SLEEP PARALYSIS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Sleep paralysis 1 is now being studied as an explanation for terrors in the night, which have been experienced by people across all cultures and for thousands of years. If one is looking for a purely physical and scientific explanation for these terrible nightmares, this one works quite well. For some it will offer relief but for others, doubt. The word night "mare" 2 has been derived from the word incubus. In Greek it was ephialtes, in Latin incubus, in German mar/mare, in Old English maître, Old Norse mare, Old Irish mar/mor, and all mean "one who leaps on, oppresses or crushes". The Old Hag attack 3 is most closely associated with extreme pressure on the chest while sleeping on your back. People may also feel like they are being choked or even bitten. as shown in Fig. 1: Problem sleepiness has many problems Definition Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with sleep that may occur in healthy persons or may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnologic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occurs during REM sleep 3 . When considered to be a disease, isolated sleep paralysis is classified as MeSH D020188 4 . Some evidence suggests that it can also, in some cases, be a symptom of migraine 5,6 . 1. General introduction about sleep a) Lifestyle factors Include not getting enough sleep, having an irregular sleep schedule, and using alcohol or certain medications 6 . Of the more than 70 known sleep disorders, the most common are obstructive sleep apnea 7 , insomnia 8 , narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome 9 . b) Misconceptions about sleep Many students have doubts that what causes to sleep. What occurs during sleep? How are body will respond if lack of sleep. What functions sleep fulfills. Sleep, sleep disorders, biological rhythms, should correct the following misconceptions. 1) About sleep a. Sleep is the rest to the body and shutdown the Brain.

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PHARMACY AND CHEMISTRY
Available online at www.ijrpc.com
SLEEP PARALYSIS
Ganesh B
*
, Sai Venkata Vedavyas Pisipati, Shivashanker M, Sirisha V, BabuRao CH
and Sreekanth Nama
Donbosco P.G. College of Pharmacy, 5th Mile, Pulladigunta, Kornepadu (V),Vatticherukuru (M),
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
INTRODUCTION
Sleep paralysis
1
is now being studied as an
explanation for terrors in the night, which have
been experienced by people across all
cultures and for thousands of years. If one is
looking for a purely physical and scientific
explanation for these terrible nightmares, this
one works quite well. For some it will offer
relief but for others, doubt. The word night
"mare"
2
has been derived from the word
incubus. In Greek it was ephialtes, in Latin
incubus, in German mar/mare, in Old
English maître, Old Norse mare, Old Irish
mar/mor, and all mean "one who leaps on,
oppresses or crushes”. The Old Hag attack
3
is
most closely associated with extreme pressure
on the chest while sleeping on your back.
People may also feel like they are being
choked or even bitten. as shown in
Fig. 1: Problem sleepiness has many
problems
Definition
Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with
sleep that may occur in healthy persons or
may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy,
and hypnologic hallucinations. The
pathophysiology of this condition is closely
related to the normal hypotonia that occurs
during REM sleep
3
. When considered to be a
disease, isolated sleep paralysis is classified
as MeSH D020188
4
. Some evidence suggests
that it can also, in some cases, be a symptom
of migraine
5,6
.
1. General introduction about sleep
a) Lifestyle factors
Include not getting enough sleep, having an
irregular sleep schedule, and using alcohol or
certain medications
6
. Of the more than 70
known sleep disorders, the most common are
obstructive sleep apnea
7
, insomnia
8
,
narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome
9
.
b) Misconceptions about sleep
Many students have doubts that what causes
to sleep. What occurs during sleep? How are
body will respond if lack of sleep. What
functions sleep fulfills. Sleep, sleep disorders,
biological rhythms, should correct the following
misconceptions.
1) About sleep
a. Sleep is the rest to the body and
shutdown the Brain.
Re
view
Article
ABSTRACT
Sleep paralysis is disease condition in which someone lying supine position, about drop off to
sleep or just upon awaking from sleep realize that she/he unable to speak or walk or cry out this
may lost a few seconds or moments, occupationally longer. People always feel that they have been
threatening by someone or evil, occasionally patients report this type of problems. And they feel
that evil is following, sitting behind them going to be attack is the condition they feel, in this
article reviewed about the causes of sleep paralysis and what is sleep, few sleep disorders are
discussed here.
Keywords: sleep paralysis. Narcolepsy, Hypnopompic sleeps paralysis, Hallucination.

