Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon characterized by an inability to move or speak during sleep, despite conscious or semi-conscious awareness. A typical episode of sleep paralysis is thought to last for minutes, whereas more severe types may persist for hours. Most people experience infrequent short-episodes of sleep paralysis – this is diagnosed as “isolated sleep …
Have you ever experienced a nightmare, became conscious, but were unable to move your body? This is a phenomenon known as isolated sleep paralysis that an estimated 5% to 40% of the general population experiences at one point or another throughout their lifetime. During this condition, you may feel extreme fear, notice the fight-or-flight response, …
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Most people know that serotonin is associated with mood. It has long been marketed that high serotonin results in happiness, and low serotonin results in major depression. Despite the incessant marketing of serotonin to the mainstream by pharmaceutical companies, serotonin does more than …
Delusions are considered inaccurate beliefs held by an individual, (typically with a mental illness), regardless of logical evidence disproving the belief. A delusion differs from a belief that is held based on insufficient information or perceptual feedback. An example of a non-deluded belief was when scientists initially thought that the Earth was the center of …
While staying connected with friends and family is healthy, many people take social connectivity to an extreme. This has lead to Canadian social scientists coining the term “hyperconnectivity.” This refers to humans utilizing multiple modalities of communication such as: email, instant messaging, face-to-face communication, Facebook, texting, and cell phones. It is estimated that for every …
Excited delirium is considered a relatively uncommon health condition characterized by severe agitation, aggression, distress, and is often fatal. In many cases of excited delirium, individuals will have displayed noticeable increases in body temperature (fever), utilized drugs that altered dopaminergic functioning, and exhibit overtly bizarre behavior. Although the condition is rare, those with excited delirium …
Psychosis is often defined as a loss of contact with reality and is generally considered a common symptom of severe mental illness like schizophrenia. Individuals experiencing psychosis may end up dealing with hallucinations (auditory and/or visual), delusions (beliefs with no basis in reality), and an array of other symptoms. While schizophrenia is generally a root …