0699 Frequency of Sleep Paralysis as Related to Lifestyle Variables in a Nationwide Student Sample: Preliminary Findings
Michael Spano, Edward F Pace-Schott
Sleep April 20, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae067.0699 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 158 |
| Population | University students |
| Key findings | Frequent napping and alcohol use are associated with more frequent sleep paralysis in university students. |
Abstract
Abstract Introduction Sleep Paralysis (SP) is a sleep-disturbing experience of muscle atonia while conscious, creating an in-between sensation of wakefulness and dissociation during REM sleep. During SP, one can experience hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, which may cause feelings of terror and fear. These feelings affect the overall well-being of the experiencers and may impact other aspects of their lives. We investigated factors that may influence the frequency of SP in university students.
Methods: Participants (N=158, 65.19% female, 5.7% non-binary/third gender, 64% white) completed a mixed method, retrospective nationwide survey including items querying demographic variables, lifestyle (i.e., substance use, technology use, social media use), sleeping behaviors (i.e., napping, habitual bedtime, sleep interruption), sleep quality, and frequency of SP.
Results: For questions relating to SP frequency among the 7 categories, most respondents experienced SP “Several” times (36%, N=45, while 14.4% (N=18) experienced SP “Once” and 3.2% (N=4) experienced SP “Daily.” When comparing daily SP experiencers (DSP) to one-time SP experiencers (OSP), 75% (N=3) of DSP napped 4-7 times per week, while half of the OSP (N=9) napped only 1-3 times per month. In our qualitative analysis, many respondents stated they experienced SP most during “napping.” Additionally, the majority of non-SP experiencers (N=18) answered “Never” or “Less than once a month” for napping. For alcohol use, 75% of DSP (N=3) answered “Yes” to “Do you drink alcohol?” while only 55% of OSP (N=10) answered “Yes.” This study could not find differences in caffeine or nicotine use.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that there is a difference in sleeping and lifestyle behaviors between students who experience SP frequently and students who experience SP once or not at all. The most significant difference in the sleeping behaviors is the frequency of napping. The direction of causation between the frequent napping behavior and the SP remains to be determined. Among lifestyle behaviors, SP frequency data suggests that drinking frequency may moderately predict SP. More research is needed regarding whether phone use and/or social media may influence SP frequency, as such behaviors have been shown to influence sleep timing, time duration, and quality. Support (if any) None