Prevalence of Sleep Paralysis in the Medical Students of a Local Medical College
MedERA - Journal of CMH LMC and IOD December 1, 2022 DOI: 10.61982/medera.v3i2.63 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 107 |
| Population | Medical students at Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Karachi, Pakistan, excluding those with any psychiatric illness |
| Key findings | The authors report a high prevalence of sleep paralysis among medical students, with 52% (56 of 107) reporting at least one episode and most experiencing it multiple times. Students associated episodes with academic stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and sleeping position (37.3% cited lying on the back), and described the experience as a source of great distress. |
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: To find out the prevalence of sleep paralysis among the medical students of a local Pakistani medical college. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 107 medical students from, Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Karachi, Pakistan. Non-probability Convenient Sampling Technique was utilized for this study. Students suffering from any psychiatric illness were excluded from this study. The study was performed after taking permission from the Institutional Ethical Review Committee. Written informed consent was taken from all the students. The data were collected using a pretested predesigned Questionnaire which was consisted of 10 questions related to the common10 happening and symptoms of sleep paralysis. Data were recorded in the form of frequency and percentages and analyzed using SPSS 24.
Results: 52% (56 out of 107) participants have had an experience of sleep paralysis. Most of the participants (76.6%) described their experience as an Inability to move. Frequency of experience ranged from 0 to 20 times in the last year. Age at first experience ranged between 10-20 years.
Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of sleep paralysis (47.2%) among the medical students at a local Pakistani medical college. Majority of the students experienced the phenomenon multiple times in their life. The students associated the symptoms the factors such as academic stress, anxiety, workload, emotional experiences, sleep deprivation, work routine, sleep pattern, sleep deprivation, fatigue, mental disturbance, studies and routine stress. 37.3% of the students also related the phenomenon to their position of sleep (lying on back). The participants described the experience as a source of great distress. Sleep paralysis needs to be studied, investigated and addressed in context of mental health of the students.