Sleep paralysis, which occurs either as you drift off to sleep or as you wake up, involves a feeling of numbness and often hallucinations. However, it is not a normal experience. During sleep paralysis, a disturbance in your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycle leaves your brain awake but your body unable to move. Although the cause is not fully understood, researchers believe that sleep paralysis may be linked to things like disrupted sleep schedules or medical disorders such as narcolepsy. In this animated explainer, Alysha Cancino explores why this sleep phenomenon occurs and how to avoid it.
Sources:
Kennedy, Aine. “A Hard Day’s Nightmare: Music and Sleep Paralysis.” Cherwell, 6 Mar. 2020, cherwell.org/2020/03/06/a-hard-days-nightmare-music-and-sleep-paralysis/.
Kliková, Monika, et al. “Objective Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Characteristics of Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis: A Case–Control Study.” Sleep (New York, N.Y.), vol. 44, no. 11, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab153.
“NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.” National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/rapid-eye-movement-sleep. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
Roybal, Beth. “Sleep Paralysis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention.” WebMD, WebMD, 28 Apr. 2023, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis
Alysha Cancino is a student in the Reynolds School of Journalism. This story was produced as part of the RSJ’s motion graphics class during spring 2024, taught by Luka Starmer.
