Imagine you awaken, see a stranger working toward you with a knife as well as your legs won't move so there's no escape.
Terrifying episodes like these are known as sleep paralysis. They're not dangerous, it's just your brain telling your body it's still in dreamland, regarding to Texas A&M University researchers.
If you are in the stage of rest where vivid dreams occur (referred to as REM sleep), your arms and legs are temporarily paralyzed and that means you can't act out your dreams. In the event that you wake up during this REM stage, you feel unable to move and could even hallucinate, the experts said.
"When people have a nightmare, they sleep, have a dream and then awaken. When they're experiencing sleep paralysis, they may have a dream if they are already awake," said Dr. Steven Bender, director of Texas A&M University's Center for Facial Pain and Sleep Medicine.
"Sleep paralysis can be a frightening event," he stated in a university news discharge.
Fortunately, it generally does not last more than a minute or two and it generally happens when individuals are falling asleep or simply waking up.
"People who experience rest paralysis can possess vivid hallucinations because they are dreaming," Bender explained. "Folks have sensed like they're levitating or that somebody is in their bedroom or a number of other strange experiences, like alien abductions."
Since breathing could be irregular during REM sleep, those experiencing rest paralysis may feel like they're suffocating or cannot breathe easily.
And it's more prevalent than people realize, affecting up to 8 percent of individuals. It's especially common amongst young adults, women and blacks. People who have depression, anxiety and the chronic sleep disorder narcolepsy are also more likely to see it, the experts said.
Improving sleep habits will help you avoid these episodes. Bender suggests:
Going to bed and getting up around the same time each day.
Avoiding TV before bed.
Not using a notebook or cellphone in bed.
Avoiding daytime napping.
Avoiding stimulants near to bedtime.
Though it's rather a frightening experience, Bender said sleep paralysis is not a medical emergency.
"If it becomes a regular issue," he said, "then consult your primary doctor, and they will help you manage it."
