Top 12 Scary Sleep Disorders!

12. Sleep Paralysis

Saving the most terrifying for last, Sleep Paralysis, while it may not cause any physical damage, it can definitely scare the living daylights out of anyone. This is almost the complete opposite to a nightmare- nightmares will occur in REM sleep, when the brain tells the body’s voluntary muscles to relax into a state of atonia (semi-paralysis), helping to protect the body from injury by physically moving in their sleep, possibly from acting out their dreams (Ohayon et al, 1999). In Sleep Paralysis, the body remains paralysed in REM atonia while the brain wakes and eyes start to open. Involuntary muscle movement, like breathing, is not affected (thankfully). Occurring most often in teens to those in their late thirties, SP may include hallucinations, usually visual and auditory but can sometimes stretch to tactile hallucinations (when the individual feels as though someone is touching them) (Cheyne et al, 1993). Many report a figure standing at the bottom of their bed, while some say a “being” sits on their chest. This may be because paralysis triggers the stress response, and with the dopamine and noradrenalin that results from this, a person may become fearful of their surroundings. First observed by a Dutch physician in 1664, SP was believed to be caused by demons, spiritual possession and “immorality” up until the 19^th century!