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Sleep paralysis is the inability to move, although you are conscious, either from waking or to sleeping. This happens from the brain waking up from REM sleep, but the body is paralyzed temporarily. About 8-30% of the population will experience this. It’s believed that main triggers to cause this is sleep deprivation, irregular sleep schedules, high stress, and sleeping on your back. To help rid sleep paralysis, keep a healthy sleep schedule, change sleeping position, limit stimulants and alcohol, and reduce pre bed stress.

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What Is Narcolepsy? | Ask Cleveland Clinic’s Expert

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Description Sleep paralysis is a temporary Inability to move or speak that happens either right as you’re falling asleep or right as you’re waking up, your brain is essentially caught between sleep, stages, your conscious and Aware of your surroundings, but your body is still locked in the muscle paralysis that normally happens during REM sleep to stop you from acting out of your dreams episodes usually last anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes Many people also experience, frightening hallucinations during an episode like sensing a presence in the room feeling pressure on the chest or seeing shadowy figures which is part of why it can Such a terrifying experience, even though it’s not medically dangerous

How common is it? It’s fairly common studies estimate around 8% of the general population experience it at some point, but that jumps to About 28% among college students and even higher around 30% or more in people with a psychiatric conditions like anxiety or PTSD many people only experience at once or twice in their life while others have reoccurring episodes.

Explanation of the disorder: Sleep paralysis happens because of a glitch in the transition between REM sleep and wakefulness.

During REM sleep, the brain naturally paralyzes the body's voluntary muscles (a state called REM atonia) to prevent injury from acting out dreams. Normally this paralysis switches off at the same time you wake up. In sleep paralysis, the mind wakes up before the body's paralysis switches off, so you become conscious while still physically "stuck" Common triggers include sleep deprivation, irregular sleep schedules, sleeping on your back, high stress, and sleep disorders like narcolepsy.

Is there any treatment? There's no specific cure, but it's very manageable:

﻿﻿Improving sleep hygiene (consistent sleep schedule, enough total sleep)

﻿﻿Reducing stress and anxiety

﻿﻿Avoiding sleeping on your back

﻿﻿Treating underlying conditions (like narcolepsy or insomnia) if present

﻿﻿In frequent or severe cases, doctors may prescribe certain antidepressants, since they can suppress REM sleep and reduce episodes

Video(s): Id suggest searching for a short, reputable explainer video — something like a TED-Ed or SciShow video on sleep paralysis — to embed in your Padlet post, since I can't directly attach video links here.

Want me to find a couple of good options for you?

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Some people might take counseling or like really heavy sleeping medication

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It’s essentially when someone can get up and like move around while they’re supposed to be in deep sleep.

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This video goes into some depth talkin about Secondary RLS and primarly RLS it also talks about ways that can relief it an dhelp you know if you have RLS and can help if you don’t know if you have it.

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How to (Actually) Stop Restless Legs Syndrome

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This video does a really good definitiona and expanation of RLS its short and simple too.

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Narcolepsy is caused by a deficiency in a crucial chemical in one’s brain that regulates the sleep to wake cycle called hypocretin. First degree causes to this can be passed down genetics, an autoimmune reaction where the healthy brain cells are mistakenly attacked, or viral infections. Secondary causes are severe brain injuries or strokes.

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There is no direct cure for Narcolepsy, but there are things to help manage it such as medications and lifestyle changes. A couple “alert” medications that may be used are Provigil and Nuvigil. Also, a strict sleep schedule along with scheduled naps are recommended to align the brains schedule with sleep which can reduce heavy drowsiness.

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What are Night Terrors and How do they Affect Children?

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There is no full proof way to prevent it but it can be managed very well with lifestyle changes and medication if needed. A more specific form of treatment is nerve stimulation where something you can wear around your leg gives electrical pulses which makes blood flow greater and allows the brain and the leg to communicate better.

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Sleep apnea is a sleep condition that is fairly common in adults. Sleep apnea prevents your body from getting a decent amount of oxygen while sleeping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6lxO6W2-m8&t=10

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RLS affects about 7 to 10% of the US population, this doesn’t only include the most severe forms of it. It’s also more common in adults.

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RLS is a condition where someone has uncontrollable feeling in their legs which causes the person to move them most commonly during sleep.

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Insomnia can be caused by chronic stress or anxiety, irregular sleeping patterns (trying to wake up or to go to bed at different times every night), and late-night screen use.

