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Timing of spontaneous sleep‐paralysis episodes
Author(s) -
GIRARD TODD A.,
CHEYNE J. ALLAN
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006.00512.x
Subject(s) - bedtime , sleep paralysis , psychology , sleep (system call) , sleep onset , parasomnia , audiology , non rapid eye movement sleep , rapid eye movement sleep , psychiatry , polysomnography , medicine , sleep disorder , electroencephalography , excessive daytime sleepiness , insomnia , computer science , operating system
Summary The objective of this prospective naturalistic field study was to determine the distribution of naturally occurring sleep‐paralysis (SP) episodes over the course of nocturnal sleep and their relation to bedtimes. Regular SP experiencers ( N = 348) who had previously filled out a screening assessment for SP as well as a general sleep survey were recruited. Participants reported, online over the World Wide Web, using a standard reporting form, bedtimes and subsequent latencies of spontaneous episodes of SP occurring in their homes shortly after their occurrence. The distribution of SP episodes over nights was skewed to the first 2 h following bedtime. Just over one quarter of SP episodes occurred within 1 h of bedtime, although episodes were reported throughout the night with a minor mode around the time of normal waking. SP latencies following bedtimes were moderately consistent across episodes and independent of bedtimes. Additionally, profiles of SP latencies validated self‐reported hypnagogic, hypnomesic, and hypnopompic SP categories, as occurring near the beginning, middle, and end of the night/sleep period respectively. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that SP timing is controlled by mechanisms initiated at or following sleep onset. These results also suggest that SP, rather than uniquely reflecting anomalous sleep‐onset rapid eye movement (REM) periods, may result from failure to maintain sleep during REM periods at any point during the sleep period. On this view, SP may sometimes reflect the maintenance of REM consciousness when waking and SP hallucinations the continuation of dream experiences into waking life.