Earlier this week, I experienced an episode of sleep paralysis. It wasn’t my first time (though I’ve experienced it only a handful of times at most), but it was definitely the most terrifying time. I was exhausted and decided to take a quick midday nap…only, when I tried to wake up, not only could I not move, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open for longer than a second.
During that second I could keep them open? I hallucinated a creepy, hunchbacked old man pilfering around my living room and sheer panic took over.
Again, sleep paralysis isn’t a common thing for me, but because this time was so scary, I did a little research. Apparently, I experienced the hypnopompic or postdormital form (which happens when you’re waking up from sleep) as well as the hallucinations that often come along with sleep paralysis (which filmmaker Rodney Ascher explores in his latest project, The Nightmare).
Of course, WebMD assures us that there’s no need to fear “demons or alien abductors.” Thanks, guys!
Still, WebMD and a few other sites, such as Sleep Education, list a myriad of factors that could cause sleep paralysis. The two that resonated most with me were stress and lack of sleep. I struggle a lot with getting proper sleep, and these past few weeks have been extremely stressful times for both my personal and work lives.
Anyway, I thought I’d share that experience with you in case any of you have experienced sleep paralysis and are looking for a few resources to check out.
Now, let’s get on with the latest in this week’s mental health news!
Too Stressed To Sleep? How To Turn Off Your Brain Before Bed: Oh, wait, let’s talk about sleep a bit more. Forbes‘ psychology, mental health, and career contributor Melody Wilding just offered up six ways we can put our stress levels in check and help make sleepless nights a thing of the past.
Running for — Not From — Mental Illness: Meet the six runners — each with a a history of mental illness — who call themselves the “Ice Breakers” and who, in order to “break the ice” regarding mental illness, ran across the country. They started in Santa Monica on May 15 and finished at the Mental Health America annual conference in Alexandria, Virginia last Wednesday.
The Fascinating Psychology of “Being in the Zone”: Check out what psychologists, athletes, and creative folks have to say about this “tunnel-vision feeling” that often feels like a “hyper-focused, sometimes spiritual, state of mind where anything is possible.”
As Suicide Rates Rise, Scientists Find New Warning Signs: The science is still new, but researchers are looking at a whole new world of ways to pinpoint suicide risk — and they go far beyond the usual suspects (think mental illness and stressful life events) to include fMRI scans and measuring stress hormone levels in the blood.
How Donald Trump Gets It Wrong On Mental Illness Every Time: “Nearly one in five American adults will experience a mental health issue in a given year. That includes a huge portion of Trump’s supporters — and an even greater group when looking at the national population. Trump’s dialogue is completely damaging to many of the people he’s hoping to govern.”
Study Charts Development of Emotional Control in Teens: New research explains how our ability to control emotions moves from one part of the brain to another (as we mature from teens into adults), and provides the opportunity for us to understand how certain disorders that are related to emotional control emerge.
from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/06/11/psychology-around-the-net-june-11-2016/
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