Sleep paralysis can be a doorway to phenomena such as an out of the body experience and lucid dreaming. Essentially, it is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move. It happens when your body is not moving smoothly through the different stages of sleep and can involve hallucinations. There are two kinds of sleep paralysis. Hypnopompic sleep paralysis occurs when you become aware before your body has moved out of the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep. Hypnagogic sleep paralysis can occur when you become aware while you are falling asleep. Sleep paralysis can be an upsetting and frightening experience, so think twice about attempting to induce it often, or at all.[1]
Method 1
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Trying to Induce Sleep Paralysis With Disrupted Sleep
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Adopt an irregular sleep cycle. Research has shown that there is a connection between irregular sleeping patterns and the likeliness of experiencing sleep paralysis, as well as a potential genetic influence.[2] People who work irregular shifts and have unusual and disrupted sleeping patterns are more prone to sleep paralysis. Generally sleep paralysis is more common among those who sleep less and are more sleep deprived.[3]
Remember that adults should aim for between six and nine hours of sleep a night, and frequently forcing yourself to have less than this is not advisable.[4]
Regular sleep deprivation increases your risk of serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. You will also find it harder to concentrate and will have reduced alertness which can make you more prone to accidents.[5]
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Break up your sleep cycle with naps. There are no guaranteed ways to induce sleep paralysis. Although it is fairly common, the exact causes of the phenomenon are still not fully understood.[6] Disrupting your sleeping cycle with shorter sleeping periods at night and naps in the evening is one way to do this. It is not precise, but is reported as one way to upset your regular sleep cycle and potentially induce sleep paralysis.
Get out of bed earlier than usual, before carrying out your daily activities as you would normally. You should be generally active during the day even if you feel tired.
Then have a short nap in the evening, for not more than two hours, some time between 7pm and 10pm.
After the nap stay awake and be active for at least another hour before heading back to bed.[7]
3
Lie in bed and relax. If you are trying to induce sleep paralysis it's important to lie down in bed in a comfortable position. Lying on your back when you sleep is one commonly reported factor that may help induce sleep paralysis. It is not really known what the causative connection is, but it is thought that a significant number of people who experience sleep paralysis sleep in a supine position.[8][9] Lie as still as you can and try to repeat a single word in your head, like a mantra. This will help you relax and clear your mind.
Repeat the word again and again, and begin to imagine that somebody is speaking the word to you.
Try not to become distracted if you sense lights and other sensations.
Concentrate on the word, stay relaxed, and you may feel yourself moving towards the threshold of sleep paralysis.[10]
Wake yourself up in the night. An alternative way to disrupt your sleep and potentially help induce sleep paralysis is to wake yourself up during the night. Set your alarm for between four and six hours after you fall asleep, and then keep yourself awake for a short period of 15 minutes to half an hour.[11] Get your mind active by reading for this period. Then as you go back to bed, close your eyes but maintain awareness.
To do this, repeat a mantra or focus on a particular point in your visual field.
You may then slip into sleep paralysis as you return to sleep but your mind stays aware.[12]
Method 2
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Understanding Sleep Paralysis
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Know what it is. During sleep paralysis you will feel conscious and aware but unable to move your body or speak. This phenomenon could last just a few seconds, few minutes or in very rare cases longer. It is not unusual for people experiencing sleep paralysis to feel pressure on the chest or a choking sensation, as if something were pushing down on their chest.[13]
The paralysis does not cause you any harm, but it can be a frightening situation, especially if you have not experienced it before.
Some people will experience it a few times in their life, others more frequently, and some not at all.
