How many times has the movie industry taken advantage of the human capacity to conjure fears that are far more gruesome than reality can present? Movies that involve assailants like Freddy Kruger are still all the rage even in the modern film industry, demonstrating a specific demographic of our population that fear something that, in essence, is our own mechanism for conjuring things in our minds. Being afraid of something that we can’t control as a result of sleep (or lack thereof) is a terrible burden to bear in life, and many people experience, on average, at least one very mild episode of sleep paralysis during their lifetime! (“Sleep”) The interesting application behind sleep paralysis, especially for us university types, is that a wide array of studies imply a trend in the increased likelihood of experiencing sleep paralysis (SP) from a younger age.

First off, let’s get this out of the way: “What’s sleep paralysis?”, right? In its definition, it’s actually part of a natural process of sleeping that has nothing to do with the nightmarish hallucinations that it is known for. (Mandell) Rather, it describes the body’s mechanism of shutting down the modalities for movement during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep stages, which are known to cause sleepwalking. We experience REM cycles of sleep on an average of 25% of our total time we sleep, but we experience deeper cycles of REM for as much as 4-5 times a night, lasting maximum from 30-45 minutes. In a study conducted here (hey! look at that, State’s on the map, guys!), our own Brian Sharpless, clinical assistant professor of psychology, cross screened and pulled a concentration of data from 35 studies over 50 years, totaling 36,533 people ranging in frequency from one lifetime experience to nightly reoccurences of SP. In conjunction with his own study conducted at State, he reported that one-fifth of the cases reported just one experience, and 28% of the population that were students reported experiencing SP, with 35% of the total number of people experiencing the nightmarish effects with some regularity. It also appears from the data pulled, that non-Caucasians could be more prone to sleep paralysis. However, there are simply infinitesimal factors that could play into this idea, including diet, cultural customs, simple lifestyle differences, studies, sleep habits and so on. More research could be done to further delve into potential differences that leave individuals more susceptible to SP based on their habits before bed, their diet, amount of sleep on average each day of the school week, etc.

In addition, Sharpless’s study demonstrated a 32% composition of the population classified as suffering from mental disorders and also experiencing regular sleep paralysis! Organizations for developing helpful methods for counteracting the nightmares of SP suggest that abstaining from meat in late meals before bed and sleeping on your back seem to be helpful, and the chemicals in processed foods tend to lead to nerves before sleep. As a college student, I’ve experienced SP multiple times before, and I would hope to see more research in the future that could be tailored to adopting a healthy, informed habit on relaxing myself physiologically before I get my rest to take on the next day! Maybe I ought to stay away from the oreos at midnight.

John Henry Fuesli’s “The Nightmare”, a classic painting portraying an older understanding of Sleep Paralysis as possession.

Elyse’Messer, A´ndrea. “Sleep Paralysis More Common in Students – Futurity.” Futurity. N.p., 21 Oct. 2011. Web.

“How To Experience Sleep Paralysis – The Good the Bad and the Ugly.” The Lack Of. N.p., 12 Aug. 2013. Web.

Mandell, Sean. “Is Sleep Paralysis Normal? Causes, Explanations, and Stories.” Is Sleep Paralysis Normal? Causes, Explanations, and Stories. N.p., 2010. Web.

“Sleep Paralysis Info – Symptoms, Causes & Solutions.” Sleep Paralysis Info: Symptoms Causes Solutions. N.p., 20 Nov. 2014. Web.