Post by littled16 on May 24, 2015 18:22:47 GMT -6
Recently I was listening to a popular early morning radio show on my way to work when the host of the program brought up his own experiences of sleep paralysis- a form of parasomnia otherwise known as REM atonia. REM atonia induces a sort of paralysis during sleep that prevents one from "acting out" dreams and accidentally hurting oneself or sleeping partner.
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The thing in the discussion that piqued my interest was the radio show host's mention that every time he woke up in this particular "paralyzed state" it was immediately following a dream of an old woman who was either holding him down or attacking him and trying to suck the life from him. I had heard about this particular scenario before as it seems to be a very common thread with sleep paralysis.
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I know that many other people during episodes of sleep paralysis dream of alien abduction scenarios.
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It seems that a common factor in basically ALL of these incidences of sleep paralysis (other than the inability to move or speak) seems to be a heaviness in the chest and difficulty in breathing or a sense of choking, which led me to wonder if sleep paralysis might be in some way related to sleep apnea. I wasn't able to find too much about the co-relation between sleep apnea and sleep paralysis that wasn't a bunch of technical lingo that I couldn't understand, but apparently both sleep apnea and sleep paralysis are symptoms commonly experienced by those who suffer from narcolepsy and are all grouped under the category of Parasomnia along with sleep walking, bed wetting and a few other sleep abnormalities.
Nearly 1 in 10 patients with obstructive sleep apnea also experience "parasomnia" symptoms such as sleepwalking, hallucinations and acting out their dreams, a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study has found.
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None of this however addresses the common dreams or hallucinations experienced by those with episodes of sleep paralysis. I also wondered if there were instances of anyone actually dying from "Old Hag Syndrome" and came across something called Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome.
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There was a case of many deaths (116 out of 117 men, median age 33) among a group of Asian immigrants that were attributed to SUNDS and sleep paralysis in conjunction with their cultural beliefs.
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I myself had had instances of sleep paralysis- though very rare- and they are usually accompanied by episodes of sleep apnea which leads me to wonder if maybe apnea is causing the pressure/choking sensations and in some cases causing such anxiety that the episodes can lead to heart failure and death. I find all of this very interesting and the common factor of witchy, demonic, alien or ghostly figures is fascinating to me as well since I have yet to hear or read a common explanation for the similar dreams/hallucinations.
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The thing in the discussion that piqued my interest was the radio show host's mention that every time he woke up in this particular "paralyzed state" it was immediately following a dream of an old woman who was either holding him down or attacking him and trying to suck the life from him. I had heard about this particular scenario before as it seems to be a very common thread with sleep paralysis.
link
link
link
I know that many other people during episodes of sleep paralysis dream of alien abduction scenarios.
link
link
link
It seems that a common factor in basically ALL of these incidences of sleep paralysis (other than the inability to move or speak) seems to be a heaviness in the chest and difficulty in breathing or a sense of choking, which led me to wonder if sleep paralysis might be in some way related to sleep apnea. I wasn't able to find too much about the co-relation between sleep apnea and sleep paralysis that wasn't a bunch of technical lingo that I couldn't understand, but apparently both sleep apnea and sleep paralysis are symptoms commonly experienced by those who suffer from narcolepsy and are all grouped under the category of Parasomnia along with sleep walking, bed wetting and a few other sleep abnormalities.
Nearly 1 in 10 patients with obstructive sleep apnea also experience "parasomnia" symptoms such as sleepwalking, hallucinations and acting out their dreams, a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study has found.
link
link
link
None of this however addresses the common dreams or hallucinations experienced by those with episodes of sleep paralysis. I also wondered if there were instances of anyone actually dying from "Old Hag Syndrome" and came across something called Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome.
In SUNDS, which is genetic disease, the body fails to properly coordinate the electrical signals that cause the heart to beat, said Matteo Vatta, an assistant professor of cardiology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The disease primarily strikes young adult men, especially those of Southeast Asian descent.
“The heart can be normal for quite some time, and then it may stop unexpectedly,” Vatta told Life’s Little Mysteries. “Usually, the heart stops at night, and in Southeast Asia it once caused more deaths amongst young males than car accidents.”
The deaths occur at night because the heart beats more weakly when people sleep, Vatta said. When the heart slows down for sleep, the electrical problems that cause SUNDS become more pronounced, overtake the body’s ability to regulate its own heart beat and send the heart into a deadly spasm.
There have been some theories that link the onset of SUNDS to the stress caused by nightmares, but no scientific studies have shown a correlation between SUNDS deaths and the content of dreams.
“The heart can be normal for quite some time, and then it may stop unexpectedly,” Vatta told Life’s Little Mysteries. “Usually, the heart stops at night, and in Southeast Asia it once caused more deaths amongst young males than car accidents.”
The deaths occur at night because the heart beats more weakly when people sleep, Vatta said. When the heart slows down for sleep, the electrical problems that cause SUNDS become more pronounced, overtake the body’s ability to regulate its own heart beat and send the heart into a deadly spasm.
There have been some theories that link the onset of SUNDS to the stress caused by nightmares, but no scientific studies have shown a correlation between SUNDS deaths and the content of dreams.
There was a case of many deaths (116 out of 117 men, median age 33) among a group of Asian immigrants that were attributed to SUNDS and sleep paralysis in conjunction with their cultural beliefs.
Some Hmong felt that they had not properly honored the memories of their ancestors, which was a known risk factor among the Hmong for being visited by the tsog tsuam. Once the night-mare visitations began, a shaman was often needed to set things right. And in the scattered communities of Hmong across the country, they might not have access to the right person. Without access to traditional rituals, shamans, and geographies, the Hmong were unable to provide themselves psychic protection from the spirits of their sleep.
I myself had had instances of sleep paralysis- though very rare- and they are usually accompanied by episodes of sleep apnea which leads me to wonder if maybe apnea is causing the pressure/choking sensations and in some cases causing such anxiety that the episodes can lead to heart failure and death. I find all of this very interesting and the common factor of witchy, demonic, alien or ghostly figures is fascinating to me as well since I have yet to hear or read a common explanation for the similar dreams/hallucinations.
