Many studies of sleep paralysis (SP) are conducted on students. It is believed that stress is one of the frequent causes of this condition, and students, in this sense, are a high-risk population since they have to deal with exams, constant stress, lack of sleep, the beginning of adulthood, and related family and personal problems.
A recent article on this topic was published by scientists from Indonesia: Caroline Dedy Mareta and Susy Olivia Lontoh. They attracted 124 medical students to participate in their study. As the authors note, medical students often experience lack of sleep and other sleep problems due to the heavy workload their studies involve.
The researchers assumed that sleep paralysis usually occurs for the first time at the age of 14–18, and that 30-50% of healthy people have had such an experience at least once in their lives. It can last for just a few seconds or several minutes, but is accompanied by unpleasant hallucinations. Common causes of SP are sleeping lying on your back, lack of sleep, drug abuse, and stress.
The survey of medical students showed a direct link between stress and SP: almost 80% of participants noted poor sleep quality and the same number reported having experienced sleep paralysis, describing in sufficient detail how, after waking up, they suddenly could not speak, move, or call for help.
Did you notice a surge in SP during your student years?
The article was published in December 2022 in the journal Jurnal Kedokteran & Kesehatan.
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