Typically, it is more frequently observed in teenagers and young adults, although it can affect anybody and is not thought to be influenced by gender.[14]
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Recognise the symptoms. The main symptom of sleep paralysis is the sense of consciousness without being able to move. This is often coupled with a feeling of restricted breathing. It is not uncommon for someone to experience scary hallucinations and have a powerful sense that there is something threatening in the room during sleep paralysis. These hallucinations may be especially vivid because you are semi-awake when you are dreaming.[15]
These symptoms can create an anxious and disturbed feeling which can persist after you move out of sleep paralysis.[16]
Sleep paralysis itself can be a symptom of narcolepsy.[17]
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Know when to seek medical help. Sleep paralysis itself does not cause you any harm, but if you experience it frequently it can be upsetting and disruptive for your sleeping pattern. Most often, making adjustments to your sleep cycle so it is more regular, and trying to limit stress in your life will lower your chances of experiencing sleep paralysis. If it is having a negative impact on you, visit your doctor for advice. In some cases the doctor may prescribe a short course of antidepressants.[18]
If you have severe symptoms, they may be connected to another sleep disorder, such as narcolepsy.
Visit your doctor if you experience excessive sleepiness during the day and are finding it difficult to concentrate on everyday tasks.[19]
Source : wikihow.com
1Sleep face down. A study from Hong Kong Shue Yan University shows that people who sleep face down are more likely to have dreams about being tied up, smothered, and other nightmarish themes.[1] Note that this may also increase the likelihood of erotic or sexual dreams, so you may not receive the desired effect.
2Try eating certain foods before bed. While eating spicy, salty, or fatty foods are commonly believed to cause nightmares, scientists are divided over the exact effect of these substances. Some argue that the disruption of your sleep cycle may even slow down the onset of dreaming, potentially resulting in fewer dreams or nightmares. Others think they may increase dream intensity, at least in some people, and suggest that each person pay attention to his own body's response.[3]
3Scare yourself slightly before going to bed. Try watching a horror movie, playing a scary video game, or reading ghost stories before bed. If you have a specific fear or anxiety, look at images of it or simply lie in bed imagining a "nightmare scenario." Aim to make yourself only slightly scared or anxious. If you are terrified out of your wits, you are unlikely to fall asleep in the first place.
4Consider taking vitamin B6. While the effect of vitamin B6 on dreams is not thoroughly studied, many people swear by its ability to increase the vividness of dreams. One study suggests that it may be effective, either due to an effect on the dreaming process itself, or an enhancement of your ability to remember dreams.
5Try taking melatonin. Some people report having more vivid or bizarre dreams when taking melatonin, which may give you a new dream experience even if they are not outright nightmares.[5] At least one study supports this idea, suggesting that dreams involving transformations are especially likely to occur under melatonin.
6Take certain substances in moderation. Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can all disrupt your sleep cycle.[7] This can potentially cause nightmares if taken in small quantities. However, ingesting any of these substances in too large a quantity can disrupt your sleep too much. Reduce your intake of these substances if you have difficulty falling asleep in the first place, if you wake up repeatedly in the night, or if you feel tired after waking up. These are all signs that you may be getting less restful sleep, which may reduce the amount you dream.
1Think of a topic to dream about. As you fall asleep, try to think of an image or concept that causes fear or anxiety. If you attempt this every night, you have a good chance of dreaming about the subject of your thoughts. You may be able to make your dreams or nightmares beneficial if you have a problem to solve that is causing you anxiety; your brain may continue to "work on" the problem while you sleep, possibly providing insight during a dream.[8]
2Sleep for eight hours or more each night. While inducing a nightmare on a given night may be helped by moderate sleep disruption, repeating that day after day may greatly reduce the number of dreams you have. Stay well-rested, and you will spend more time in the deeper, restful REM period of sleep, in which most lengthy dreams occur.
3Lie in bed after waking up. Instead of getting up immediately, lie awake and try to remember or "replay" your dreams. If nothing comes to mind, try to examine your own emotions.[9] If you wake up anxious or exhilarated, focusing on those feelings may help you remember a nightmare.
4Write down your dreams to increase the odds of remembering them. Every human dreams each time they fall asleep for an extended period of time, but many of these dreams go unremembered.[10] Try to write your dreams in a notebook by your bed as soon as you wake up, before you forget them, to help them stick in your memory. Write down any dreams you remember, not just your nightmares, as the habit may help you remember later dreams.
5Try to cause lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream, the dreamer is aware that she is dreaming. This often results in a more vivid or memorable dream, and sometimes, but not always, allows the dreamer to shape the course of events to some extent. While there are many ways to encourage lucid dreaming, you can start with two simple steps:
