Amazing phenomena. Sleep paralysis: a waking nightmare

This may seem like the start of another episode of The X-Files, but it actually happens. A man wakes up in the middle of the night and feels the presence of some strange people in the corner of the room. He cannot see them, but he clearly hears their speech. They agree to kill. But instead of jumping out of bed and running away, the person feels that his body is completely paralyzed. He realizes in horror that his minutes in this world are numbered. Strange strangers approach the bed and stand at the head of the bed. The man closes his eyes, but immediately feels a vile spit in his face. Maybe this is a dream?

"Nightmare"

In one research project on sleep paralysis, scientists are investigating a condition in which a person wakes up in the night, unable to move, and experiencing nightmarish hallucinations. In October 2015, the documentary film Nightmare was released in the UK. The film completely recreates 8 stories real people who spoke about their nocturnal hallucinations. Despite the fact that the phenomenon is quite common, scientists still do not conduct large-scale studies of sleep paralysis. In fact, it is a shame for all of science to move so slowly and reluctantly towards solving the mystery.

Hallucinations and risk factors

Sleep paralysis most often occurs either at the beginning of the night, as you fall asleep, or at the end of the night, just before waking up. Such hallucinations are usually divided into three categories. The first category makes you feel the presence of a stranger in the room, the second is a feeling of strong pressure on the chest or suffocation, and the third makes you feel like you are flying own body Over the bed. The third category of illusory experiences is usually isolated and does not overlap with the first two.

In fact, this phenomenon is more common than it might seem at first glance. In a recent study in the UK, almost 30% of respondents said they had experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis in their lifetime. 8% of the 862 respondents reported hallucinations more frequently. This figure is consistent with a sample of 30 studies from other countries. So, on average, 10% of respondents experience this condition.

One of the symptoms of a sleep disorder

In medicine, there is a term “narcolepsy”, which characterizes a disease of the nervous system associated with sleep disorders. In this condition, the brain is unable to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle. The condition we describe is one of the main symptoms of narcolepsy. It can also be caused by a number of other mental illnesses, or stress, which patients experience in the post-traumatic period.

Unfortunately, many people experience a similar condition for no apparent reason, not suffering from psychiatric or neurological diseases. However, stressful situations, painful experiences, heavy thoughts and poor sleep quality can have a certain influence on the occurrence of similar situations. So, people working in shifts or on a rotational basis Those with sleep cycle disorders were more likely to report sleep paralysis.

What is the role of genetics?

To discover genetic predisposition to sleep paralysis, scientists compared the incidence of sleep paralysis in identical twins. They share almost 100% of their genes with their siblings, while fraternal twins share only 50% of their genes with their other half. It turned out that there really is a genetic relationship between this manifestation. Scientists have suggested that changes in a specific gene involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles are responsible for sleep paralysis. However, these assumptions have not yet been confirmed, and scientists still have long and painstaking work to do in this direction.

Why are people immobilized?

As you know, sleep has three stages. During the REM sleep phase, the human brain has increased activity. At this time, rapid eye movement occurs, and colorful and realistic dreams invade a person’s consciousness. In addition to the brain and heart, only the eyeballs and the respiratory system are involved in the work. But all the muscles of the body are temporarily completely paralyzed. Waking up during REM sleep automatically puts the muscles back into action. However, with sleep disorders or a malfunction in the genetic code, atony continues after awakening. This state does not last long, and most people only need a minute to fully recover.

Recording brain activity

Sleep paralysis is a unique state of consciousness. Scientists were able to track and record the brain activity of the experiment participant during sleep paralysis and compare these results with recordings made during the REM phase of sleep. It turned out that the records were identical.

How to treat this condition?

Unfortunately, to date, no effective therapeutic measures have been found to eliminate sleep paralysis. There was simply too little work done. In severe cases, doctors prescribe antidepressants to patients, in other cases they advise improving the quality of sleep. These measures will likely only help reduce the frequency of episodes.

Although such a manifestation seems terrible, people need to realize that this is only a temporary and completely harmless event. It's like a nightmare, only a little more realistic. If researchers finally get down to business and find effective medicine, then in the future people will completely get rid of terrible hallucinations.

Any sleep disturbance indicates that in reality not everything is going smoothly for a person, and this applies not only to nightmares, but also to nightmares. If you encounter this problem, read on, you will find it interesting. In this article, you will learn why you have nightmares and how you can stop them without taking strong medications.

