Myth or Fact: Is Overwhelming While Sleeping the Work of Spirits?

Have you ever felt that something was pressing on you while you were sleeping so that your body couldn't move? Well, in the medical world, sleep paralysis is called sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a transitional state that occurs when a person experiences temporary paralysis to react, move, or speak when falling asleep (hypnagogic) or when waking up from sleep (hypnopompic). Sleep paralysis is characterized by a person's inability to move muscles while sleeping.
Facts about sleep paralysis:
This condition is often considered a mystical phenomenon. In fact, sleep paralysis occurs because the mechanisms of the brain and body overlap and do not work in harmony when you fall asleep, which can cause you to wake up in the middle of the REM cycle. The REM cycle is the deepest stage of sleep, when all the muscles are relaxed.
Therefore, when you suddenly wake up before the REM cycle is complete, the brain is not ready to send a wake-up signal, so the body is still half awake. This is why you will be temporarily "paralyzed".

Recognize the symptoms:
The main symptoms of sleep paralysis are actually simple. The patient cannot move or speak even after waking up. However, sometimes this sleep phenomenon also shows other symptoms, such as :

1. Difficulty breathing due to chest tightness.
2. Hallucinations as if someone or something is nearby.
3. Can still move the eyeballs. There are people who can still open their eyes when experiencing sleep paralysis, but there are also those who cannot.
4. Feeling scared

Several factors can cause sleep paralysis, including:

Can't sleep

For example, often staying up late and having an irregular sleep schedule due to jet lag can cause sleep paralysis.

Psychosis or mental disorder

Sleep paralysis often occurs in people who are feeling depressed or stressed. This is also supported by various studies that show that sleep paralysis generally occurs in people with mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Sleep on your back.

Several reviews state that sleeping position is one of the causes of sleep paralysis, especially sleeping on your back.

Sleep problems

Sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and sudden leg cramps at night can disrupt REM sleep, potentially causing sleep paralysis.
How do I deal with it?
If you experience sleep paralysis, don't panic. Because, according to research published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, panic disorder when sleep paralysis occurs actually causes a person to become more depressed.

How to overcome sleep paralysis :

Here are some tips when you experience sleep paralysis:

1. Don't panic, and try to stay calm. Take a deep breath, and breathe as hard as you can several times. Then try to force your body to move, starting with the tips of your fingers or toes as support.
2. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and stopping smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages.
3. Do breathing exercises before bed to prevent sleep paralysis.
4. Set a sleep schedule of 7-8 hours a day.
5. Check with a psychiatrist to get treatment with antidepressants to improve your sleep cycle.
6. treating mental health conditions that may be related to sleep paralysis.
7. Avoid blue light when you want to sleep.
8. Make sure the room temperature remains low.

Who Can Be Affected by This Condition?
Adults and children can experience sleep paralysis. However, some groups have a higher risk, including the following:
· Insomnia
· Narcolepsy
· Often anxious and restless
· High depression
. Bipolar disorder
· Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or post-traumatic stress disorder.

So from the information above, the cause of sleep paralysis is not due to spirits, genies, demons, or invisible creatures, so this is just a myth. In fact, sleep paralysis occurs because several of our body functions are disturbed. If necessary, you can consult further with a mental medicine specialist or psychiatrist. Hopefully, this article is useful.