Sleep Paralysis: Survey results

(March 2017)

This survey has been made by a Journalism & Media student and a just graduated
Psychologist. The aim of this study is to collect information on the analysis of the study of
the Sleep Paralysis as it is presented and how it affects the people who suffer from it. It is
based on the answers of 277 people in 29 countries and 5 different continents.

We have tried this research to be the widest and most objective as possible, both in the
formulation of the questionnaire and in the interpretation of the answers presented below.

277 contestants (one person did not answer the question about nationality):
174 women
101 men
(Two people did not answer the question about gender)

1
How old were you when you had the first episode of Sleep Paralysis? (according to the
World Health Organizations classification)?:
1. Childhood (until 10 years old): 34 people
2. Adolescence (10 - 19 years old): 186 people
3. Youth (20 to 24): 33 people
4. Adulthood (from the age of 25): 24 people (8 of them had the first episode when they
were more than 30 years old)

When does it happen to you more often?

Night: 206.
Afternoon 1: 38.
Morning 2: 31.

1
I have counted the answers 'evening' (usually understood as the moment in the day when it starts to
get dark -from 6 to 8 p.m.-) as afternoon, due to the fact that in Spanish speaking countries the word
evening does not exist

2
Everytime: 17
Dk/Da: 2
Naps during the day: 11

Does it happen to you more often in the morning,

in the afternoon or at night?
250

200

150

100

50

0
Night Afternoon Morning Doesn't Naps Dk/Da
matter the
hour

Has it ever happened to you when you were out of bed? If so, where were you?
- Sofa/couch/chair: 63
- Travelling (by car, bus, train, subway or plane): 21
- Working: 3
- Lying on a piece of furniture: 2
- Studying: 3
- In the bathroom: 1
- Playing videogames: 1
- Sitting in a bench at the street: 1
- In a library: 1
- Anywhere: 2
- In other rooms (different from the bedroom): 1

2
Some people have answered early morning or morning hours of like 1-4 or when dawn, about 6
am. I have counted these answers as night because people at that time usually have not woken up
yet, so we could consider it still as night

3
Indicate the option or options which are true for you:

Does it happen to you more often when...?

None of them

Bad period in my life

Stressed

Tired

0 20 40 60 80 100
Bad period in my
Tired Stressed None of them
life
Series1 79 87 37 74

Possible answers:
- I have episodes of Sleep Paralysis more often when I am STRESSED
- I have episodes of Sleep Paralysis more often when I am TIRED
- I have episodes of Sleep Paralysis more often when I'm going through a BAD
PERIOD in my life
- NONE of them

Do you have hallucinations while in a state of

Paralysis?
No

Yes

8 no, 269 yes

4
 What kind of hallucinations do you have more often? (multiple choice)

-Visual: 122
-Auditory: 71
-Kinetic: 61
-Tactile: 31

Have you ever noticed that your body temperature increases/decreases when you are in a state
of Sleep Paralysis? 3 Yes: 62

Are there any sleeping positions in which you experience more often the Paralysis? (more
than one answer is possible)
Face up: 174
Sideways: 68
Upside down: 31
All of them: 28
I do not know: 4

3
After having interviewed a psychologist, I have realized that this question has no sense. It is obvious
that their corporal temperature increases due to the big effort they are making in many cases to wake
up from the Sleep Paralysis state (see answers to When you are paralyzed, is there any step you can
take to get OUT of that state?)

5
 Are there any sleeping positions in which you
experience more often the Paralysis?

200

150

100

50

0
Face up Sideways Upside Any of them Dk/Da
down

Are there other people in your family who have or have had Sleep Paralysis?
Yes: 99
No/maybe/I dont know: 178

Do you have any other sleep disorder? which one?

- No: 215
- I do not know: 6
- Insomnia (difficulties to get asleep): 38
- Somnambulism: 6
- Interrupted sleep: 5
- Sleep apnea or difficulties to breathe while sleeping: 4
- Bruxism (teeth grinding): 2
- Sleep Talking: 1

Do you have or have had any psychological disorder? which one?