Causes of nightmares

If you have nightmares from time to time and would like to sleep more peacefully, pay attention to your overall lifestyle. The reasons are most often more than banal:

Horror movies before bed. What you thought about is what you dreamed about;
Poor nutrition, overeating. It’s not just the stomach that’s bad—the whole body suffers. The body does not feel comfortable and cannot relax, so there is nothing surprising in bad dreams;
Common cold. Any physical discomfort can be accompanied by nightmares, and this is also quite natural;
Poor conditions for recreation. If you sleep on an uncomfortable sofa, in a stuffy environment, or vice versa, in the cold, you are unlikely to have a peaceful and pleasant dream;
Alcohol abuse. Excessive use alcoholic drinks often leads to nightmares, and people who are prone to binge drinking are especially susceptible to this;
Pregnancy. During pregnancy, a woman’s physical and mental state changes not only - she reacts to every little thing, becomes too suspicious and worries not only about herself, but also about the unborn child;
Overwork. Being overtired makes it difficult for you to relax. The body may “switch off” instantly, but these words no longer apply to the brain.
Nervous stress. The most bad reason the one that gives people nightmares. Read about this below in full detail.

An obsessive nightmare - the truth without exaggeration

Some people believe that nightmares are a warning about something that is about to happen, while others believe that nightmares are a consequence of something that has already happened. In fact, both are right, but there is no mysticism here. There is a logical explanation for everything, including nightmares.

Nightmare as a warning

Any dream is the work of the brain, which continues to function even after the physical body falls asleep. If in reality you are afraid of something, it means that you are in constant psychological tension called “sustained stress.” The reasons can be anything: a lifestyle associated with risk, a dangerous occupation, lack of stability and fear for the future. There are also more obvious reasons that occur among victims of blackmail or, for example, among people who are at odds with the law, but they are even lucky to some extent - they know where the problem comes from.

If you constantly have nightmares, but outwardly everything is quite well and there seem to be no visible reasons, it means that you are inattentive to yourself. There is a reason, you just don’t see it! Perhaps in the distant past you failed to cope with some problem and tried so hard to forget about it that you even succeeded, but the question still remains open. It is no coincidence that nightmares chose this particular period of time to begin to appear in your dreams - it is likely that the consequences of past events can manifest themselves right now, and you have already thought about this at some point.

What to do

To help yourself, you need to find the reason. Answer honestly to yourself what exactly bothers you so much. It’s dangerous to drive away any disturbing thoughts now - in this way you will drive the problem into the far corner of the subconscious, from where it certainly won’t go anywhere, and one day it will manifest itself again. Relax later, but now you need to understand why you have nightmares and what they warn you about.

Nightmare as a consequence

In this situation, a person understands perfectly why he has nightmares. He transferred severe stress, was frightened by something, and maybe continues to be afraid, or lives in constant stress. The nervous system is so exhausted that it’s impossible to even switch to a night’s rest.

What to do

If the source of stress is still present in your life, you will have nightmares until you eliminate it. If you continue to dream almost every night of an episode from the past that frightened you, but will not affect your future life in any way, seek help from a psychologist before the problem leads you to a dead end.

Types and meaning of nightmares

According to experienced psychologists, every nightmare is a dream for a reason. Instead of studying dream books based on prejudices and someone’s rich imagination, we suggest you find out the meaning of the “language” of terrible dreams and nightmares.

Disaster. Just as in a dream you are powerless against the elements, so it is in real life you feel helpless. Such dreams can be dreamed by a child from a dysfunctional family, a man who cannot protect himself and his loved ones, or a woman who has become a victim of violence;
Dead. You escape from reality and look for the reasons for your failures in mysticism and prejudice. Instead of, for example, becoming more responsible, it is easier for you to tell yourself and others that they have jinxed you or wished you failure. If you dream of a specific person who has passed away, it means that you have not yet come to terms with their loss;
Lateness by plane, train, important meeting etc. Such a nightmare is dreamed by people who take too much on themselves, try to be on time everywhere, or are responsible for a large number of people. You just need a rest;
Running, chasing you. You are literally running away from problems instead of solving them, and even your subconscious is signaling to you that this method is not working. The first thing you need to do is become more honest with yourself. Assess the situation in which you find yourself - perhaps your problem is completely solvable;
Own death. Some stage of your life has come to an end, and this is not always a bad thing. The period of study, a bachelor lifestyle, a probationary period at work - whatever! Sometimes such a dream warns of dramatic changes - for example, moving, having a child, or changing your field of activity.
A shame(seeing yourself naked, getting into an awkward situation). You attach too much importance to the opinions of others. Your subconscious is telling you that it’s time to become more lenient towards people. Empty talk will not harm you, and in any case, you cannot be good to everyone.

