes, so I can’t test the second hypothesises.

There are two types of sleep paralysis:

Luckily, I belong to the type of isolated sleep paralysis.

This means that it happens with no correlation to underlying health conditions, like narcolepsy or neurological disorders.

The other type is recurrent sleep paralysis, which involves multiple episodes over time (source).

Causes for sleep paralysis

I have no doubts that me being sleep deprived was what triggered my sleep paralysis episodes.

But there are other reasons it can happen:

• insomnia
• disrupted sleeping patterns (because of shift work or jet lag)
• narcolepsy
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• general anxiety disorder
• panic disorder
• a family history of sleep paralysis

(source, NHS)

My experience with sleep paralysis

My first experience was terrifying.

I’ve had another sleepless night, where my brain screamed a high pitch ringing, in an extremely loud volume, all night long. In the morning, I was exhausted.

Later on, I laid on the sofa, and I fell asleep, watching TV. The next thing I remember is me waking up, but unable to move my body or open my eyes. Even so, I saw my late partner, the love of my life, in front of me.

I kept struggling to move my body, to get up from the sofa and hug him. I was screaming in my mind for him not to go away and demanding to wake up so I could hold him again.

I remember being in a complete panic, shouting at myself to move; I knew that if I wouldn't wake up, I could never see my partner ever again. I was desperate.

My impotence to react was the most horrifying experience I’ve ever had.

Experts say that during an episode of sleep paralysis, 75% of the cases involve hallucinations, so it seems it was what happened to me.

I don’t know how I made myself awake and how long the episode lasted, but it was horrible.

My second experience was also very scary. It happened a couple of weeks later, I guess, for the same reason: extreme mental and physical tiredness, due to sleep deprivation. Thanks, Tinnitus.

During my second sleep paralysis experience, I didn’t hallucinate; I woke up and, again, my body was trapped.

I remember shouting in my mind, ordering me to open my eyes. I struggled to move my body. I couldn’t move, the panic escalated, like in my previous experience.

Despite being harmless, sleep paralysis is terrifying

What you can do to help to prevent sleep paralysis

Because most cases are related to sleep disturbances, the best thing to do is to invest in your sleep quality.

It’s not easy if your sleep problems aren’t under your control, like my situation with Tinnitus, but you should promote the measures that are.

Improving sleep hygiene is the most effective way of preventing sleep paralysis.

Sleep hygiene refers to your daily habits that impact your sleep quality, as do your bedroom settings. Your habits don’t have to be only nocturnal, anything you do during the day might have a negative impact on your sleep.

Here are a few things you can do to promote healthy sleep hygiene:

Have a healthy sleeping schedule

Try to have the same schedule to go to bed and to wake up, including on your days off. The body needs to have a sleeping/waking routine.

Have, at least, six hours of sleep. Although there are exceptions of adults needing less time to sleep, most of us need 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep.

Improve your bedtime routine

Before you go to bed, de-escalate stress and anxiety. You can do it through mindful breathing, yoga, by having a hot beverage (no sugar, caffeine, or alcohol) or reading a book.

Engaging in relaxing activities before bedtime is a good predictor of a good night of sleep.

Also, avoid eating heavily before going to bed. If you’re hungry, opt for a non-sweet snack — as research links sweet food, like cookies, with sleep disturbances.

Your bedtime routine should also include turning off your electric devices. Not only whatever you’re browsing will keep your brain active, but the blue light from the screen has a negative impact on your sleep (source).

Your bedroom should be a relaxing and inviting place. Set up dim lights and cut as much noise as you can, with heavy curtains, and other soundproof tricks.

Have a comfortable mattress and pillow

Having an uncomfortable bed is one reason for having sleep problems (source).

Make sure you have a comfortable mattress and an adequate pillow.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise has immense benefits for your physical and mental health. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety, and it has a positive impact on your sleep quality.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle, including exercise. But avoid doing it the four hours before going to bed.

Do not sleep on your back

This position seems to make it more prone to sleep paralysis to happen. This happens because it will be more likely for you to wake up from snoring or sleep apnoea.

Talk to your doctor about any underlying conditions

If you suffer from anxiety, depression or any other mental health condition, your chances of having an episode of sleep paralysis increase.

Those with underlying conditions, such as a history of trauma, may benefit from psychotherapy (source).

Also, if you’re under medication, check with your doctor if your sleep paralysis might be a side effect.

(Sources: NHS, Sleep Foundation, and Healthline)

Sleep paralysis is a frightening event. Either happening only once or being a recurring event, it’s always a very negative experience. I’m very grateful that after my two episodes, I never went through it again.

I managed to control the cause — my sleep deprivation because of Tinnitus. But this doesn’t mean it won’t happen again.

If it does, I’ll have to endure it. But by having my stress under control and because over time I’ve adopted a good sleep hygiene, my chances of suffering again from sleep paralysis are very low.

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