H E A LTH
someone waking up during REM
sleep. This is the stage of sleep when
your brain is very active and people
typically dream. A normal part of REM
sleep is that your muscles are
paralysed except for those of our eyes
and that are involved in breathing—
this is a good thing because it stops us
from acting out our dreams and
hurting ourselves. But in people with
sleep paralysis, REM sleep occurs
when they have woken up. No one is
sure why this happens, but it’s more
likely if someone is sleep-deprived or
jet lagged. It also tends to run in
families. While it can be very scary,
most of the time someone just needs
reassurance. Episodes will typically
last a few seconds or a few
minutes but it sounds like
your episodes last much
longer. I think that, given the
length of your episodes, you
should visit your GP and talk
to them about this. nGot a health question for
our resident doctor? Email it
confidentially to askdrmax@
readersdigest.co.ukThe Doctor Is In
Q: For the past year or so, I’ve had
several nights where I fall asleep,
but dream that I am awake but
completely paralysed. When I try
to call out, my words are just
whispered nonsense. I know from
the clock that these episodes have
lasted up to 25 minutes. The dreams
make me too scared to go to sleep.
How can I make the nightmares
stop? Julie, 47
A: This sounds like a sleep disorder
called Sleep Paralysis. This is where
someone experiences a temporary
episode of being unable to move
or speak when they wake up. It’s
harmless, but can be scary. People will
often feel that they’re having a very
vivid dream, not realising that
they’re actually in that in-
between stage of being asleep
and being awake. People will
also sometimes have a sense
that someone else is in the
room. These experiences are
often so scary that people
can become anxious about
going to sleep again. Sleep
paralysis is caused by
54 • JULY 2019
ILLUSTRATION BY JAVIER MUÑOZDr Max Pemberton