OBJECTIVES: Relatively little is known about isolated sleep paralysis (ISP), and no empirically supported treatments are available. This study aims to determine: the clinical impact of ISP, the techniques used to prevent or disrupt ISP, and the effectiveness of these techniques. METHOD: 156 undergraduates were assessed with lifetime ISP using a clinical interview. RESULTS: 75.64% experienced fear during ISP, and 15.38% experienced clinically significant distress/interference, while 19.23% attempted to prevent ISP, and 79.31% of these believed their methods were successful. Regarding disruption, 69.29% made attempts, but only 54.12% reported them effective. CONCLUSIONS: Disruption was more common than prevention, but several techniques were useful. Encouraging individuals to utilize these techniques and better monitor their symptoms may be an effective way to manage problematic ISP.
OBJECTIVES: Relatively little is known about isolated sleep paralysis (ISP), and no empirically supported treatments are available. This study aims to determine: the clinical impact of ISP, the techniques used to prevent or disrupt ISP, and the effectiveness of these techniques. METHOD: 156 undergraduates were assessed with lifetime ISP using a clinical interview. RESULTS: 75.64% experienced fear during ISP, and 15.38% experienced clinically significant distress/interference, while 19.23% attempted to prevent ISP, and 79.31% of these believed their methods were successful. Regarding disruption, 69.29% made attempts, but only 54.12% reported them effective. CONCLUSIONS: Disruption was more common than prevention, but several techniques were useful. Encouraging individuals to utilize these techniques and better monitor their symptoms may be an effective way to manage problematic ISP.
Authors: Paulina Wróbel-Knybel; Hanna Karakuła-Juchnowicz; Michał Flis; Joanna Rog; Devon E Hinton; Piotr Boguta; Baland Jalal Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-05-18 Impact factor: 3.390