Doctors Answers (3)
Yes, please consider seeking the advice of a qualified sleep specialist. A sleep study provides valuable insight into your body's physical and mental activity during sleep. The best place to start, however, is with an initial consultation.
You are paralyzed as you fall asleep because you likely are in REM sleep almost immediately upon falling asleep. Everyone is paralyzed during REM sleep; except, of course, not our muscles of respiration (although they are weakened). During this transition from wakefulness to REM sleep there may persist some element of wakefulness, thus you are awake and paralyzed. It is not normal to go from wakefulness to REM sleep. We see this phenomenon in various sleep disorders or secondary to to certain medications but the most treatable disorder is narcolepsy. There are other possibilities such as night terrors but you need to see a board certified sleep specialist as treatment is available.
What you are describing sounds like Sleep Paralysis (I have experienced it myself on a rare occasion). This can be a normal experience for some with a variety of triggers (your frequency and intensity seem outside the normal). It also is a prevalent symptom of patients with Narcolepsy. Let us know if we can help. Our website and the national sleep foundation's also has more information.