No: 204, I do not know: 9, yes: 64
1. Depression: 35
2. Anxiety: 29
3. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder): 4
4. OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): 4

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5. Anorexia and/or Bulimia: 5
6. Personality disorders: 3 (1 Bipolarity, 1 Histrionism)
7. Hallucinations while awake: 2
8. Panic attacks: 4
9. Schizophrenia: 1
10. Trichotillomania (Hair-pulling disorder): 1
11. Hypochondria: 1
12. Anger: 1
13. Mild Autism: 1
14. ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder): 3
15. Depersonalization Disorder or Derealization: 1

16. Lack of Melatonin: 1

17. Cataplexy: 1

7
 How did you first learn about Sleep
Paralysis?
191

31

9 14 13
2 2 1 3 5 2 1 1 1 1

(One of the contestants says that he/she asked to the doctor about Sleep Paralysis and the
doctor himself did an Internet search because he did not know about it)

Have you ever talked to your doctor about Paralysis?

No: 207; yes: 70 (one of them asked to the doctor when episodes started to happen very
often)

Have you ever got an electroencephalogram or any other medical tests about Sleep
Paralysis?
Yes. In fact, when it happened to me the first time I went to the doctor and I was mistakenly
diagnosed as having a type of Epilepsy. I was medicated with valproic acid for 4 years. It did
not work at all and they decided to make me a series of electroencephalograms that showed

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that I did not have Epilepsy. The results I got were completely normal. Doctors should have
used them as a diagnostic method before I had been treated. After that, they could not tell me
what I was suffering from [translation from Spanish]
Doctor thought Epilepsy
Most of them have never had any type of tests or the results they got were all normal

In the case that you have not gone to the doctor, why have not you?

I went but they didn't understand me 1

I don't know how to explain it 1
Not many doctors know what SP is exactly 5
Fear (of the tests/medication/being wrongly 9
They wouldn't believe me 16
Other people have told me it's not something to be 2
I had never thought of going 3
I don't know what doctor I should go 2
I don't like doctors 3
I like having SP 2
I had already information 6
It doesn't happen very often/doesn't happen anymore 8
Lack of money 7
Lack of time 7
I have learnt how to deal with it/control it 9
I don't think it may help 30
It's not that important 72
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Im 18 (I dont have enough money) and my parents have never considered going to the
doctor so necessary [translation from Spanish]
I was ashamed that the doctor did not understand it or that it was not serious enough to go to
see the doctor [translation from Spanish]
Cause it feels silly
I was afraid that I'll be wrongly diagnosed as some Psychological patient, I don't want
them to label me, afraid of answers, I once mentioned it to a therapist and she told me it
sounds like the beginning stages of Schizophrenia so I never brought it up again.
I talk about my SP all the time to my doctors. They don't know what it is and ignores it.

Have you ever received any kind of "alternative therapy"?

18 people have

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Is there any method you follow to AVOID episodes of Sleep Paralysis?
Stop it when I feel it's going to happen 1
Not going to sleep when hangover 1
Not eating before going to sleep 1
Not drinking sweet drinks neither coffee 1
Doing yoga 1
Smoking 2
Medication 3
Going to bed late at night 1
Sleeping with music 1
Sleeping with the lights on 1
Not watching TV before going to bed 1
Sleeping in a completely dark room 1
Drinking a lot of water 1
Doing a lot of sport 2
Avoiding talking or thinking of the episodes 2
Not watching TV when in bed 1
TV switched on 3
Sleeping with someone or pets 4
Not going to sleep very tired 4
Not sleeping 6
Praying 6
Healthy life (healthy food and practising exercise) 6
Taking naps 1
Not taking a nap 9
Changing my posture when I notice it's going to 2
Waking up and walking when I feel it's going to 10
By avoiding stressful or frightening situations 10
Calming down/being relaxed 11
Following routines for bedtime/ regular sleep 14
Lying in a specific posture 28
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

One of the contestants said sleeping in a specific position helps him/her not see the door of
the room, so that he/she does not get afraid. One of them said he/she is making a gadget to
wake him/her up

