Scientists studying sleep disorders at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital in Paris have published a new study on sleep paralysis using electroencephalogram (EEG) data.
In EEG analysis, special frequency ranges are used to detect the state of wakefulness or REM-sleep. The goal of the scientists was to understand how the phase states differ from wakefulness, because it is generally believed that, for the brain, the phase is an intermediate state between sleep and wakefulness.
The authors of the experiment, led by Greta Mainieri MD, were able to record the characteristics of polysomnography in 4 participants during sleep paralysis and false awakenings, and then in the waking state and during REM-sleep.
The data obtained show that during sleep paralysis and false awakenings, more than 70% of the EEG was occupied by the theta rhythm of the brain – an indicator characteristic of the REM-sleep state. Thus, it is assumed that during these episodes the brain is not in a state of wakefulness, but still in a dream. There is a reason, therefore, why sleep paralysis has long been a phenomenon associated with REM-sleep.
The study was published in December 2020 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
