Sleep, Actually
Sleep paralysis
A temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking, usually lasting seconds to a couple of minutes.
Sleep paralysis is a brief inability to move or speak at the edges of sleep — either falling asleep or waking up. NINDS describes episodes as typically lasting a few seconds to a few minutes, with movement returning afterwards.
It is frightening rather than harmful, and it can be accompanied by vivid dream-like experiences, which makes it more frightening still.
It also happens to people without narcolepsy. On its own it does not mean anything in particular.
Related journal prompts
Optional. Recording what you notice may help you prepare questions for a qualified healthcare professional. NAP never infers a cause from what you write.
- If this happened, was it while falling asleep or while waking?
Related practical tools
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Excessive daytime sleepiness
Persistent, overwhelming daytime sleep pressure that a normal night's sleep does not reliably resolve.
Cataplexy
A sudden, brief loss of muscle tone while awake, often triggered by strong emotion such as laughter.
Dream-like experiences around sleep
Vivid, sometimes unsettling images or sensations while falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking (hypnopompic).
Dreaming, Nightmares, and Narcolepsy
Nightmares, dream-like experiences around sleep, sleep paralysis, and dream enactment are related but distinct experiences.
Fragmented nighttime sleep
Frequently broken nights — a common and often surprising part of a condition associated with daytime sleepiness.
Automatic behaviour
Continuing a familiar activity while partly asleep, with little or no memory of it afterwards.