If you’ve ever woken up and realized you couldn’t move or speak, even though you were fully conscious, you’ve likely experienced a rather strange and mysterious phenomenon known as sleep paralysis.

Contrary to the common belief, sleep paralysis is actually more common than many believe. However, since it is an experience that feels surreal, many hesitate to talk about it.

My Cleveland Clinic states that sleep paralysis happens “when your body is in between stages of sleep and wakefulness. An episode is temporary and only lasts for a few seconds to a couple of minutes. It’s a type of parasomnia.”

Although an episode of this phenomenon can cause nervousness and anxiety, leaving those who experienced it scared and puzzled, it is actually harmless.

Some of these episodes are related to sleep disorders, so if they happen often, it would be best to consult a doctor and avoid the emotional stress that comes with them.

According to research, around 30 percent of people experience sleep paralysis at least once during their lifetime. You can experience it either right before falling asleep or as you’re waking up. Some of the symptoms include: inability to move your arms and legs, inability to speak, sensations of pressure against your chest (suffocation) or moving out of your own body, hallucination, and daytime sleepiness. It can last from a few seconds to up to 20 minutes and is accompanied by feelings of fear, panic, and helplessness.

Sleep paralysis is actually the result of normal biological processes. During REM sleep, which is the stage when most dreaming occurs, our brain switches off our muscles so we don’t physically act out what we see in our dreams. A paralysis episode happens when the mind wakes up before the body does. The outcome is that you’re conscious, but your body is still “asleep.”

This brief mismatch is usually set off by things like high stress, poor sleep, anxiety, irregular schedules, or severe exhaustion. Essentially, anything that disrupts the rhythm and quality of your sleep can act as a trigger.

In order to avoid it from happening, try getting regular sleep, avoid screen time right before going to bed, try to manage your stress, and create a quiet and comfortable sleeping environment.

In case it still happens, focus on your breathing and try to move just one finger or toe. Bit by bit, your body will loosen up and movement will return.

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