Risk factors of sleep paralysis in a population of Polish students

Abstract

Background Sleep paralysis (SP) is a transitional dissociative state associated with the REM sleep phase that affects approximately 28.3% of the student population during their lifetime. The reasons for the high prevalence of SP in the student population are not entirely clear. Research indicates possible influencing factors such as the intensification of anxiety symptoms, a tendency to worry, the presence of PTSD symptoms, and behavioral factors such as the consumption of psychoactive substances (caffeine, alcohol, nicotine), sleep deprivations and poor sleep hygiene. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of SP and determine the risk factors for the occurrence of SP in the population of Polish students. Methods The study used a battery online consisting of a set of questionnaires 1) a personal questionnaire, 2) the SP-EPQ, 3) the PCL −5, 4) the STAI-T, 5) the PSWQ. The questionnaire was sent via Facebook to 4500 randomly selected students from different universities in Poland. The questionnaire was completed by 2598 students. To unify the participant sample, people over 35 were excluded from the study (45 students). Ultimately, data from 2553 students were analyzed. Results A total of 33.14% of individuals experienced at least one episode of SP in their lives. The highest odds ratio for SP was associated with: the presence of three or more health problems (OR: 2.3; p = 0.002), the presence of any mental disorder (OR: 1.77; p = 0.002), including mood disorders (OR: 2.07; p = 0.002), suffering from at least one somatic disease (OR: 1.34; p = 0.002), a high level of anxiety as a constant personality trait (OR: 1.20; p = 0.035) and smoking (OR: 1.48; p = 0.0002), alcohol consumption (OR: 1.52; p < 0.0001), physical activity (OR: 1.31; p = 0.001). Conclusions The results of our research indicate that a large proportion of students experienced isolated sleep paralysis. Mental and somatic health problems and lifestyle factors were found to predispose individuals to this disorder. Due to the numerous risk factors for SP, it is necessary to conduct additional research to confirm the impact of these factors and to investigate the mechanisms of their influence on SP.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Sleeping Paralysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…For example, students with a history of SP reported greater stress levels and poorer sleep than those without [ 69 ]. In particular, at school age, there is a peak in the incidence of most of the stress-related psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety disorders and impulse-control disorders, as well as substance use disorders, which are in turn associated with an increased risk of SP [ 49 , 94 ]. At the age of adolescence, 60% of the individuals would have experienced at least one potentially traumatic event [ 95 ], which is also another proven promoter of SP [ 86 ].…”

“…Adding to this is the negative impact of academic burnout, which is a known mutual player with sleep disorders [96]. Besides mental fragility, students frequently have a poor healthy lifestyle that exposes them to SP, such as the greater tendency to sleep deprivation, often excessive consumption of psychoactive substances such as caffeine, and inadequate physical activity [49].…”

Student Knowledge About Sleep Paralysis

“…(Baland Jalal, 2014) (Dewangga Yuda et al, 2023) Berdasarkan penelitian Sleep Paralysis banyak terjadi pada seseorang dengan durasi tidur yang lebih pendek, yaitu < 5 jam perhari dan durasi tidur lebih Panjang > 10 jam perhari, aktifitas fisik yang melelahkan, kecemasan dan stress yang berlebihan, dan penyakit psikosomatik. (Wróbel-Knybel et al, 2022) Mahasiswa merupakan seseorang peserta didik berusia 18 tahun sampai 25 tahun yang terdaftar dan menjalani pendidikannya di perguruan tinggi baik akademik, politeknik, sekolah tinggi, institut dan universitas. Mahasiswa tingkat akhir banyak tugas dan tanggung jawab yang harus diselesaikan oleh mahasiswa selama proses perkuliahan, diantaranya, menyelesaikan berbagai macam tugas pada setiap mata kuliah, praktikum laboratorium, praktik belajar lapangan dan pada semester akhir ada tugas akhir.…”

“…Pengaruh budaya tentang sleep paralysis tidak hanya di Indonesia, tetapi termasuk di Brazil dan Italia yang dipercaya adanya kekuatan supra natural. (Baland Jalal, 2014)(Wróbel-Knybel et al, 2022 Hampir seluruh responden berpengetahuan kurang tentang tanda dan gejala sleep paralysis. Pengetahuan kurang tentang tanda dan gejala sleep paralysis disebabkan mahasiswa berpendapat bahwa tanda kelumpuhan ini akibat dari makhluk ghaib yang menindih tubuhnya dan hal ini diakibatkan posisi tidur yang terlentang, dan biasanya tidur menjelang petang.…”