Once a week, about a million healthy and quite prosperous people are disturbed by nightmares. Scenes of violence, disasters, fires, frightening monsters, falling from a height, escaping from persecution, etc. Waking up in a cold sweat with a “ticking” heart and then a feeling of relief that this is just a dream, just a dream... thank God.

Something like this has happened to everyone at least once.

Where does it come from? And why does such devilry arise in the brain during the desired rest? What do nightmares mean? Should we try to forget them as quickly as possible? To believe or not the interpretation of dreams in modern dream books?

The head of the outpatient department N1 of the City Center for Borderline States and Psychotherapy, Olga Gennadievna Prokopyeva, helped figure everything out.

You have problems!

Dreams are an area of interest not only for mystics and esotericists, but also for professional psychotherapists. Medicine has accumulated some experience in “deciphering” dreams. A big breakthrough in this was made by the famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who considered dreams to be a dramatic depiction of the emotional and creative essence of a person.

During sleep, the body and mind relax. The consciousness rests, but the subconscious does not sleep for a minute. This is what writes the script of our dreams. In a dream, a person’s worries and desires do not disappear. On the contrary, they are trying to make themselves known more loudly.

Why do healthy people have nightmares? Stress and overwork, as well as a passion for horror films and mystical literature, may well lead to disturbing dreams. But more often the cause of a nightmare is long-term and hidden from a person’s consciousness psychological problem.

A dream is always the work of the unconscious (subconscious), which, through symbols and images, tries to “open our eyes” to something significant. Indeed, in life, a person often represses many of his problems into the subconscious. At the same time, he may believe that there is practically no negativity in his life. But when everything is really normal, you don't have nightmares. They may appear due to:

post-traumatic stress disorder (often found among former Afghans);
neurasthenia - a disorder of the nervous system associated with prolonged fatigue and exhaustion of the body;
severe mental illness (reactive psychosis, schizophrenia);
somatic diseases: atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and etc.

TO healthy person a nightmare comes to give you the opportunity to deal with annoying events in your life. And it would be a mistake to immediately erase it from memory. Of course, the nightmare is depressing. Nevertheless, he is the key to the door behind which the solution to the problem lies.

A terrible dream is the “guide” that leads us and says: “I will show you your problems. If you solve them, I will disappear. No, I’ll come again.” In other words, a nightmare - the work of the subconscious - wants to encourage us to do something, to pay attention to our true needs.

For ladies and gentlemen

Scary dreams also appear in those who are accustomed to restraining their “uncivilized” emotions. Parents taught in childhood: it is indecent to openly show aggression, anger, resentment, dissatisfaction. But sometimes external calm is very difficult. Constant restraint does not allow you to “let off steam” - to vent your irritation.

However, it does not disappear anywhere. It accumulates, grows, and overwhelms the subconscious. It is not surprising that people begin to dream about explosions, fires, train crashes, etc. In this case, we can say that the nightmare was for the good, because on the physical level there was a liberation from some of the negative emotions. The subconscious transformed them into an aggressive image, the person “worked off” the negative in a dream - which means a stone is taken off his shoulders. But if his behavior remains overly enslaved, the nightmare will come again.

For mental health It is important to find a way to free yourself from feelings of dissatisfaction, rage and anger. It is effective to “reset” them on a physical level by doing boxing, wushu, aerobics, fitness, etc.

Rise and shine

The feeling after a nightmare is always painful. You have just experienced fear (perhaps bordering on horror), you are trembling or, on the contrary, in a stupor. Not only does the heart race, breathing quickens, but some people’s blood pressure even rises. How to calm down after waking up? Try to quickly feel reality, that it was just a dream and nothing threatens you.

It is important to switch your attention and relax in any way.

First- get your breathing in order. Breathe calmly and deeply, paying attention to the long exhalation. This helps relieve tension and relax muscles.

Second step: drink a glass of cool water. This will calm you down even more.

Third: look around to find yourself “at ease” again. If it’s already morning, turn on music that evokes pleasant associations, sing something, and then be sure to take a shower - the water will wash away the energetic negativity.

Should you believe dream books?

Often in popular print and online publications you can read an interesting interpretation of the meaning of “typical” nightmares. Here's an example:

Dream: Your teeth are falling out.

Meaning: In fact, you feel that there is something in your appearance that prevents you from communicating with others.

Dream: You are stuck in a quagmire and cannot move.

