Hallucinations and sleep paralysis are two interconnected conditions that many people endure almost every day. In simple terms, sleep paralysis occurs between the time of being awake and being asleep and refers to being conscious without having the ability to move. In those episodes, a person can also hallucinate. Hallucinations refer to a sensory experience that your mind creates and that may appear real to you but is not. In rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, your eyes dart, and this is the stage of sleeping where you would usually have vivid dreams. In this stage, your brain activity increases and major muscles that you would control cannot move. Nonetheless, sleep paralysis occurs when the transition between waking up and the REM sleep is obstructed. Also, hallucinations occur within sleep paralysis as they are a symptom. Symptoms of sleep paralysis include feeling an immense pressure on the chest, having difficulty breathing, and having migraines. The inability to move is a very palpable symptom, too. This article encompasses the causes of both sleep paralysis and hallucinations, as well as the types of hallucinations.
Causes of Sleep Paralysis
Many people experience sleep paralysis without any certain cause, but there are common causes associated with this condition. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleeping disorder that renders a person excessively sleep despite the circumstances, meaning that they can suddenly fall asleep even if they should not. This disorder is a cause of sleep paralysis. Furthermore, research has shown that some mental illnesses are correlated to sleep paralysis. For instance, people diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder appear to experience this condition more than others. Not to mention that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and people who have experienced immense emotional distress also continuously experience sleep paralysis. Moreover, the halt of alcohol or antidepressants can lead to REM rebound, which would cause sleep paralysis. Other studies have shown that people who are rapidly dissociate from their environment (daydreaming) experience sleep paralysis.
Causes of Hallucinations
A well-known mental illness associated with hallucinations is schizophrenia. It is a critical mental disorder that impedes behavior and thoughts. A person with schizophrenia experiences many delusions and hallucinations since they would be compelled to create their own reality. The lack of sleep makes a person susceptible to hallucinations. If you have not slept for days, then you can potentially experience hallucinations right before falling asleep (hypnagogic hallucinations). Substance use and abuse is a major cause of hallucinations. People are inclined to hear and see things after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol or taking drugs. Other probable causes of hallucinations are migraines, seizures, and even social isolation that can be prevalent in adults.
Types of Hallucinations During Sleep Paralysis
As mentioned, hallucinations are an integral aspect of sleep paralysis. There are 4 types of hallucinations that are linked to sleep paralysis: visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile. Visual hallucinations are self-explanatory. They refer to the presence of a certain figure in the mind. Many people report that the figure stands at their bedside or stares at them for “hours”. Auditory hallucinations refer to hearing noises that are produced from an unknown medium. People report hearing footsteps, laughter, or even screams. Sometimes, the sounds are even hard to describe. Thirdly, tactile hallucinations refer to a person being touched by an entity that is not even present. Many feel pressure or contact or a sense of gloating and flying. Some other physical experiences encompass bugs crawling on their skin. The final type of hallucinations is olfactory hallucinations, which refer to smelling something that is not present. This type of hallucination is very rare as not many people have experienced this type.