Sleep Paralysis and psychopathology
South African Journal of Psychiatry December 7, 2017 Celestine Okorome Mume, Innocent C Ikem
Isolated sleep paralysis—temporary paralysis upon waking—occurs in healthy people but is more common among those under psychological stress. In a survey, 28% of healthy subjects reported it, compared with 44% of orthopaedic patients (suffering physical injuries) and 56% of patients with multiple somatic complaints (psychological disorders). Anxiety scores were higher in orthopaedic patients than in healthy subjects but lower than in patients with multiple somatic complaints. The findings suggest that sleep paralysis is linked to psychopathology, not just to physical injury or stress alone.