Sleep paralysis and false awakenings
Strange, but harmless: what can happen at night.
In dream sleep your body is paralyzed so that you don’t act out your dreams. Sometimes you wake up before this paralysis ends. Then you can’t move for a moment. This is called sleep paralysis. It often comes with a feeling of pressure or strange images.
In a false awakening you dream that you wake up, but you are actually still dreaming. Both are more likely when your sleep is interrupted, for example on alarm nights.
What helps
- Stay calm. It’s harmless and it passes.
- Breathe slowly and evenly.
- Try small movements, for example with your fingers or toes.
- In a false awakening, check whether anything is strange. It can even turn into a lucid dream.
Studies
This article summarizes studies in plain language. It is not medical advice. Health notice
