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Baland Jalal lay in a horrifying bed and experienced his own real-life horror film.
A new awakening, the 19-year-old was able to see his surroundings, but he couldn’t move or speak, and he didn’t know why.
He thought, “My God, what will I do?” Jalal, now 39, spoke about the moment in 2005.
“It was about to kill me, I was about to kill me, and I was 100% sure I was going to die,” Jalal added. “It literally feels like all the evil in the universe is condensed into bubbles, and it’s in your bedroom.”
This type of hallucination is characteristic of many people with sleep paralysis.
It occurs during the rapid transition of eye movements or during REM, REM, or sleep, as well as traffic jams at busy intersections. The brain, awakening, vigilance, body is still asleep and fixed.
Following deep sleep, REM sleep is the next important stage in the sleep cycle, characterized by a vibrant and vibrant dream, and faster heart rate and breathing. It is essential for memory, concentration, mood regulation and immune function.
Jalal’s experience has inspired him to study this phenomenon all over the world. He aimed to discover the cause of sleep paralysis, he said, and why some diagnoses “have these powerful encounters that feel like an evil of epic proportions.”
He later received his PhD in Psychiatry and is currently a researcher in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert in sleep paralysis. He also treats patients who struggle with it.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an estimated 30% of people worldwide experience at least one episode of sleep paralysis over their lifetimes. It is unclear how many people with repeated sleep paralysis and disabilities, but the proportion is likely low, Jalal said.
Here are other things you need to know about sleep paralysis and how it is managed:
Studies and symptoms of sleep paralysis
In REM sleep, our bodies are paralyzed, so we do not dream or risk hurting ourselves or others, Jalal said. According to the Cleveland Clinic, sleep paralysis episodes are usually only for a few minutes long, but can last up to 20 minutes.
However, during sleep paralysis, “my muscles regain consciousness before they can regain freedom from REM-induced paralysis,” said Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
About 40% of people with sleep paralysis have visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations, such as applying pressure to the chest or feeling from the body, Jalal said. For about 90% of these individuals, fantasies are horrifying. They can include creatures like ghosts, cats and alien, and their actions are as harmless as getting closer to them, or as creepy as they abuse or try to kill them.
On Jalal’s academic trips, he discovers his views on the content and interpretation of hallucinations, his views on the causes of sleep paralysis, and the frequency and duration of episodes can all be culturally grounded. For example, people living in Egypt and Italy often see witches and evil genes, think they are responsible and can die from sleep paralysis, Jalal said. Meanwhile, some people in Denmark, Poland and the United States have fewer supernatural or exotic explanations and less fear.
“Why do we see these monsters? Is it a dreamy image… is it spilling into conscious awareness?” Jalal said. “My answer to that, according to my research, no, not accurate. But that’s part of it.”
When you know you’re still paralyzed and confused, your natural response is to escape the situation. Your brain is firing your body with signals to move, but your body can’t give you feedback.
Jalal’s theory, in short, creates a story that your brain says “to hell” and makes up a story that you’re sure your body is facing because you are experiencing such strange symptoms.
Reduced prefrontal cortex activity – a cause of reason and logic – also contributes to hallucinations being “amplified by the brain’s emotional alarm centers amplified by the highly realistic, emotionally recharged, and overactive amygdala.”
Causes and risk factors for sleep paralysis
Scientists know that Wakesleep Glitch is happening during the sleep paralysis episode, but they don’t fully understand why. However, there are several factors that can increase the risk of fragmented sleep and sleep paralysis.
These factors include related conditions such as stress and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder and panic disorder, experts said. Much of Jalal’s sleep paralysis occurred when he was in school. When he has episodes or two a year, it is usually during a stressful period, he said. (If you experience sleep paralysis, you can be aware of it during the episode, but you still feel fearful.)
Other common contributors are sleep deprivation, jet lag, irregular sleep schedules, sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, and genetic factors, Walker and Jalal said.
Some drugs, such as obstructive sleep apnea, substance use disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, can also increase risk, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It could be as scary as you might hear sleep paralysis, which is not actually dangerous, experts said. However, depending on how it repeats, sleep paralysis can be a sign of a fundamental sleep disorder, Jalal said.
Regular episodes can also lead to sleep anxiety, which may lead to avoid sleep afterwards, Jalal said. This pattern can interfere with daily energy and ability to function. And if you often have horrifying hallucinations, it can lead to symptoms like anxiety and trauma.
Sleep paralysis can be greatly alleviated with some practices and treatments, Walker said — starting with healthy sleep habits. That includes 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night.
Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule with quality and quantity “take actions like adjusting the internal clock, reducing the chances of destructive wake sleep overlap, just like ensuring that all parts of the orchestra are synchronized for perfect harmony,” Walker said.
Also, using mindfulness and relaxation exercises, for example, to prioritize stress management, Walker said. Treatment can alleviate certain underlying problems that cause sleep paralysis, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, particularly versions for those with insomnia.
In more serious circumstances, the drugs are sometimes used, Walker said. These include SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or tricyclic antidepressants that help manage smooth flow between sleep stages and reduce the REM phase of sleep.
In general, increasing brain serotonin levels compensates for the loss of the REM phase in some way, Jalal said. However, in rare cases, long-term antidepressant use is associated with REM sleep behavior disorders.
The aforementioned treatments help reduce the frequency and length of sleep paralysis episodes, but there is no gold standard treatment that can be stopped after the episode has occurred.
However, Jalal has been trying to formally create one over the past decade, and it is self-inspired. The treatment, called meditation palliative therapy, reduced sleep paralysis by 50% after 8 weeks in six narcolepsy compared to the control group of four participants, and discovered a small pilot study, Jalal, published in 2020. And the steps in Jalal’s treatment are as follows:
Cognitively reevaluates the meaning of attack. Close your eyes and remind yourself that your experience is common and you do not die from it.
Keep your emotional distance from it. Your brain is just doing tricks on you, so there’s no reason to risk making the situation worse due to your own negative expectations.
Focus on something positive. Whether it prays, imagines the face of a loved one or not, this refocus makes your thoughts more comfortable than a monster.
Relax your muscles and don’t move. Some experts may help to get out of the episode early by trying to move your fingers and toes a little at a time. However, Jalal’s fourth step advises against this move. Because you still send signals to paralyzed muscles, which can probably cause hallucinations.
Learning more about the scientific fundamentals of sleep paralysis can also help you look at your biology in a more objective way.