Sleep paralysis:
When you cannot move or speak as you are waking up or falling asleep. It can be scary but it’s harmless and most people will only get it once or twice in their life.
During sleep paralysis you may feel:
awake but cannot move, speak or open your eyes
like someone is in your room
like something is pushing you down
frightened
These feelings can last up to several minutes.
It’s not clear why sleep paralysis can happen but it has been linked with:
insomnia
disrupted sleeping patterns – for example, because of shift work or jet lag
narcolepsy – a long-term condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
general anxiety disorder
panic disorder
Things you can do to help prevent sleep paralysis:
try to regularly get 6 to 8 hours of sleep a day
go to bed at roughly the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning
get regular exercise, but not in the 4 hours before going to bed