Jathoom, sleep paralysis and bedtime panic

Squat or Jathoom in Arabic (sleep paralysis),You may have had an experience in which you woke up in a panic, and felt a weight in your chest that prevented you from moving, and you could not move any muscle of your body, including your tongue, and you could not even speak. This condition is known as Squat, or sleep paralysis.

what is it and why does it happen?

 How do you prevent it?

 You are awake and sure that you are awake; Because you see and hear what is going on around you naturally, but you cannot get out of bed to escape from something causing you panic, and then suddenly, your body is liberated "you wake up."

Throughout history, this case has been the source of popular ideas, as I explained to them superstitious reasons why something sits on the chest and prevents a sleeper from getting up. But science today refutes these claims through a conscious search for causes and causes.

Scientifically, this condition is called sleep paralysis, and it occurs when the barrier between wakefulness and sleep is reached, and it may be after or before sleep, but it is more likely to occur after entering the state of sleep.

In this condition, both the hearing and sight are normally active, sometimes accompanied by auditory or visual hallucinations, and you may hear sounds that are not there.
The mechanism and cause of sleep paralysis

Sleep is divided into stages that oscillate between two stages. The first stage is called "non-rapid eye movement sleep," and the second stage is called "rapid eye movement sleep." The second stage includes the state of engaging in dreams, while dreams do not occur in the first stage.
When a person - along with many mammals - reaches the second stage of sleep, they begin to see dreams, so this rapid, random movement of the eye is a simulation of eye movement when you see scenes in dreams.
If you were dreaming and raised your gaze to see a certain scene in the sky of your dream, your eyeballs will move upward while you sleep!

These two phases are switched multiple times so that each phase has approximately 90 minutes.

In the second stage, "rapid eye movement sleep" occurs, which is the separation between the brain and voluntary muscles in general. This is so that the muscles of the body do not react to the events that the dreaming brain is involved in. Imagine that if you move your hands and feet realistically to simulate what is going on in your dreams, then there is a danger to you from these unconscious movements.
How does sleep paralysis happen?

In some cases, a person wakes up before the end of the second stage and finds his muscles paralyzed, disconnected from his conscious activity, and beyond his control, even though his hearing, sight, and perception of his surroundings are in good health. At first, he is conscious of himself, but he cannot control his body.

It has been observed in studies that sleep paralysis is most likely associated with sleeping on the back and face, This research strengthens the conviction of some that there is a creature lying on their chests."

Causes of sleep paralysis

•     Sleep irregularity.
•     Accumulation of stress and anxiety.
•     Hallucinogen abuse.

Preventive measures from lying down (sleep paralysis)

•     Establish regular sleep habits
•     Try to reduce anxiety before bed
•     Stay away from hallucinogenic drugs

And as a final tip: If you have sleep paralysis and it happens and you are out of it, do not go back to sleep immediately, because it will come back and hunt you to scare you again.