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Study Finds 6% Of Subjects Have Experienced Sleep Paralysis ST. PAUL, MN -- April 12, 1999 -- The alarm sounds and you lie helpless in bed, unable to move or even speak for several minutes; you have a condition known as sleep paralysis. Two out of every 100 people experience sleep paralysis at least once a month, according to a report in today’s issue of the journal of Neurology. Sleep paralysis is characterised by the inability to move and speak for several minutes after awakening or just before falling asleep. The disorder can also be accompanied by hallucinations. "The fear and fascination that many people feel while paralysed after awakening is described in Melville's Moby Dick and other 19th and 20th century literature," said researcher Maurice Ohayon, MD, DSc, PhD, of New York University in New York, NY. In the study researchers surveyed approximately 8,100 German and Italian participants about their sleeping habits. Approximately six percent of the study group experienced sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime. The condition can be caused by sleep deprivation, anxiety-reducing medications and mental or sleep disorders, the researchers write. Users of anxiety-reducing medications were five times more likely to report occurrences of sleep paralysis. "People experiencing sleep paralysis on a regular basis should seek medical attention," Ohayon said. "In most cases sleep paralysis is relieved by treating factors which can cause the condition." Researchers report that people with sleep paralysis often feel sleepy during the day and have difficulty falling asleep at night. Twelve percent of those with the disorder experience their first episode during childhood. Overall the condition occurs most often upon awakening in the morning and nearly 30 percent of participants with severe sleep paralysis experience hallucinations during the episode. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version