The person who says to drink lots of water says when he/she is thirsty he/she wakes up (and
sometimes in Paralysis state). The person who avoids SP by sleeping in a dark room says that
if he/she saw any object in the room might find it frightening, and that might lead her/him to
the state of Paralysis 4

4
When I go to sleep I make sure the room is completely dark as any light that allows me to see the
inside of the room encourages the chance of me incorporating what I see in the room into the fear
response

10
It is important to say that one of the medicines referred to is Rivotril 5

No: 133 (3 of them did nothing because he wanted to have it, 3 say that they have tried
several methods but any of them has worked so far). Dk/Da: 24

(Multiple answer)

When you are paralyzed, is there any step you can take to get
OUT of that state?
Getting 'euphoric' 1
Scrunching my face as hard as I can 1
Screaming myself Wake up! 3
1
Looking towards the illuminated 1
Squeezing my partner's hand 1
Meditating 1
Singing a mantra 1
Asking the shadows to go away 2
Insulting and swearing 2
Calling Jesus Christ 2
Trying to fall sleep again 2
Pinching fingers together 2
Tensing a part of the body 2
Counting 2
Waking myself up properly 1
Lucid dream 3
Trying to open my eyes 3
Squeezing my eyes 3
Concentrating in a part of the body 3
Trying to shake myself out 4
"Fighting" 5
Praying 12
Waiting it out 13
Stopping breathing for a while 1
Controlling my breathing 19
Breathing deeply/ quickly 10
Screaming/talking/making sounds 22
Calming down and not panicking 58
Moving a part of my body 106

5
Rivotril or clonazepam is a medication used to stabilize the mood of a person and tranquilize
him/her. It is usually prescribed by the doctor to be consumed for brief periods of time and in cases of
urgency. This medicine may have serious adverse effects (unexpected changes in the mental health
of the person who takes it), it may be addictive and its uncontrolled intake may provoke hallucinations,
convulsions, anxiety and/or difficulties sleeping or staying asleep.

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Moving a part of my body: 106 (fingers: 44, arms or legs: 24, tongue: 3, head: 3, eyes: 3,
shake or rock back and forth to wake themselves up: 29). One of them says that when she/he
is trying to move the fingers, he/she gets painful headaches.

The reason why some of them say they move it is in order to achieve touching their partners,
so that their partners get to know they are in Paralysis state and wake them up. One of them
says he/she try to touch anything cold.
Other people try to scream or make sounds calling the people who sleep around them.

Some of the people close their eyes because they dont want to have visual hallucinations.

Doesnt want to wake up/like having Sleep Paralysis: 1

Dont have any method to wake up: 50 (12 of them have tried but dont achieve it with any)
Dk/Da: 21

Do you think there is enough information about Sleep Paralysis?

-No: 195
-Yes/maybe: 44
Dk/Da: 38

How do people react when you tell them that you have Sleep Paralysis? (more than one
possible answer)
Two people were sent to the church to pray: they think I should go to the church to confess
and not think about bad things anymore [translation from Spanish]
They get scared to get Paralysis themselves.

Two people, after seeing how their family members and friends had reacted when they told it,
have decided not to talk about Sleep Paralysis openly anymore.

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 How do people (friends, family, partners, co-workers) usually
react when you tell them that you have Paralysis?
I have never talk about it
Dk/Da
They say it's due to bad habits
They think it's something good/ a gift or a talent
They start laughing
They say it's a demon or a ghost
They don't care
They don't know what to say/start treating me
They say they have it too/ know anyone who has it
They think it's weird
They think it's usual***
They think I'm crazy or have any illness*
They get worried /scared
With curiosity
They don't understand/don't believe me
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

*One of them prefers not to talk about it because just if I mention the word hallucination or
vision, people might think Im not normal [translation from Spanish]
Like it's a mental disorder/Like I'm crazy and need to see a psychiatrist
** They usually have a bad reaction, but I can understand them because it is something
strange [translation from Spanish]. Funny looks
***One of them says that at the beginning people thought he/she was crazy. However, little
by little, after having been explained what Sleep Paralysis scientifically means, they believed
and supported him/her

Are you afraid to say openly that you have Sleep Paralysis? Why?
NO: It would be entirely useless to explain to someone something I cant understand. Now I
do. And speak to people everyday about it. I was before knowing what SP was. I actually
began to think I was mentally ill because of all the hallucinations. Now I dont mind at all.

