Are there any treatments for Sleep Paralysis?

Answer 1

Yes there are several methods of sleeping and even some drug therapy available for sleep paralysis. The best method to avoid sleep paralysis in my opinion (becuase I suffer from this) is simply to take 50mg of benadryl before I sleep. This is a common over the counter sleep aid and antihystimine. I really do not understand why it works. I am an insomniac and was told to use this to help me sleep. It has almost totally removed sleep paralysis from me.

My suggestion is to consult a doctor. they are proffesionals and are used to this stuff. My doctor has been working with me for several years about all of my different sleeping troubles. I have a few forms of insomnia so making me sleep is hard work. I give a lot of credit to my doctors. They are willing to work with me and are extremely intellegant people. Consider giving them a shot before you take the advice of just anyone.

Hails,
Silence

Answer 2

Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis).

Some report that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include: [2]

Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards)
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation
Increased stress
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode. Also conscious induction of sleep paralysis is a common technique to enter a state of lucid dreams.
Artificial sleeping aids or antihistamines

Answer 3

If your sleep paralysis is particularly troublesome, you may be prescribed a short course of antidepressant medication, such as a tricyclic antidepressant (TA), typically clomipramine. Antidepressants affect mood and are usually used to treat depression, but are also sometimes prescribed to treat severe sleep paralysis. The medication is thought to work by altering the amount and depth of REM sleep. This should prevent the temporary paralysis when you wake up or fall asleep, and it should also help reduce any hallucinations you may have.

Answer 4

I have had bouts with sleep paralysis. I do not hallucinate but am aware of my surroundings and cannot move.I cant open my eyes, but I can hear..it is like being drugged. When this happens I have kind of a sinking sensation and feel an urgent need to awaken. I try to wake myself up by trying to force myself to move, usually trying to wiggle my finger and then by trying to jerk my hand. I wake up momentarily and feel exhausted, so much so that I don't want to get up. I will sometimes go into the sleep paralysis again, but generally, I can "wiggle" up, reposition myself and go to sleep. If I have more than one incident, I wiggle up again and force myself to get up and sit on the edge of the bed, but I feel drained and exhausted. This happens infrequently, but when it does, it is very disturbing and stressful. In my case, it does not happen enough to require medication. It helps to be aware of what it is and to know how to "wiggle" your way out of it. ....I do not know if this means anything, but I now take a SSRI antidepressants (First, Celexia, then Lexapro). I have not had any bouts of sleep paralysis since I have been taking this medication, although it is not prescribed for that purpose. I wonder if there is a correlation here.

Answer 5

As Daeyl implied, sleeping on your back increases the risk of sleep paralysis. I used to have episodes regularly, but since training myself to sleep on my stomach, they only occur once or twice a year.

That's good enough for me-- I hate it when it happens (mostly because I'm not aware it's SP, as I hallucinate vividly) but a couple bad nights a year aren't enough to make me take a pill every night on the off chance I might be frightened and inconvenienced for five or ten minutes.

Answer 6

Sleep paralysis is a perfectly normal and necessary condition which occurs in the dreaming state of sleep. Without it we would throw ourselves about whilst dreaming and be prone to injury. Sometimes we wake while still in this condition which gives rise to very strange sensations but is quite harmless.