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Insomnia affects about one in three adults at some point in their life.

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Research Suggests Long-Term Melatonin Use For Insomnia Increases Heart Failure Risk

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Research Suggests Long-Term Melatonin Use For Insomnia Increases HF Risk - American College of Cardiology

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Long-term melatonin use for insomnia was associated with a higher hazard of heart failure (HF), an increase in HF hospitalizations and a doubling of all-cause mortality over five years, according to a large, multinational cohort study presented at AHA 2025. These findings emphasize the need to clarify the cardiovascular safety profile of melatonin use as benign chronic therapy.

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Insomnia is a sleep disorder that may affect people differently but it ultimately boils down to not being able to get good/enough sleep. Oftentimes, it presents itself as either not being able to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get good quality sleep. It can either be chronic (3 months +) or acute (a few weeks or even days).

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Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that may affect different age groups differently but it ultimately boils down to not being able to get restful sleep. It often presents itself in young people as not being able to fall asleep, in middle aged people as waking frequently throughout the night, and in older people as not being able to stay asleep and thus waking up very early though specific conditions may vary person to person.

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It shows up in 10% to 40% of workers who work non traditional work hours such as all night shift or all day shifts, meaning millions of people experience Shift Work Disorder.

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Most children grow out of having night terrors on their own. Parents may also help by reassuring their child, making sure there is as little stress as possible in their lives, and waking them up about 30 minutes before the night terrors are common. It is also recommended to stay away from caffeinated drinks and get the proper amount of sleep for the subjects age group. It is possible to take some forms of medication but should be done sparingly and often have varying forms of success.

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Most children grow out of having night terrors on their own. Parents may also help by reassuring their child, making sure there is as little stress as possible in their lives, and waking them up about 30 minutes before the night terrors are common. It is also recommended to stay away from caffeinated drinks and get the proper amount of sleep for the subjects age group. It is possible to take some forms of medication but should be done sparingly and often have varying forms of success.

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Alexander KC Leung, Amy AM Leung, Alex HC Wong, Kam Lun Hon

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Sleep terrors are common, frightening, but fortunately benign events. Familiarity with this condition is important so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. To familiarize physicians with the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of…

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Night/sleep terrors occur in 1-6.5% of children 1-12 years old with stronger commonality from 5-7 years old, and lessens to ~3% in adults

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Night/sleep terrors occur in 1-6.5% of children 1-12 years old with stronger commonality from 5-7 years old, and lessens to ~3% in adults

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For treatment positive airway pressure machines pump air into ones throat through a bedside machine. For mild cases a special mouthguard may be worn or a lifestyle change must take place. For extreme cases one may have to get surgery to remove tissue or to implant a device to stimulate the nerves controlling the tongue.

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For treatment positive airway pressure machines pump air into ones throat through a bedside machine. For mild cases a special mouthguard may be worn or a lifestyle change must take place. For extreme cases one may have to get surgery to remove tissue or to implant a device to stimulate the nerves controlling the tongue.

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Sleep Apnea is caused by either throat muscles blocking the airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or by the brain failing to signal breathing muscles properly (central sleep apnea)

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Sleep Apnea is caused by either throat muscles blocking the airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or by the brain failing to signal breathing muscles properly (central sleep apnea)

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In the US 1 in every 2,000 people are affected by narcolepsy. It is considered a rare condition, but many cases go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

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Neurological disorder that affects their ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Can be caused by tumors, genetic, brain injury, or certain illnesses.

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About 1 in 5 adults have at least mild symptoms of sleep apnea, affecting about 1 billion people globally

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About 1 in 5 adults have at least mild symptoms of sleep apnea, affecting about 1 billion people globally

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A condition where a person’s breathing repeatedly starts and stops in their sleep. 

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A condition where a person’s breathing repeatedly starts and stops in their sleep. 

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The person may sit up in bed, shout, or show physical signs of panic, such as a racing heart, rapid breathing, and sweating. They may appear to be awake and terrified, but are not actually conscious. They'll most likely go back to sleep with no memory of it the next day. 

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The person may sit up in bed, shout, or show physical signs of panic, such as a racing heart, rapid breathing, and sweating. They may appear to be awake and terrified, but are not actually conscious. They'll most likely go back to sleep with no memory of it the next day. 