IJRPC 2012, 2(2) Ganesh et al ISSN: 22312781
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b. Getting one hour late sleep will not
effect the morning.
c. The body will adjust the different time
schedule.
d. People need less sleep as they grow
older.
e. A good time sleep avoids the morning
sleepiness.
2) Major concepts related to biology of
sleep
Research provides providing scientific
foundations for understanding sleep
Physiological, rhythms & implications for our
health. Research clarifying a number of
issues.
2.1. sleep is dynamic process. Sleep is not
passive events, but rather an active process
involving characteristic physiological changes
in the organs of the body. Scientific study
sleeps by measuring the electrical changes in
the brain using Electro Encephalo Grams
(EEGs).typically; electrodes are placed on the
scalp in a symmetrical pattern. The electrodes
measures very small voltage that scientists
think are caused by synchronized activity in
very large number of synapses(nerve
connections) in the brain’s outer layer(cerebral
cortex). EEG data are responsible by cure that
is classified according to their frequencies.
The wavy lines of the EEG are called brain
waves. An Electro Occulo Gram (EOG)
10
uses
electrodes on the skin near the eye to
measure changes in voltage as the rotates in
its socket. Scientists also measure the
electrical activity associated with active
measures the electrical activity associated with
active muscle by using Electro Myocardial
Grams (EMGs). In this technique, electrodes
are placed on the skin overlaying dramatic
changes during the various stages of sleep. In
practice, EEGs, EOGs, EMGs are recorded
simultaneously.
Studying these events has led to the
identifications of two basics stages, or states,
of sleep: non-rapid eye moments (NREM) and
rapid eye movements (REM). Sleep is a highly
organized sequence of events that follows a
regular, cyclic program each night. Thus, the
EEG, EMG, and EOG patterns changes in
predictable ways several times during a single
sleep period. NREM sleep is divided into four
stages according to the amplitude and
frequency of brain wave activity. The general,
the EEG pattern of NERM sleep is slower,
often more regular, and usually of higher
voltage than that of wakefulness. as sleep gets
deeper, the brain waves get slower and have
greater amplitude. NREM stage 1 is very light
sleep gets stages 2 has special brain waves
called sleep spindle and K complex; NREM
stages 3 and 4 show increasing more high
voltage slower wave. In NERM stage 4, it is
extremely hard to be awakening by external
stimuli. The muscle activity of NERM sleep is
low, but muscle retains their ability to function.
Eye movements normally do not occur during
NREM sleep, except for very slow eye
movements, usually at the beginning. The
body’s general physiology during these stages
in fairly similar to the wake state. In this
module, in Fig 2 shows the characteristics of
EEG,EOG,EMG,we will emphasize NREM
sleep in general and not its individual sub
stages.
Fig. 2: Characteristic of EEG, EOG, EMG
2.2. Sleep and brain
Sleep is activity generated in specific brain
regions. These sites have been identified
through studies involving electrical stimulation,
damage to specific brain regions, or other
techniques that identify sleep-including sites.
The basal forebrain, including the
hypothalamus, is an important region for
controlling NREM sleep and may be the region
keeping track of how long we have been
awake and how large our sleep debt is. The
brainstem region known as the Pons is critical
for initiating REM sleep
11
as depicted in figure
3.
Fig. 3: Signals shows inducing sleep

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During REM sleep, the Pons sends signals to
the visual nuclei of the thalamus and to the
cerebral cortex (this region is responsible for
most of our thoughts processes). The Pons
also sends signals to the spinal cord, causing
the temporary paralysis that is characteristic of
REM sleep. Other brain sites are also
important in the sleep process. For example,
the thalamus generates many of the brain
rhythms
12
in NREM sleep that we see as EEG
patterns
13
.
2.3. Sleep patterns
Sleep patterns changes an individual’s life. IN
fact, age affects sleep more than any other
natural factors. Newborns sleep an average of
16 to 18 hours per day. By the time a child is
three to five years old, total sleep time average
10 to 12 hours, and then it further decrease to
7 to 8 hours per night by adulthood. One of the
most prominent age-related changes in sleep
is the time spent in the deepest stages of
NREM (stages3 and 4) from childhood through
adulthood. In fact, this change is during
adolescence, when about 40% of this activity
is lost and replaced by stage 2 NREM sleep.
In addition to these changes, the percentage
of time spent in REM sleep also changes
during development. Newborns may spend
about 50 percent of their time in REM sleep.
