Prevalence and Clinical Picture of Sleep Paralysis in a Polish Student Sample.
Paulina Wróbel-knybel, Hanna Karakuła-juchnowicz, Michał Flis, Joanna Róg, Devon E Hinton, Piotr Boguta, Baland Jalal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health May 18, 2020 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17103529 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 439 |
| Population | Polish students in Lublin |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Ptsd6 Fear Parasomnia Psychopathologic symptoms Sleep disorder Sleep paralysis |
| Key findings | 32% of Polish students reported sleep paralysis, with somatic symptoms, fear, and hallucinations being common. |
Abstract
Sleep paralysis (SP) is a psychobiological phenomenon caused by temporary desynchrony in the architecture of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It affects approximately 7.6% of the general population during their lifetime. The aim of this study was to assess (1) the prevalence of SP among Polish students in Lublin (n = 439) using self-reported online surveys, (2) the frequency of SP-related somatic and psychopathologic symptoms, and (3) the factors potentially affecting the occurrence of symptoms among people experiencing SP. We found that the incidence of SP in the Polish student population was slightly higher (32%) than the average prevalence found in other student populations (28.3%). The SP clinical picture was dominated by somatic symptomatology: 94% of respondents reported somatic symptoms (most commonly tachycardia, 76%), 93% reported fear (most commonly fear of death, 46%), and 66% reported hallucinations (most commonly visual hallucinations, 37%). The number of SP episodes was related to sleep duration and supine position during sleep. The severity of somatic symptoms correlated with lifestyle variables and anxiety symptomatology. Our study shows that a significant proportion of students experience recurrent SP and that this phenomenon is associated with fear and physical discomfort. The scale of the phenomenon requires a deeper analysis.
Comparable studies
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| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Risk factors of sleep paralysis in a population of Polish students. BMC Psychiatry June 7, 2022
- Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Sleeping Paralysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus 2024
- Pooled Prevalence of Sleep Paralysis in South Asian Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sleep Medicine September 1, 2026
- A Sufi Interpretation of Sleep Paralysis: Al-Ghazali’s Perspective on Psychological and Spiritual Wellbeing Journal of Islamic Philosophy and Contemporary Thought December 1, 2024
- [Prevalence and phenomenology of sleep paralysis in medical students]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 2026
and 12 more in the library
Cites 41
- Sleep Paralysis, “The Ghostly Bedroom Intruder” and Out-of-Body Experiences: The Role of Mirror Neurons Frontiers in Human Neuroscience February 27, 2017
- Prevalence Rates of the Incubus Phenomenon: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Frontiers in Psychiatry November 23, 2017
- Beliefs about sleep paralysis in Turkey: Karabasan attack. Transcultural Psychiatry June 1, 2021
- Sleep paralysis in Italy: Frequency, hallucinatory experiences, and other features. Transcultural Psychiatry June 1, 2021
- Clinical features of isolated sleep paralysis. Sleep Medicine June 1, 2019
and 36 more in the library