Sleep Paralysis Informative Speech

No one knows exactly what parasomnias are, and unfortunately, no one knows exactly what causes them, either. In one study I read, it was suggested that these occurrences are related to a delayed maturation of the central nervous system (Fleiss 30). This was the only reading that I saw this in. However, it has been discovered that parasomnias have a genetic link – they run in families. For example, if your child has night terrors, it is very likely that someone else in your family had either night terrors or some other form of parasomnia (confusional arousals, sleepwalking or sleep talking) (Mindell 263). Also, they appear to be developmental, with children seeming to experience them at certain ages. There are other possible contributing factors as well, which I will list here:

Sleep Paralysis is pretty spooky, and real. I've read places that people see "shadow people" and other spooky things of the sorts. Does anybody have any sleep paralysis stories to share?

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

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.

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

Also known as night terrors, these episodes are often paired with other prarsomnias, such as sleepwalking. A Parasomnia is an undesired occurrence during sleep, such as sleep talking, sleep walking, and night terrors. During these sleep terror episodes, an individual might kick and thrash around while still unconscious, stare wide eyed, scream or shout, and so on. Night terrors are said to be able to occur for a period of up to 30 minutes, once about that much time has passed, the person will once again lye down and go to sleep. Once the next day comes around the corner, usually the child or adult will not have any recollection of the event, but they at times remember small fragments of the

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.

Sleepiness can characterized by excessive daytime sleep and it can cause to cataplexy (abrupt loss of muscle tone) hallucinations and sleep paralysis.

Some signs of cataplexy are slurred speech, weakness of muscles, and intense emotions. Cataplexy effects muscle tone while awake, effects part or all of your body, may make your head nod, ,may be hard to speak, falling (weakening at the knees), and strong emotions. During this time, you're usually awake. In addition, hallucinations are another symptom pointing towards the condition narcolepsy. These hallucinations are called hypnologic hallucinations. Due to the fact that you may be awake when you're dreaming, these dreams may seem like reality or may be nightmares. Some signs of having a hallucination are vivid dreams when falling asleep, waking up, dozing, and life-like dreams. Finally, sleep paralysis is a symptom of narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis prevents you from moving or speaking while falling asleep and waking up. During this period you are fully conscious. Some signs you have sleep paralysis is you don't sleep well at night, you have trouble falling and staying asleep, nightmares interrupt sleep, having difficulty finishing daily tasks, and being hyperactive.

The study was performed and executed as a cross-sectional questionnaire, consisting of six parts. Each of the six parts was designed to target different aspects of sleep routines and personality constructs. In a sample of 606 students, 61.4% reported to have experienced intense or extremely intense fear during an episode of sleep paralysis. It was also discovered that 37% of SP sufferers experience episodes several times a year. The article provides further analysis of the data, demonstrating that Spearman’s rank correlation indicates significant positive association between higher scores on the STAI test for anxiety and the DES-T test for dissociative experiences with more frequent sleep paralysis episodes. This report contains ethos and logos, as the writers included quantitative data paired with visuals, analysis for correlation ranks with the data produced, and demonstrates obvious replicability valid results. Researchers at any university or facility could utilize the six tests used by Lišková et. al and measure occurrence and predictive factors of sleep paralysis in any sample population. Of the 606 students, only two individuals reported nightly episodes of sleep paralysis, representing only 0.330% of the sample

Sleep paralysis episodes typically occur during transitions from wakefulness to sleep (the hypnagogic state) or from sleep to wakefulness (the hypnopomipc state) (Cheyne, 2002). Abnormalities in this transition may allow sleep and waking processes to overlap. (Cheyne, Newby-Clark & Rueffer, 1999). Sleep paralysis experiences are not always nightmarish and do not always elicit fear (Sherwood, 2002). Most episodes, however, incorporate imagery or sensations, which cause fear. Images of threatening human or human like figures such as ghosts and demons are particularly common (Powell & Nielsen, 1998). People experiencing sleep paralysis report a subjective feeling of

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

Arousal disorders are the most common type of parasomnia. These disorders include: confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep terrors and nightmares. Experts believe that each is related and share some symptoms. Essentially, they occur because a

Night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking are all cases that fall into sleep disorders called parasomnias. Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that can occur during arousal from either rapid eye movement or even non-rapid eye movement. Children from the age’s four to twelve of ages experience night terrors.