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A night terror is a dream that causes a strong, unpleasant emotional response.  More usually found in children, and may be caused by anxiety or PTSD. 

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A night terror is a dream that causes a strong, unpleasant emotional response.  More usually found in children, and may be caused by anxiety or PTSD. 

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This definition came from the popular reference text, An Universal Etymological English Dictionary, first published by Nathan Bailey in 1721 and reprinted through 1802. Although that definition doesn't surface often today, nightmares are still considered to be frightening dreams that result in feelings of terror, fear, distress, or anxiety.

Despite our colloquial use of the term, for example, "my commute was a nightmare," for an estimated 3 to 7 percent of the U.S. population, nightmares can be a real problem. Although adults can suffer from nightmares, they are more typical in children, especially those between the ages of 3 and 6. "We think that some of this may be evolutionary," says Deirdre Barrett, PhD, an HMS assistant clinical professor of psychology at Cambridge Health Alliance and editor of "Trauma and Dreams," published by Harvard University Press in 2001. "Children are smaller and are vulnerable to many more threats than adults. Nightmares may partially reflect this vulnerability."

Dreams are understood to be recent autobiographical episodes that become woven with past memories to create a new memory that can be referenced later, but nightmares are simply dreams that cause a strong but unpleasant emotional response. Dreams are part of the brain's default network-a system of interconnected regions, which includes the thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex-that remains active during comparatively quiet periods.

REM sleep is one example of a quiet period. It is a stage of sleep that is characterized by rapid eye movement, irregular heartbeat, and increased rates of respiration. REM sleep is discontinuous, chunked into four or five periods that together make up about 20 percent of our slumber. It is during these REM episodes that brain structures in the default network exert influence, and it is during REM sleep that vividly recalled dreams occur most often.

Nightmares tend to happen during the period of sleep when REM intervals lengthen; these usually occur halfway through slumber. As we prepare to awaken, memories begin to integrate and consolidate. We dream as we emerge from REM sleep. Because we tend to dream on the sleep-wake cusp, images imagined while dreaming, including the vivid, often terrifying images produced during nightmares, are remembered.

Terror-filled sleep

Nightmares are often confused with night terrors, a phenomenon more likely experienced by children than adults and usually more dramatic than a nightmare. Night terrors are not technically dreams but are instead sudden fearful reactions that occur during transitions from one sleep phase to another. They typically occur two to three hours after sleep begins, when deep non-REM sleep transitions to REM sleep. Night terrors often cause children to kick, scream, and thrash about, but, because night terrors do not occur during REM sleep, most children do not remember them.

"Night terrors are a phenomenon of the deepest parts of non-REM sleep, when the brain is less active," says Barrett. "In a night terror, a child awakens with heart pounding. There is, however, either no content to the feeling of terror or there is a simple scary image. There is not, however, the sort of narrative story you experience with dreams, including nightmares."

John Winkelman, AM '83, MD '87, PhD '83, an HMS associate professor of psychiatry who studies sleep disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, says night terrors are often forgotten the next day because they arise during what is known as short-wave sleep, a time when neurons in the neocortex, the brain's center for higher mental functions, are less active.

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This definition came from the popular reference text, An Universal Etymological English Dictionary, first published by Nathan Bailey in 1721 and reprinted through 1802. Although that definition doesn't surface often today, nightmares are still considered to be frightening dreams that result in feelings of terror, fear, distress, or anxiety.

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Check out Bruxism's connections to other sleep disorders!

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Bruxism’ Connection to Sleep Apnea and Other REM-Related Disorders

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Learn the biological triggers of grinding and find medical treatments to protect your jaw and sleep better tonight.

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Condition where someone clenches their jaw or grinds their teeth while asleep.  Can be caused by stress or anxiety.

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Condition where someone clenches their jaw or grinds their teeth while asleep.  Can be caused by stress or anxiety.

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Impacts anywhere from 10-20% of people at some point in their life.

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Impacts anywhere from 10-20% of people at some point in their life.

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Can cause pain during the day, damage to teeth, vision issues, popping sounds, and locking of the jaw.

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Can cause pain during the day, damage to teeth, vision issues, popping sounds, and locking of the jaw.

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Treatment Options: Stretching, Braces/Mouthguards, Botox, or Surgery.

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Treatment Options: Stretching, Braces/Mouthguards, Botox, or Surgery.