Q. For many years, from age 25 to 45, I experienced the horrifying feelings that I now have learned are associated with “sleep paralysis.” I never knew what it was and had no one to ask about it. Luckily, I have not experienced it in the last five years.
My daughter, who is 21, has begun to experience the same symptoms. I have no answers for her questions. When she asked the nurse practitioner about it, she was told only that she would have to go to a sleep clinic for advice. I know how scary this can be. Is there a way to treat sleep paralysis?
A. In sleep paralysis, a person almost wakes up, is aware of the surroundings in the room, but is unable to move or speak. It can be very frightening, but it is not dangerous and doesn’t require treatment. This condition can run in families, so it is not surprising that your daughter is following in your footsteps.
An episode of sleep paralysis usually lasts only seconds and generally disappears with a bed partner’s touch. If the episodes are frequent or troublesome, she might ask the doctor about a prescription antidepressant. According to sleep expert Martin Scharf, Ph.D., such a drug will generally suppress sleep paralysis.
Here is another person’s take on this same problem:
Q. You mentioned that anti-depressants might help someone if his sleep paralysis got too bad.
I’ve had sleep paralysis for years. It’s one of the symptoms of narcolepsy and often occurs along with hallucinations. They make a great pair–burglars creep into your house and madmen wave axes as you struggle to move even one muscle to defend yourself.
My husband would patiently take my pulse and blood pressure after an incident and show me that my dream terrors didn’t affect them at all. Eventually I learned to cope with them when I realized that any REAL noise or touch woke me up immediately and dispelled the paralysis. I found that I could consciously enter the dream state and say “get a grip, girl, you KNOW you leap right out of bed when something is actually there.”
It’s cheaper and easier than anti-depressants and has no side effects.
A. Sleep paralysis can be very scary because you are virtually awake, aware of your surroundings, but unable to cry out or move. For some, a gentle touch from a bed partner is enough to end the episode.
Your coping tactic is sensible. We agree that nondrug approaches are preferable, but others may need an antidepressant to overcome this incredibly frightening experience.
