One fan said ‘they would think that I was dead when I wasn’t’
A TV medic has spoken about a terrifying experience many experience in bed. Dr Amir Khan who worked for the NHS and regularly appears on This Morning and Lorraine said he had been contacted by followers on Instagram after he posted an explanation of hypnic jerks which happen when people jolt awake when they’re just about to go to sleep.
Dr Khan explained sleep paralysis and how it happens. He said: “Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and felt like you couldn’t move your body? It’s scary, right? Well, that’s called sleep paralysis, and it happens when your brain wakes up before your body does.
“During REM sleep, that’s the bit where you dream, your muscles are temporarily switched off, so. Don’t act out your dreams. If you wake up whilst that’s still happening, you feel paralysed. Now sometimes people also feel pressure on their chest or see vivid hallucinations, shapes, shadows, even figures in the room.
“That’s because your brain is still half in dream mode, half awake. Now it does terrifying, but the good news is it’s harmless. Sleep paralysis usually lasts seconds, sometimes a couple of minutes, and then passes. It can be linked to poor sleep, stress, or irregular sleep schedules.
“So the best thing to do is to stick to regular sleep schedules, reduce stress, and look after your sleep hygiene. Now, it’s always best to remember, I know it’s frightening and it feels scary, but it is nothing dangerous. So if it happens to you, don’t panic. Your body’s just catching up with your brain.”
Fans said they had been left absolutely terrified until they realised what had happened. One said: ”Thank you for highlighting this condition.
“I suffered with this on a daily basis and could not even open my eyes or move in anyway. It was completely terrifying. My fear was that if I was found in that state, they would think that I was dead when I wasn’t.
“In the end I was too scared to go to sleep. Thankfully, after going through a highly stressful period in my life, I no longer suffer from this.”
Another added: “I’ve experienced these since I was a student, when I first became very unwell. Though they never fully stopped, the frequency has reduced significantly, now occurring only two or three times a year at most.”
One of his followers said: “My worst memory of that was when I was in hospital with a broken leg at 8 months pregnant. I think it bothered me most as I was having a bit of a hormonal rampage so really sweaty. The not being able to call for help was scary. It passed though”.
A follower said: “It’s happened to me three times in the last couple of years. I was terrified until I understood what had happened.”