Meaning: In life, you decide few things for yourself. Something prevents you from expressing your true feelings.

Dream: You are trapped or locked.

Meaning: In some ways you feel a sense of limitation, you cannot act according to your will.

Dream: You fall from a great height.

Meaning: There is a feeling of lack of support and intense anxiety. You need to be more calm and confident.

Should we believe this? In my opinion, such an interpretation should not be taken seriously. It is too simplified - it is possible that in one case out of ten this will be the correct interpretation. However, to actually determine what a dream means, you need to see a person, know a lot about him - his emotional condition, the situation in which he finds himself, etc. So the above interpretation can only serve as an approximate diagram.

For the same reason, you should not trust dream books that are currently being replicated too much. After all, every symbol and image in a dream can have many meanings. For example, someone saw a mountain in a dream.
First option: it can be considered as a person’s self-esteem - how high is this mountain, what does it look like, does grass grow on it, etc.
Second option when a woman sees a dream: this is a symbol of her relationships with men.
Third- emotional communication with father.

Finally, take this example: a man has a dream in which his limb is cut off. Printout meaning: You are being ignored and treated poorly. Maybe you are right. But we should not forget that, for example, hands are a symbol of relationships, affection, trust, feeding, etc. Therefore, the solution to the dream may lie in one of the problems indicated by the symbol.

Therefore, the approach to “deciphering” is only individual. There can be no categoricalness and unambiguity here. But in any case, if nightmares recur, their analysis does not produce results, and you cannot cope with the problem, consult a psychotherapist.

Baby, don't be afraid!

When your child has a scary dream, he talks about it under great impression; never brush aside these revelations. Help him sort out the nightmare, be sure to come up with a happy ending for the frightening story.

Children always admire some superheroes from fairy tales and cartoons. So talk to your child: “Batman, Spider-Man (another favorite positive character) will definitely help you defeat that terrible monster that you saw in your dream.” You will definitely defeat it, it will turn into a small animal and run away. There is nothing to be afraid of anymore!”

The child, trusting you, will perceive it sincerely and joyfully. But if nightmares recur, you should contact child psychologist.

Alla Martinkevich, nterfax.by

Cinderella's nightmare

You come home from work and do household chores. By the end of the day, your energy is running out, and you just want to sleep and relax. You fall asleep. But, after some time, you realize that there is no proper rest due to a terrible dream, which causes tension and anxiety.

Each of us has encountered this phenomenon once or repeatedly. So why do you have nightmares?

Nightmares: benefit or harm?

Nightmares are considered dreams that frighten a person. According to scientists, this is a product of the activity of our brain, which intensively fights negative emotions, stress or conflicts.

In their opinion, periodically having nightmares can even be useful, since they neutralize the unpleasant sensations that have accumulated in real life.

It’s hard for us to believe, but “watching” a bad dream should lead to a psychological “reboot”, relieve consciousness, and distract us from the experiences that we encounter during the day.

What could be their benefit for humans?

Accompanying a turning point in life (a dream associated with overcoming obstacles, victory in a dream, solving a difficult/unrealistic task - indicate your inner strength and convince you of your ability to solve the problem). Such dreams symbolically represent your transition to another stage in development and confirm personal growth.
Unloading of the nervous system, outburst of negative emotions (resentment, anger, irritation, dissatisfaction) after parting, loss loved one, changes in working conditions. “Viewing” nightmares (according to experts) in this case helps to achieve emotional balance, to come to a balance of positive and negative emotions.
An indication of a real problem, which for some reason we do not notice or do not attach importance to. Nightmares become a kind of “warning”, a motive for focusing attention on one or another aspect of your life.

Negative aspects of “nightmare” dreams

At the same time, it is difficult for an ordinary person to accept the benefits of a nightmare. Bad dreams can trigger premature awakening and then cause insomnia.

They are remembered for a long time and bring into our lives anxiety about the unknown and inexplicable. If nightmares are repeated regularly, they become a source of lack of sleep, poor mood and well-being, which manifest themselves during the daytime.

What are the causes of nightmares?

People experience scary dreams different ages, nationalities and religions, from various social strata, regardless of their status and financial condition. All of them periodically (and some often) have nightmares.

And, it would seem, what could be common between them? Modern experts have identified a number of generalized reasons for the occurrence of “frightening” dreams:

Childhood

Children who have a high threshold of emotional sensitivity very often dream of horrors.

The reasons for the appearance of frightening dreams in childhood There may be frequent quarrels between parents (including at night), lack of friends or even negative attitude of peers towards the child, physical punishment, deception. All this leads to the formation of emotional trauma.