Infect, unlike older children’s and adults,
infants fall asleep directly into REM sleep. An
infant cycle generates last only 50-60 minutes.
By two of years of age, this remains relatively
constant throughout the remainder of life. 15
young children have a high arousal threshold,
which means they can sleep through loud
noises, especially in the early part of the night.
For example, one study showed that 10-year
olds were undisturbed by a noise as loud as
sound of a jet airplane taking off nearby.
Although most human maintain REM sleep
throughout life, brain disorders like
Alzheimer’s
14
and Parkinson’s
15
are
characterized by decreasing amount of REM
sleep as the diseases progress. Also, elderly
individuals exhibit more variations in the
duration and quality of sleep than do younger
adults. Elderly people may also exhibits
increased sleep fragmentation (arousals from
sleep that occur as either short or more extend
awakening).
Fig. 4: Average sleep need (left graph) and percentage
of REM sleep (right graph) at different ages
Figure 4 depicts these developmental changes
in sleep patterns. Teenagers, on average,
requires about nine hours of sleep per night to
be alert as possible when awake. Several
issues are important to consider. First,
individual sleep needs vary. For instance,
eight hours of sleep per night appears to be
most adults, although some may need more or
less. Teenagers, on average, require about
nine or more hours of sleep per night to be as
alerts as possible when awake. If sleep needs
are not met, a progressive sleep debt be paid.
It does not appear that we able to adapt to
getting sleep than our body require. Not
getting enough sleep, while still allowing us to
function in a seemingly normal manner, does
impair motor and cognitive functions. Caffeine
and other stimulants cannot substitute for

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sleep, but they do help to counteract some of
the effects of sleep deprivations.
2.4. Biological clock
An internal biological clock
16
regulates the
timing for sleep in humans; the activity of this
clock makes us sleepy at night and awake
during the day. Our clock with an
approximately 24-hour period and is called a
circadian clock (from the Latin root circa=about
and Diem=day). In humans, this is located in
the supra chiasmatic nucleus
17
(SCN) of
the hypothalamus in the brain (see in fig). The
SCN is actually a very small structure
consisting of pairs of pinhead-size regions,
each consisting only about 10,000 neurons out
of the billions of the brain’s estimated 100
billion neurons.
In figure it is seen that the biological clock is
located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the
brain. Biological clocks as shown in fig 5,are
generally programmed physiological system
that allows organisms to live in harmony with
natural rhythms, such as day/night cycles of
seasons. The most important functions of a
biological clock is to regulate over biological
rhythms like the sleep/wake cycle. The
biological clock is also involved in controlling
seasonal reproductive cycle. The biological
clock is also involved in controlling seasonal
reproductive cycles in some animals through
its ability to track information about the
changing lengths of daylight and darkens
during a year. Biological rhythms are of two
general type. Exogenous rhythms are directly
produced by an external influence, such as an
environmental cue. They are not generated
internally by the organism itself, and if the
environmental cues are removed, the rhythm
Fig. 5: the biological clock is located within
the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain
Ceases. Endogenous rhythms
17
, by contrast,
are driven by internal, self-sustaining biological
clock rather than by anything external to the
organism. Biological rhythms, such as
oscillations in core body temperature, are
endogenous. They are maintained even if
environmental cues are removed. Because the
circadian clock in most humans has a natural
day length of just over 24 hours, the clock
must be entrained, or reset, to match the day
length of the environmental photoperiod (that
is, the light/dark, or day/night, cycle).
2.5. Dream
An intriguing occurrence during sleep is
dreaming. Although reports of dreaming are
most frequent and vivid
18
when an individual is
around from REM sleep, dreams do occur at
sleep onset and during NREM sleep as well.
Although some dreams are memorable
because of their extraordinary or bizarre
nature, other dreams reflect realistic
experiences. Despite this realism, REM
dreams are usually novel experiences, like a
work of fiction. Instead of a reply of actual
events. Pre-sleep stimuli do not seem to affect
dream contest. In fact, the source of the
contest of any given dream is unknown.REM
sleep and dreams are associated with each
other, but they are not synonymous. While
REM sleep is turned on and off by the Pons
and two areas in the cerebral hemisphere
(area far from the Pons that control higher
mental functions) regulates dreaming.
