Prevalence, incidence, evolution and associated factors of sleep paralysis in a longitudinal study of the US general population.

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Sleep paralysis is a common phenomenon which causes and consequences are seldomly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and prevalence of sleep paralysis (SP) in the American adult population and its evolution on a 3-year period. This longitudinal study was conducted between 2002 and 2015 and included a representative sample of the US general population. A total of 12,218 subjects were initially interviewed (W1) and 10,931 were re-interviewed three years later (W2). The subjects participated in telephone interviews using the Sleep-EVAL expert system. Each interview lasted for about 1 h. SP episodes were assessed according to their frequency and duration. At W1, 9.7% (95%CI: 9.1%-10.3%) reported having ≥1 episode of SP in the previous year. At W2, 15.1% (95%CI: 14.4%-15.8%) reported SP. A total of 29.9% of subjects with SP at W1 still reported episodes at W2. The 1-year incidence was 2.7% (95%CI: 2.4-3.0%). After adjusting for age and sex, prevalent SP (i.e., present at W2) was predicted by age and race and the following factors present at W1: major depressive disorder, pain, hypersomnolence, cataplexy, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, posttraumatic stress disorder, a reduction in sleep duration of ≥60 min, and the use of analgesic/antipyretic medication. Incident SP (i.e. new cases at W2) had similar predictive factors. Episodes of SP are frequent in the general population. Its persistence is predicted by several factors associated with narcolepsy like hypersomnolence and cataplexy but also by other factors like posttraumatic stress disorder or pain.