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Sleep Paralysis Research Paper

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This brings me to my research into Scientific explanation of Sleep Paralysis. My main source of this information was the Book “Sleep Paralysis- A guide to Hypnagogic Visions & Visitors of the Night” by Ryan Hurd (2011). The first thing I encountered in this book was the symptoms of Sleep Paralysis. The information gathered in the book state that these symptoms are “nearly universal and have been noted throughout history and across cultures.” Examples of these symptoms include, inability to move, feeling like being held down or experiencing a weight pushing down on the chest and throat, hearing strange noises such as buzzing, pounding heart, experiencing fear and terror, out of body experience, seeing weird creatures and difficulty in breathing. …show more content…
(2 stages of sleep) The paralysis is physically real as it is the weakening of muscle tone in voluntary muscle groups, known as the somatic nervous system. Normally, this would prevent us from acting out behaviours that we envision. However, in this case, dreamer has paralysis during their sleep onset and sometimes, when waking up from dreaming (REM sleep). They then become conscious of the muscle atonia. This is a physical feeling of oppression, weight, and the inability to move.“The Sleep Paralysis sufferers sometimes open their eyes during these sensations, taking in real information about where they are sleeping. However, most of the time, the eyes are closed despite the seeming “reality” of seeing and hearing the outside environment. The boundary is unclear”
The REM imagery can merge with the real time sensing, creating terrifying combinations of the dream world and waking world. These visions are called hypnagogic hallucinations. Hypnagogia is a term that means “leading into sleep”. Sleep scientists suggest that insomnia can be linked to Sleep Paralysis through the root cause of REM- sleep deprivation. When person doesn’t get enough REM sleep, a rebound effect occurs and the next time they lie down, they will spend more time in REM than

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