7 Things You Should Try Not to Do During Sleep Paralysis

Ever experienced the inability to move while you were laying down conscious? If so, you may have just gotten a taste of sleep paralysis. What is sleep paralysis? It is when a person is aware but they are unable to move or speak. It generally occurs either during waking up or falling asleep. This condition can be triggered by various factors such as abnormal sleeping patterns, insufficient sleep, psychological stress and many more. In this article, I will be sharing with you what you should try not do during sleep paralysis.

1. Letting Your Imagination Run Wild

Why should we not allow our imagination take over? Well that’s because sleep paralysis has often been associated with hallucinations. Many people who suffer from sleep paralysis often claim to have seen various forms of what is referred to as a “sleep demon”. If we let our imaginations run wild, who knows what our minds would create. Don’t want to see what’s been hiding in your closet? You might want to try not to over-imagine things, but then again it is easier said than done.

2. Believing What You See

So why shouldn’t we believe what we see? That’s because whatever you are looking at is probably not real although it may feel real. Hallucinations may occur during sleep paralysis. Let’s say you see something terrifying and believe that it’s real. Trust me, you are not in for a good time. It only makes you more terrified than you probably already are. By understanding that these visions not real, you’ll have lesser reason to be afraid. But that being said, people who are new sleep paralysis, may be unable to do so.

3. Paying Attention

Ever tried distracting yourself during a horror movie? If so, you might want to do that as it is not uncommon to have scary visuals. Hallucinations are a part of sleep paralysis. By trying your best to ignore these visions, you may relieve yourself of feeling that there’s something you fear. It can feel overwhelming to try to ignore something terrifying, but it may help in understanding that these visions are not real.

4. Panicking

Ever heard the phrase “keep calm and move on”? It somewhat applies for sleep paralysis too. Panicking in any situation usually tends to make it worse (unless you are at a disco). Given the situation of sleep paralysis, it is understandable if you panic. It is also normal for people to panic if experiencing it for the first time. However, the reality is that you are probably sabotaging yourself. When panic takes control, fear begins to set in and the visions created usually comes from what you fear. Sounds like a living nightmare, doesn’t it? By keeping calm during the process, it will eventually pass.

5. Struggling

In other circumstances, people usually struggle when they are unable to move. This applies to sleep paralysis as well. It is natural response for people to struggle. So why shouldn’t we struggle during sleep paralysis? Well since struggling is usually related to escaping, failing to escape can lead to several negative feelings. What are these feelings? Well firstly, you might start to panic and distress starts to set in. The realization of being unable to escape may probably also cause you to feel fear. And what was mentioned earlier about fear and hallucinations? Yeah, scary stuff. However, it is possible to create small movements in your body to help release yourself from sleep paralysis a little quicker.

6. Letting Your Eyes Wander

Do you sleep in a large bedroom? If that’s the case, you might want to avoid letting your eyes wander around too much. The visions you may hallucinate during sleep paralysis can be subjective and may differ from person to person. Allowing your eyes to wander may result in seeing other things that were not originally there. Your best bet would be to close your eyes. I mean if you can’t see, you’ll probably be less afraid too right? Then again, in a state of sleep paralysis, it can be difficult to be self-aware of our actions.

7. Expecting the Worst

Imagine already being in sleep paralysis and thinking about the worst that could happen to you. Not such a great idea, right? Thinking negatively can make your sleep paralysis experience turn for the worse. This is because thinking about these worse things, can possibly manifest into something that you dread the most. Once again, these manifestations potentially come in the form of your hallucinations. Sounds pretty dreadful am I right? But who knows? If we are able to channel positive thoughts, perhaps it may turn into something more pleasant?

So, sleep paralysis. Pretty scary huh? It can definitely be scary for people who are experiencing it for the first time or for those who yet to have a better understanding on the phenomenon. The basis of fear possibly stems from the inability to move or speak like we normally are able to do when we are conscious. Thus, it can be scary for everyone, even after multiple occurrences. Perhaps if we are able to be more self-aware during sleep paralysis, we may be able to have better control. There are also actions that can be taken to prevent sleep paralysis since it is a condition. After all, prevention is better than cure.