3. Sleep disorders
Insomnia, obstructivesleepapnea
19
(OSN)
narcolepsy is chronic sleep disorder that
usually becomes evident during adolescence
or young adulthood and affects both men and
women. In the United States, it affects as
many as 250,000 people, although fewer than
half are diagnosed
20
. The main characteristic
of narcolepsy is excessive and overwhelming
daytime sleepiness (even after adequate
nighttime sleep). A person with narcolepsy is
likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep at
inappropriate times and places. Daytime
asleep attacks may occur with or without
warming and may be irresistible. In addition,
night sleep may also be fragmented. Three
classic symptoms, which may not occur in all
people with narcolepsy, are
cataplexy
21
(sudden muscle weakness often
triggered by emotions such as anger, surprise,
laughter, and exhilaration),sleep
paralysis(temporary inability to talk or move
when falling asleep). And hypnologic
hallucination (dream like experiences that

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occur while dozing or falling asleep). People
with narcolepsy have difficulty staying awake,
and in extreme condition, narcolepsy episodes
can occur during periods of activity.
What Is Sleep Paralysis?
Fig. 6: Feeling of attacking some one
As depicted in fig 6. Sleep paralysis is a
feeling of beings conscious but unable to
move. It occurs when a person passes
between stage of wakefulness and sleep.
During these transitions, you may be unable to
move or speak for a seconds up to a minutes.
Some people may also feel pressure or a
sense of choking. Sleep paralysis may
accompany other sleep paralysis may
accompany other sleep disorders such as
narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an overpowering
need to sleep caused by a problem with the
brain’s ability to regulate sleep
22
. When does
sleep paralysis usually occur? Sleep paralysis
usually occurs at one of two times. If it occurs
while you are falling asleep, it’s hypnagogic or
predormital sleep paralysis. If it happens as
you are waking up, it’s called hypnopompic or
postorbital sleep paralysis
23
.
What happens with hypnagonic sleep
paralysis? As you fall asleep, your body slowly
relaxes. Usually you become less aware, so
you do not notice the change. However, if you
remain or become aware while falling asleep
you may notice that you cannot move or
speak.
What happens with hypnopompic sleep
paralysis?
During sleep, your body alternates between
REM (rapid eye movements) and NREM (non-
rapid eye movement) sleep. One cycle of REM
and NREM sleep lasts about 90 minutes.
NREM sleep occurs first and takes up to 75%
of your overall sleep time. During NREM
sleep, your body relaxes and restores itself
24
.
At the end of NREM, your sleep shifts to REM.
Your eye moves quickly and dreams occur,
but the rest of your remains very relaxed. Your
muscles are “turned off” during REM sleep. If
you become aware before the REM cycle has
finished, you may notice that you cannot move
or speak.
How to cope with sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a condition where people
are paralyzed at the onset of sleep or upon
waking. It is a disorientating condition that may
be also proffer vivid and terrifying
hallucination
25
. Here are some steps to help
you identify and cope with sleep paralysis.
Steps to recognize the symptoms
Learn to recognize the symptoms. Sleep
paralysis can affect you in much different way.
There are, however some commonalities that
people experience, including an inability to
move the trunk or limbs at the beginning of
sleep or upon awakening. Brief episodes of
partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis.
Visual and auditory hallucinations. People
often sense an evil presence or feel a
phantom touch, or hear an unidentifiable noise
in the room. A sense of breathlessness (or
chest pressure). Confusion
25
, helplessness,
fear.
What to do during sleep paralysis
Focus on body moments
You may find that you are able to move a part
of your body (often times your feet or your
fingers). Just can try breathing fast and heavy
and you may find yourself awaking up rather
quickly.
Focus on eye movement
Your ability to open your eyes and look around
is generally not hindered by sleep paralysis.
Being aware of your surroundings can be
comforting. Treating the symptoms
26
.
Sleep regularly
Sleep patterns can have drastic effects on
sleep paralysis keeping a regularly healthy
sleep patterns and getting enough sleep can
significantly reduces the likelihood of sleep
paralysis episodes
27
.
Exercise regularly
You don’t have to go to the gym. Simply
introduce a low-impact exercise regimen to
your day. Taking a walk in the morning, for
example, is a good idea.
Eat healthy
Nothing is more important than what you put
inside your body. cut out the things that will

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affect your sleep, such as caffeine, alcohol,
and sweets.
