We’ve all had occasional nights in which we’ve stayed up too late because we couldn’t fall asleep. These nights we may have been afflicted with insomnia, a condition characterized primarily by an inability to fall asleep. What many people don’t know is that insomnia isn’t always considered an inability to fall asleep, rather it sometimes …
Hypnagogic jerks refer to involuntary bodily twitches, movements, or muscular jolts that occur during the transition from wakefulness to a sleeping state. Most people are thought to experience them just moments before entering the first stage of sleep. In some cases, hypnagogic jerks are also referred to as “sleep twitches” or “sleep starts,” but are …
Hypnopompic hallucinations refer to bizarre sensory experiences that occur during the transitory period between a sleeping state and wakefulness. Imagine sensing that you are slowly transitioning from a sleeping state to being fully awake, when at some point during that transition, you begin seeing vivid geometric shapes, hearing sounds, or even sensing touch. These sensations …
Hypnagogic hallucinations refer to bizarre sensory perceptions (usually visual) that are perceived during a presomnal state, or upon the transition from pre-sleep wakefulness to sleep. These bizarre perceptions may be psychologically disturbing and extremely vivid. Perhaps you’ve seen odd shapes with vivid colors, or especially odd imagery prior to falling asleep. In this case, your …
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that approximately 7% of the world’s population will experience at some point in their lives. Furthermore, it is thought that among individuals with diagnosable sleep disorders (e.g. narcolepsy), nearly 40% will deal with episodes of sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is characterized by the body and musculature being rendered completely immobile …
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon that occurs during transitory phases of sleep (i.e. upon falling asleep OR upon waking). It is characterized by the body being rendered immobile as a result of REM-sleep, with full or semi-conscious awareness. During this time, a person may experience hallucinations such as: sensing the presence of an evil entity, …
Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by full or semi-conscious waking during sleep, despite an inability to move and/or speak (paralysis). The conscious awareness is thought to be a result of the brain’s inability to properly transition through sleep stages. This leads to abnormal activity of brain waves – with heavy alpha waves, bursts of …