An Introduction to the Psychology of Paranormal Belief and Experience by Tony Jinks

Author:Tony Jinks [Tony Jinks]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-17T12:21:00+00:00

The Pervasiveness, and Treatment, of Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is highly prevalent in humans. Researchers from the Kurume University School of Medicine found that of over 8000 Japanese questioned, 39.6 percent reported at least one episode in their lives that these researchers relate directly to sleep paralysis. Elsewhere, figures of between 10 and 30 percent are quoted for sleep paralysis "signs" (e.g., inability to move, or pressure on the chest) in samples drawn from a variety of cultures (Awadalla, Al-Fayez, Harville, Arikawa, Tomeo, Templer, and Underwood 2004). In terms of treating the condition, Gregory Stores suggests a combination of explanation, support, self-relaxation techniques and regular sleep patterns to re-instate normal sleep, and drugs (e.g., antidepressants) to increase the brain neurotransmitter serotonin and alleviate stress (Stores 1998). One theory is that sleep deprivation coupled with stress increases sleep-onset REM activity, and this in turn leads to sleep paralysis symptoms (Spanos et al. 1995). Another variable associated with sleep paralysis is that the sleeper is frequently lying on their back (Cheyne 2002), just the position Conan Doyle found himself in when he experienced his own ghostly bedroom encounter.

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