BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiologic data on sleep paralysis (SP) came from small specific samples. The true prevalence and associated factors of SP in the general population remain unknown. METHOD: A representative sample of the noninstitutionalized general population of Germany and Italy age > or =15 years (n = 8,085) was surveyed by telephone using the Sleep-EVAL questionnaire and the Sleep Questionnaire of Alertness and Wakefulness. RESULTS: Overall, 6.2% (5.7 to 6.7%) of the sample (n = 494) had experienced at least one SP episode in their lifetime. At the time of the interview, severe SP (at least one episode per week) occurred in 0.8% of the sample, moderate SP (at least one episode per month) in 1.4%, and mild SP (less than one episode per month) in 4.0%. Significant predictive variables of SP were anxiolytic medication, automatic behavior, bipolar disorders, physical disease, hypnopompic hallucinations, nonrestorative sleep, and nocturnal leg cramps. CONCLUSIONS: SP is less common in the general population than was previously reported. This study indicates that the disorder is often associated with a mental disorder. Users of anxiolytic medication were nearly five times as likely to report SP, even after we controlled for possible effects of mental and sleep disorders.
BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiologic data on sleep paralysis (SP) came from small specific samples. The true prevalence and associated factors of SP in the general population remain unknown. METHOD: A representative sample of the noninstitutionalized general population of Germany and Italy age > or =15 years (n = 8,085) was surveyed by telephone using the Sleep-EVAL questionnaire and the Sleep Questionnaire of Alertness and Wakefulness. RESULTS: Overall, 6.2% (5.7 to 6.7%) of the sample (n = 494) had experienced at least one SP episode in their lifetime. At the time of the interview, severe SP (at least one episode per week) occurred in 0.8% of the sample, moderate SP (at least one episode per month) in 1.4%, and mild SP (less than one episode per month) in 4.0%. Significant predictive variables of SP were anxiolytic medication, automatic behavior, bipolar disorders, physical disease, hypnopompic hallucinations, nonrestorative sleep, and nocturnal leg cramps. CONCLUSIONS: SP is less common in the general population than was previously reported. This study indicates that the disorder is often associated with a mental disorder. Users of anxiolytic medication were nearly five times as likely to report SP, even after we controlled for possible effects of mental and sleep disorders.
Authors: W Joseph Herring; Kathleen M Connor; Ellen Snyder; Duane B Snavely; Ying Zhang; Jill Hutzelmann; Deborah Matzura-Wolfe; Ruth M Benca; Andrew D Krystal; James K Walsh; Christopher Lines; Thomas Roth; David Michelson Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2016-09-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Brian A Sharpless; Kevin S McCarthy; Dianne L Chambless; Barbara L Milrod; Shabad-Ratan Khalsa; Jacques P Barber Journal: J Clin Psychol Date: 2010-08-16
Authors: Fatimah J Aledili; Fatimah A Albahrani; Laila Y Alalawi; Fatema Rafea Aleliwi; Fatimah A Bomouzah; Ghadeer Z Alghasham; Khalid M Alhajri; Majed Alabdali Journal: Saudi Med J Date: 2021-12 Impact factor: 1.422