Some of them want to talk about it because they think this way society will understand what
happens to them and increasingly take it as something not to be worried about: No, there
needs to be more awareness out there.

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YES: Some of them think Sleep Paralysis is not well known, so people might not fully
understand them: yes, because people truly think you're crazy because they've never
experienced sleep paralysis before. So to hear what one encounters during these episodes is
hard for them to understand, cause I can't explain the vivid horror with words and Im sure
they wont believe me. Yes and no. I get judged by those who have never heard about SP
and it seems like they think that I'm really mentally sick, like "scary-psycho-sick". It makes
me sad

Yes because people who have never experienced SP often think you are crazy or lying.
Yes- it seems like I'm trying to sound more important by bragging about how little sleep I
get. Fear of ridicule. Even more, there are some people who are frightened to be rejected or
considered as a burden: fear that they think I can die and be a burden. I tried to break up with
my partner several times. He is always paying attention to me and trying to help me if I make
any noise and he thinks I might need him [translation from Spanish]

How does Sleep Paralysis affect your life?

- Fear of falling asleep: When I have bad period in my life I'm being very tired and sleeps at
daytime. I must sleep but at the same time I'm afraid of it. And I get even more stressed.

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When my husband isn't home, I sleep with my TV on, my bathroom door stays open with the
light on. I hate being alone in the dark...
- It aggravates other disorders: In my case, all of the SP episodes were related to a
psychological trauma. Which means that the hallucinations made me live again'' the
traumatic events. Because I`ve trained myself to relax, 95 per cent of the time I dont
experience any type of hallucination. It all depends on how you train your mind. If you have
self discipline, SP is just a weird realistic dream with no emotional effect whatsoever.
- Confusion: It used to be a really scary experience before I realized what was happening. I
mean, I was in high school and would finally come out of it and go sleep on my parents
bedroom floor cause I was so confused and scared over the experience. I also mistakened
things that didn't happen with things that had happened and it took quite a while to clear it up
which was VERY confusing and frustrating.
- It does not affect them in any way: because it does not happen to them anymore or they
have learnt how to deal with it

One of them feels guilty for having it.

[PS---> Fear-> Fear to get paralysed once again-> Not want to sleep-> Insomnia-> Fatigue->
Cant work properly and other disorders get aggravated-> Stress/Anxiety-> Fear to get
paralysed once again]

15
 I don't know how but it has changed me 6
Little/it has not affected me in any way 101
To become more religious 3
Feeling stronger 1
Feeling different 5
I fear of not being able to help my 1
Discomfort 1
Confusion 2
It aggravates other disorders 5
Fear of dying while in Paralysis 4
Fear of getting asleep 45
Bad mood 4
It annoys me 5
Headache 2
More creativity 1
Drowsiness during the day 2
I can't work at full capacity the 5
Anxiety/Stress 19
Depression 1
Insomnia/sleeping problems 18
Fear 34
Tireness 50
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

If you had to define the Paralysis in a sentence, how would you define it?
POSSITIVE DEFINITIONS:
Very optimistic: Emocionante. Alucinante, sin tomar alucingenos. Increble. Don.
Suerte. Gift. Especial. Fascinating experience. Creepy, fascination. Exiting.
Possibility of learning other things thanks to Sleep Paralysis: La definira como algo
que me causa curiosidad. Inquietante. Un enigma. Mysterious. Interesante (2), una
experiencia interesante. Un estado de conciencia interesante, donde el subconsciente se
manifiesta como un sueo pero en la realidad.
Ambiguous: Horrible e interesante. Interesante porque al aprender a controlarla
tenemos dominio de otro plano que nos rodea. Aterradoramente increble. Sleep paralysis
is inconvenient and frustrating but occasionally interesting. Espectacular y tenebroso. It is
scary and exciting at the same time, unbelievable and spooky but kind of cool
Possibility of being controlled or managed: Sobrellevable. Reto de autocontrol.
La parlisis puede ser algo terrorfico si te desesperas por salir de ese estado, pero si te
relajas y lo tomas como un fenmeno del cerebro que dura solo unos minutos entonces vas a
perder el miedo. It ties you upwillingly or otherwise you have to go through it so better

