Sleep paralysis in adolescents: the 'a dead body climbed on top of me' phenomenon in Mexico.
Alejandro Jiménez-Genchi, Víctor M Avila-Rodríguez, Frida Sánchez-Rojas, Blanca E Vargas Terrez, Alejandro Nenclares-Portocarrero
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences August 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.01984.x (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSleep paralysis, known colloquially in Mexico as 'a dead body climbed on top of me,' is a common experience among adolescents. In a survey of 322 Mexican high school students, 92.5% had heard the folk expression and 27.6% had experienced the phenomenon. The prevalence of sleep paralysis was 25.5%, with 22% reporting hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. Most (61%) had two or more lifetime episodes, with an average onset age of 12.5 years. Episodes typically included both paralysis and hallucinations (72%), while 20.2% involved only paralysis and 7.8% only hallucinations. Sleepiness scores did not differ between those who had experienced sleep paralysis and those who had not.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 322 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 15.9 years on average from three high schools in Mexico City |
| Key finding | Sleep paralysis, identified by the folk expression 'a dead body climbed on top of me,' is a frequent and recurrent phenomenon among Mexican adolescents, often accompanied by hallucinations. |
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of sleep paralysis in adolescents using a folk expression. Three hundred and twenty-two adolescents (mean age, 15.9 +/- 0.88 years; 66.8% female) from three high schools in Mexico City completed both a self-reported questionnaire, including a colloquial definition of sleep paralysis and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. A high proportion of the adolescents (92.5%) had heard about the 'a dead body climbed on top of me' expression and 27.6% of them had experienced the phenomenon. Sleep paralysis was present in 25.5% while the prevalence rate for hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations was 22%; 61% had experienced >or=2 episodes in their lifetime. The mean age of onset was 12.5 +/- 3 years. Sleepiness scores for the subjects who had experienced at least one event were not significantly different from subjects who had not experienced any. In 72% of cases, the episodes were composed of both sleep paralysis and hallucinations while 20.2% consisted of only sleep paralysis and 7.8% of only hallucinations. The number and characteristics of events were not significantly different between adolescents with only one episode and those with two or more episodes. The characteristics of the 'a dead body climbed on top of me' phenomenon suggest that is identical to sleep paralysis and a frequent experience among Mexican adolescents. During adolescence, sleep paralysis seems to be a recurrent phenomenon frequently accompanied by hallucinatory experiences.