Overwork (physical fatigue/severe psychological stress)

A person constantly mentally “returns” to one or another unresolved situation, including during sleep. Or when you are forced to experience many stressful situations during the day.

The risk group in this area includes people from such professions as doctors, employees of various rescue services, and law enforcement agencies.

Stress/depression

Stressful conditions also quite often cause recurring nightmares. Psychologists define this as a direct correlation between such psychological states and frightening dreams.

The brain of a person who is stressed or depressed does not rest even in sleep - the subconscious continues to search for a “way out” vicious circle current circumstances.

A strong emotional shock can turn into nightmares: if you become a participant in an accident, an accident, a witness to violence or bullying, then most likely you will be faced with a “continuation of these horrors” during your night’s rest.

There is also a stable concept of “post-traumatic stress disorder,” which experts most often observe in people who have returned from combat zones.

Particularly impressionable individuals may experience nightmares even from watching thrillers, action films or horror films before bed.

Also, the cause of stress or depression, and, consequently, scary dreams, can be unpleasant repetitive actions (unloved work, regular communication with unpleasant people).

Health problems

The causes of nightmares can be not only psychological states person, but also bad feeling, detected or not yet manifested diseases of internal organs.

The likelihood of nightmares in such cases is high if a person suffers from headaches, body temperature rises, overexcitation, neuroses, or oxygen starvation occurs. Impaired breathing due to snoring can also lead to the appearance of “scary pictures”.

Binge eating

One of the most common causes of nightmares and, perhaps, one of the most easily removable, is overeating. If you overeat before going to bed, you will most likely end up with organ dysfunction, overexcitation, and, as a result, bad dreams.

So, you are most likely “asking for” bad dreams if you eat fatty or spicy food before bed - such food increases your body temperature, speeds up your metabolism and will 100% prevent you from getting a full rest.

Poor sleeping conditions

External stimuli: bright light, flickering, loud sounds, music, lack of air - turn into dreams in an exaggerated form, including those with “nightmarish” content.

One of the possible reasons for negative subjects in dreams may even be incorrect placement/location of the sleeping place! Once you move the bed or simply lie down on another bed, the nightmares may subside.

Creative person

It is believed that creative individuals have nightmares more often than others, since they are more sensitive to the outside world and deeply experience what is happening.

Sometimes people of “creativity” are able to predict in a dream the onset of negative consequences of any actions in reality. Scary dreams in such cases act as a kind of warning.

Bad habits and taking medications

People who have abused alcohol (with a hangover or after a binge), drugs (God forbid!) or products containing a high proportion of caffeine “attract” negative dreams to themselves because they are in extreme excitement, the body does not rest and does not relax, “removing » these substances.

Starting to take medications (or, conversely, stopping them) can cause nightmares in your sleep (especially if these medications are hypnotics, sedatives, or antidepressants).

The “secret” side of personality

And to conclude the list, I would like to say that nightmares sometimes become a person’s “shadow” - something that he cannot accept in himself, and in life he hides behind restraint and upbringing (for example, aggressive feelings, or uncertainty).

What to do if nightmares come regularly?

Following these recommendations will help prevent bad dreams, as well as reduce their impact on your physical and emotional well-being:

Sleep and diet

Try to fall asleep before 22:00 every night.
Eat 3-4 hours before bedtime. Avoid eating nuts, legumes, and meat in the evening.

Healthy lifestyle and relaxation

Before going to bed, do something pleasant for yourself: take a bath, drink warm chamomile tea or milk with honey.
Walking in the fresh air, ventilating the room, or sleeping with the window open are great ways to get rid of unpleasant dreams.
Moderate sports and physical exercise will help relieve tension, relax, and reduce anxiety.

Application of drawing therapy - with drawing individual parts nightmare and adding bright colors to the “picture”, introducing positive elements (sun, smiles, etc.)
Using some elements from yoga (for example, breathing exercises accompanied by calm music).

Finding and solving problems while awake

Finding a way out of difficult situations, finding internal or external resources to overcome stress.
Discussing nightmares with loved ones and relatives - an outside perspective can help in identifying/solving the problem.
Strengthening self-esteem.
If you are in the middle of a nightmare, “reprogram” yourself for a positive outcome of the dream.

If nightmares recur even after taking the measures listed above, the best solution will seek help from a doctor.

Whatever the reasons that you are having nightmares, we wish you a speedy elimination of them, sweet dreams and good rest at night and during the day!