CONCLUSION
In everyday’s busiest life stress and work
burdens and tensions are very common, due
to overtime work, change in circadian
28
rhythm
will leads to sleepiness this causes to slap
paralysis and dangerous disease like
narcolepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. To avoid
sleep paralysis has to take proper sleep and
healthy diet. Even though few CNS drugs are
available in market, meditation and habit of
walking at morning will reduce sleep paralysis.
Have to avoid habits of taking caffeine and
alcohol. Regular visit to doctor and discusses
symptoms with your family members and
friends will give maximum relief.
REFERENCES
1. www.Cheyne,html/1999.
2. Marquet, 1996, cited in Rock 2004,
3. Winkelman, 2004. Neurotheology
moves far beyond this idea, and has
sponsored some well-meaning but
ultimately reductive quests, such as
the search for the “God gene.”
Winkelman stays within his warrant,
and does not comment on the
ontological reality of spirits, only their
phenomenal reality beyond the
cultural source hypothesis which
reduces SP visions to fairy tale
replays.
4. Hobson Dreaming; an Introduction to
the science of sleep, 2002. Hobson
and other dream researchers still
debate if REM = dreams, but we can
safely say that most dreams we
remember come from this
physiological state.
5. The best introduction to Jung is his
autobiography Memories, Dreams,
and Reflections. Hillman book the
Soul’s Code, while not explicitly about
dreams, showcases his theory of the
personality and its inner workings.
6. Bly; A Little Book on the Human
Shadow. 1998.
7. See Chalquist's Terrapsychology,
2007 for more about myth, landscape,
and unconscious acting-out.
8. Sherwood; "Relationship between the
hypnagogic/hynogogic states and
reports of anomalous experiences."
Journal of parapsychology, 2002,
Stan Krippner and Montague’s
Ullman’s work at the Dream
Laboratory of the Maimonides Medical
Center in the 1970s has proven to be
the zenith of scientific work on psychic
dreams; but the evidence is well
known to lifelong dreamers.
9. Hunt; Multiplicity of Dreams 1989.
10. Takeuchi. Isolated sleep paralysis
elicited by sleep interruption. Sleep,
1992. The authors of this study
propose that two thirds of ghost tales,
if taken seriously, may occur when the
witness is in sleep paralysis, highway
hypnosis, REM sleep disorder, or
other clinically diagnosed diseases
and syndromes.
11. Young and Goudet, Being Changed:
The Anthropology of Extraordinary
Experience. Ontario, Canada;
Broadview Press.1994.
12. Sevilla. Geomagnetic, cross-cultural
and occupational faces of sleep
paralysis: and ecological perspective.
Sleep and Hypnosis, 2, pp. 105-111.
2000.
13. Tedlock 2001 in Bulkeley’s Dreams: a
reader on the religious, cultural, and
psychological dimensions of
dreaming.
14. Devereux 2001, Haunted Land,
Sherwood (2002) also discusses the
correlation between hypnagogic
hallucinations and anomalous
experiences including telepathy,
pyrokinesis, past life experiences, and
near death experiences.
15. My apologies to Joseph Campbell,
who, to the delight of readers and
disdain of academic folklorists
everywhere, integrated Jungian
psychology with the expressions of
folklore, myth, and ritual. See the
Power of Myth.
16. I don’t mean to reduce all uncanny
phenomena to physical brain states
such as SP/HH. Rather, I suggest that
uncanny states, which sometimes
include content that cannot be known
by rational means or any
psychological process we currently
understand, have material correlates.
See Proud (2009) for experiences
about the paranormal elements of
SP/HH. For a review of the scientific
inquiry into psi, ESP and dream
telepathy, I recommend Charles Tart’s
The End of Materialism
17. Hufford 1982,The Terror That Comes
in the Night
18. Jones 1951, On the Nightmare, Jones
was a student of Freud’s, and
interpreted many SP experiences as
repressed sexual urges.

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19. Briggs 1976, Encyclopedia of Fairies.
20. Froud 1998, Good fairies, bad fairies.
A whimsical guide, mixed with
authentic folklore research and
captivating illustrations.
21. Stoker, Dracula, as quoted in Hufford
1982.
22. http://www.trionica.com/asp/conditions
/index.htm.
23. http://dreamstudies.org/tag/sleep-
paralysis.
24. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchang
e/mode/1804
25. http://www.skepdic.com/sleepparalysis
.html.
26. http://www.webmd.com/sleepdisorders
/sleep-paralysis.
27. http://www.psycologytoday.com/blog/s
leep-ot-horror-flic.
28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/enter
z?d…$=activity.