Its crazy to think that such a small part of the brain can stop our entire body from moving, but the fact remains that this part is still necessary for a normal nights rest. Just imagine if you went to sleep and instead of being "paralyzed" you instead acted out your dreams. Well that too is a very real possibility! This is known as REM behavior disorder (RBD), for instance you can start throwing punches in your sleep and not wake up, just take a look at the video below. One thing of note though is that RBD is different from sleepwalking because sleepwalking does not occur during the REM sleep phase.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Muscle Paralysis during Sleep
Have you ever woken up from sleep and for some reason you can't move a single muscle? You might start freaking out thinking you're gonna be paralyzed forever but just stop and relax and it will wear off. Basically what has happened is that part of your brain is awake but the other part, the part of the pons, that essentially paralyzes the bodies large muscles while sleeping is still asleep.
Its crazy to think that such a small part of the brain can stop our entire body from moving, but the fact remains that this part is still necessary for a normal nights rest. Just imagine if you went to sleep and instead of being "paralyzed" you instead acted out your dreams. Well that too is a very real possibility! This is known as REM behavior disorder (RBD), for instance you can start throwing punches in your sleep and not wake up, just take a look at the video below. One thing of note though is that RBD is different from sleepwalking because sleepwalking does not occur during the REM sleep phase.
I can't imagine sleeping through what this man does, but evidently he has no problem with it. While this does seem a bit comical there are very serious health risks, the person with RBD could injure themselves and/or their sleeping partner, they could even destroy property.
Its crazy to think that such a small part of the brain can stop our entire body from moving, but the fact remains that this part is still necessary for a normal nights rest. Just imagine if you went to sleep and instead of being "paralyzed" you instead acted out your dreams. Well that too is a very real possibility! This is known as REM behavior disorder (RBD), for instance you can start throwing punches in your sleep and not wake up, just take a look at the video below. One thing of note though is that RBD is different from sleepwalking because sleepwalking does not occur during the REM sleep phase.
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After reading your blog I was intrigued by this topic. I re-read this section in the text & took some time to look more into it online. I found a wealth of information some of which I would really like to share. One of the things I found was that their is a treatment according to the National Sleep Foundation.
ReplyDelete-Clonazepam, takes away the disorder 90% of the time and it is rare that anyone develops a tolerance for it. I think that is great! The site also advised to make the bedroom area safe and remove all things that can break, are sharp, and can cause an injury.
- I also wanted to note that the site did mention they could even talk at times.
I agree with you. I couldn't possibly imagine having to deal with REM behavioral Disorder. (I say deal because from either the individual or partner, this condition must be difficult for both parties). This may sound a bit weird, but if you don't have this disorder you should be glad your body paralyzes you when you sleep!
Oh wow! That video you posted is intense. That must be so hard for him to deal with. Imagine, he can't have anyone spend the night. If he's married or if he plans to get married his poor wife will have to sleep in a bed apart from him, which must be tough. Actually, what you mentioned about the paralysis has happened to me before, and trust me it’s scary! It’s kind of odd to think that your entire brain doesn’t wake up at the same time; you would think it did. This disorder, RBD, is traumatizing. It’s scary to think that someone might hurt someone else in his or her sleep. They don’t even realize that they’re doing it. Great blog, and very informative.
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