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enjoy while it happens because somewhere I know that it is not going to kill me though it is a
death like experience. Depende el nivel. Con alucinaciones y ruidos es un terror. Si solo
estas pensando mientras que ests dormido y creyendo que ests despierto, no es para tanto o
fuerzas y despiertas o te quedas totalmente dormido. Si sabes que vuelves! Disfruta!

NEGATIVE DEFINITIONS:
Fear: Feo (2). Molesto. Incmoda. Aterradora (13), terrorfica (12), terrible,
terror (12), terror absoluto, the most terrifying thing Ive ever experienced. Terrorfica
y desesperante. Scary as hell!. Hell (3). Miedo (14), algo miedoso, tus miedos,
tus peores miedos, llevado al extremo. Pnico. Una pelcula de terror sin ficcin.
Horror, horrible (11), vibraciones horribles, sueo horrible, la horrorfica quietud,
horrible, ojal pudiera hacer algo para no padecerla ms. Horrifying yet out of this world
in a way nothing else is. Waking or attempting to wake and finding you are unable to
physically move, while simultaneously experiencing an aura of uncontrollable fear. The
scariest experience of my life. Temerosa. Tenebrosa (3). Pesadilla de horrible
tenebroso. Espeluznante, the worst feeling. Espantosa. Uncomfortable. DREAD !
The most scariest encounter that could ever happen to you'. Not fun.
Anguish: Eternos y escalofriantes diez segundos. Como un episodio de terror,
miedo y angustia. Desolacin. The worst fear I ever experienced. Infierno al dormir.
Angustia (3), angustiante (3), a disturbing state. A trap. Desesperacin (8). Estado
de desesperacin e inmovilidad por razones desconocidas. Una de las peores sensaciones,
desesperante. Agobiante. Frustrante. Una sensacin angustiante y de mucho dolor.
Angustiosa y desconocida Its the most scary seconds of my life. Body fully paralysed
and you cannot move at all, like a jail in your own body. Sleep paralysis is being trapped in
your own body without being able to do anything. Suffocating.
Out of control: Sensaciones desesperantes e incontrolables. Desesperacin y
contacto con otra dimensin. Episodio de miedo insuperable, ante el cual te sientes a
merced de lo q te quieran hacer. Ver y sentir cosas horribles y no poder escapar de ellas.
Impotencia (4), impotencia de no poder hacer nada, controlling. Sleep paralysis is the
most uncomfortable thing that happened to me, it is a condition where the patient' is totally
helpless, all you can is wait. I feel like I'm being tortured by invisible beings. A state
between sleep and awaken where you have no control over your body and are haunted by the
demons from your nightmares. A horrifying experience where you feel a presence that is
chilling and aggressive you are powerless to get away from it because you can't move.

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 To life or death: Entre la vida y la muerte, muerte en vida, al filo de la muerte,
no puedes moverte y la mayora de las veces sientes que te ests muriendo, es como estar
enterrado vivo. Muerte en el sueo. Miedo a dejarme ir, miedo a no despertar. La
imposibilidad de moverte o siquiera gritar mientras una pesadilla contra vida en tu
dormitorio. Es como si estuvieras muerto y pudieras darte cuenta pero no hay nadie que te
ayude. Terrified being stuck in my own body without being able to move or call for help.
The deepest terror you can fear and like fighting for your life.
Consequences on their life: Tengo miedo de dormir. Yes, my biggest fear.
Intranquilidad. Inseguridad psicolgica. Cansancio, Insomnio. Ataque emocional.
Algo traumante. Sleep paralysis is a terrifying and exhausting condition to live with.
Como algo muyy feo que aprend a controlar, pero an me produce terror. Es como estar
viviendo una pesadilla, yo escucho voces y siento que me tocan, me arrastran, se hunde el
colchn y me tiran la ropa, lo mas feo es sentir un dolor parecido a cuando te da corriente,
cerca de la cintura y escuchar el zumbido en la cabeza. Nunca vi nada, pero aun as, no me
gusta padecer estos episodios. In some cases a horrifyingly traumatic experience with the
ability to chip away at ones soul from the inside until theres nothing left but an empty
shell.

