Sleep Paralysis Among Higher Education Students: A Possible Role of Antidepressant and Recreational Stimulant Use.
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) October 15, 2025 Gediminas Gumbis, Kristijonas Puteikis, Rūta Mameniškienė
Among 275 higher education students in Lithuania (87.3% female, average age 22.9 years), 43.3% reported having experienced sleep paralysis, most more than once. Episodes often involved hallucinations, fear, or incubus-like sensations. Sleep paralysis was associated with antidepressant or recreational stimulant use, higher alcohol intake, and lower self-rated sleep quality. Stress, supine sleeping, disturbed sleep cycles, and emotional trauma were commonly cited triggers. The findings suggest sleep paralysis is common and recurrent in this population, with a correlational link to psychoactive substance and medication use that warrants further investigation.