Between sleep and wakefulness: how sleep quality and stress affect isolated sleep paralysis - a cross-sectional survey.
Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia September 1, 2025 Ahmed Ali Khan, Ammara Abid, Maheen Nawaz et al.
Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a common experience among people without narcolepsy. A survey of 336 shopping mall visitors found that 36.6% had experienced ISP at least once, with an average onset age of 17.9 years. Poor sleep quality and moderate stress were significantly linked to more frequent ISP episodes, though together they accounted for only a small portion of the variance, indicating other factors also contribute. The findings suggest that improving sleep and managing stress may help, but more research is needed to establish causal relationships and develop effective interventions.