NEUTRAL DEFINITIONS:
Scientific definitions: Waking nightmare, a nightmare in real life, trapped in a waking
Nightmare. Out of body experience. Acomodacin del sueo. Nightly intense brain
overdrive. Tu mente est despierto pero tu cuerpo an descansa, mente despierta, cuerpo
dormido, your mind is conscious while your body is still asleep, it is not being able to
move your body while your mind is fully awake and aware, the conscious and the body are
separated. El cuerpo cree que sigue dormido mientras la mente est despierta. Cuerpo en
reposo, mente encendida, mentally awake while body is in sleep, mitad despierta, mitad
dormida. Sp is just a sleep disorder characterized by disturbance in the persons quality of
sleep. A sleep anomaly. Enajenacin. Creo que es una etapa del sueo. Estado en el
que estoy medio dormido y en el trance no puedo moverme por unos momentos. No tener
control de uno mismo, poco control de mi mente con mi cuerpo. Es sentir que quers
despertarte pero no poder abrir los ojos ni moverte. Sonambulismo invertido, lo contrario
al sonambulismo. Es como estar desmayado pero... despierto. Cuando el mundo de los
sueos entra en la realidad. Sensaciones reales en lo irreal. Pesadilla (3), pesadilla

18
semiconsciente, pesadillas reales. Un sueo vivo. Estar en estado de coma. It means
being awake and unable to move while you're brain is playing tricks on you.
Describing an specific episode: Calor. Elctrica. Algo espordico. Empuje.
Estrs. The most intensive experience I go through. Sueo. I can't move, it's a state
where I am awake but cannot move, my body is sleeping but not my mind. And it is NO
ordinary nightmare. Suddenly wake up, cant move, VERY loud buzzing sound and
hallucinations, always someone in the room climbing on the bed. A terrifying dream while
I'm awake and can't move, but can see and hear things that aren't really there.
Value judgments: It can be your wildest dream or your worst nightmare, if you dont
learn how to control it, it can be scary or something you can learn to control, your body can
be paralyzed but all the rest is in your mind. A mostly harmless but very uncomfortable
phenomenon.

With interpretation (saying reasons why it may happen): Poseda. Estar en otra
dimensin. Sentir el alma salir del cuerpo. No son demonios ni fantasmas, peeero.
Es una llamada de atencin que nos da el subconsciente y somatza en el cuerpo.
TRASCENDENTAL. Otra dimensin (2). Viaje astral (2), astral. Viaje. Estado
catatnico intenso, producto del miedo al desdoblamiento, salida del cuerpo fsico al cuerpo
astral. Cuerpo cansado mente despierta y siento que seres demonacos intentan
aprovecharse de este proceso para poseer un cuerpo. I feel like I'm stuck between the living
and the dead, which I can hear, see, and feel both planes of existence. A frightening lucid
dream followed by your body not being able to move, yet your mind is completely awake.
Being possessed by a spirit. Scary sleeping disorder that feel almost paranormal. A state
between sleep and awakeness where you cannot move or talk, often with the feeling of evil
presence and awkward hallucinations. Supernatural experience.
Beyond the disorder: Raro (4), desconocido. Desinformacin

If there is something else you want to add, this is the time and the place:
I just want help. The swedes most be more educated about SP! It's a scandal that the doctors
here in Sweden doesn't know about SP! I have met a lot of doctors in my life, and none of
them have never heard about SP, even though I say the medical name of it. And they are not
interested to learn either.

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