Sleep Paralysis Essay Outline

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep. Narcolepsy is not

Why do we have sleep paralysis? Almost everyone has at least one episode in their lifetime. Sleep paralysis is one of the scariest, mysterious, things anyone can experience. It has you up the rest of the time wondering why it happened, or why you couldn’t do a thing at the moment you were having it. It is also known as rapid eye movement (REM). It is where you’re awake but your body is not. 5-60% of people have sleep paralysis.

There are many reasons as to how and why sleep disturbances form. Sleep disturbances are caused by physical pain, medical issues, environmental use such as alcohol, stress, and jet lag. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth begins to sleep walk when a doctor comes to see her. “In this slumbery agitation, besides her walking and other actual

Credibility Statement: Having a sleep disorder, myself, I know how important it is to get the recommended sleep each night. According to Alina Bradford in the article "Sleep Paralysis: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment"(2017), Sleep Paralysis is described as the inability to move or speak immediately after waking up.

As stated in a previous statistic, sleep disorders unfortunately target a wide variety of ages. Children are commonly affected by Sleep Apnea, teeth grinding, Night Terrors, Nightmares, sleep walking, Restless Leg Syndrome, bedwetting, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Adults tend to be affected by Insomnia, Hypersomnia, Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Sleep Paralysis, Hypopnea Syndrome, and Noctoria. Sleep disorders are very common and also very dangerous in some circumstances. Ill treating or ignoring sleep disorders can lead to lethargy, poor mood, lack of motivation, and may negatively impact

Narcolepsy is a permanent sleep disorder that gets worse with age. It is estimated that about 40,000 to 135,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. (Narcolepsy, 2002). Most people who have narcolepsy are often times misdiagnosed because the symptoms, especially if noticed at the beginning stages, are very similar to other sleep disorders. Some of the symptoms that go along with narcolepsy are excessive sleepiness, especially during the daytime or when sleep is inappropriate, cataplexy which is when a person suddenly looses control of their muscles, sleep paralysis which is when the person is unable to move for a short period of time after they wake up from sleep, and hypnagogic hallucinations which is very

According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, the common symptoms of narcolepsy are periods of extreme drowsiness during the day (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). People with narcolepsy feel a strong desire to sleep, usually followed by a short nap. The sleep attacks last about fifteen minutes but can be longer. Often times, these sleep attacks happen after eating, during driving, and other everyday tasks. After a short nap, a person usually wakes up feeling refreshed and energized. As stated by Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, “Another symptom is dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness” (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). This is when a person experiences seeing or hearing right before they fall asleep. Sleep paralysis and cataplexy are also common symptoms of narcolepsy (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Sleep paralysis is not being able to move as you are falling asleep or upon waking up. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it usually goes unnoticed because it occurs during REM sleep (NINDS). REM sleep is rapid eye movement sleep. It occurs in breaks when rapid eye movements occur along with bodily movement. Similarly, cataplexy is a sudden loss of mobility. This is also associated with strong emotion like laughter or anger, which can trigger cataplexy

Did you ever awaken and find yourself unable to move? Perhaps you sensed a presence in your room or a pressure on your chest. This is sleep paralysis. It is a common disorder that affects millions of people. Most believe it occurs as we are on the edge of REM sleep. The disorder has been connected with such hallucinogenic events such as alien abduction or an evil presence. Sleep paralysis is an inability to move or speak, occasionally accompanied by hallucinations, for up to several minutes upon awakening or just before falling asleep.

          The dictionary defines sleep as “The natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored” (Webster’s 638) If one is waking up on an average of 300 times per night, the chances of complete body restoration are minimal. The Greek word apnea literally means “without breath”. An estimated 30 million Americans stop breathing during their sleep sometimes 30-40 times per hour and often for a minute, or longer each time. Of these, about 20 million are in the early stages, and about 10 million have progressed to a level of severity that requires treatment. According to the National

paralysis. During an event of sleep paralysis the person is unable to speak, move their arms and

After their trials, the authors concluded in their article “Attention Deficits in Patients with Narcolepsy,” that due to the loss of REM sleep that narcolepsy causes, individual often times tolerate periods of times of lessoned attention, alertness and memory, and this can create various problems in their regular routine, specifically as in their education, work, or personal relationships (Rieger et.al., 2003). Other physical symptoms that characterize narcolepsy are cataplexy and sleep paralysis. These physical symptoms are depicted in the article “What are the Symptoms?” Cataplexy is a brief attack of muscle weakness where an individual is unable to freely control one’s own muscles (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). The most severe case of cataplexy results in complete loss of control of a voluntary muscle, in which that person is unable to move, speak, or even open one’s eyes (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). Sleep paralysis also affects one’s ability to move and speak when falling asleep, and like cataplexy, sleep paralysis occurs when the person is completely conscious of what is happening (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). These two physical symptoms that might come along with the

Sleep paralysis is most common in those who have narcolepsy. Some have sleep tests done, in order to find possible sleep disorders one may have, like sleep

If you are not thinking that about things doing or have a hint that it can happen at any time, if it’s a family thing then there might be a cure or a remedy to control the sleepiness that may happen at any time. Getting the right information from your doctor and seeing what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future is the first approach to Narcolepsy.

Most parasomnias are genetic and can affect people of all ages, though children are more prone to it. For infants to children up to the age of twelve causes could be anything from sleep loss, fever, or anxiety. Some adults who develop somnambulism later on in life credit their sleepwalking to a mental disorder, drugs, alcohol, and even prescription medication. It is important to know there things because many Americans may be at risk and most of the causes are things we engage in ourselves. We all take some sort of medication and we all know at least one child who would much rather stay up then go to sleep at a reasonable

What is sleep paralysis? Well, sleep paralysis is the horrifying circumstance when your body is essentially disconnected from your brain. During this time period, you are unable to move any of your body parts, yet, you are conscious and able to understand