Prevalence, incidence, evolution and associated factors of sleep paralysis in a longitudinal study of the US general population.
Sleep Medicine October 1, 2022 M M Ohayon, A H Pakpour
Sleep paralysis (SP) is common in the US general population. In a longitudinal study of 12,218 adults initially interviewed and 10,931 re-interviewed three years later, 9.7% reported at least one SP episode in the previous year at baseline, and 15.1% reported SP at follow-up. The 1-year incidence was 2.7%. About 30% of those with SP at baseline still had episodes three years later. Predictors of persistent SP included age, race, major depressive disorder, pain, hypersomnolence, cataplexy, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, posttraumatic stress disorder, reduced sleep duration by at least 60 minutes, and use of analgesic/antipyretic medication. Incident SP had similar predictors.