Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and can't move? Sleep paralysis is a real thing, and science has some pretty interesting explanations for why it happens. But what is it, exactly? And why do we get it? Listen to this podcast for a quick science lesson on sleep paralysis.

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SOURCES:

Wired interview with Dr Jeffrey Iliff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvDq0U1K5Ss&t=718s 

American Sleep Association. Sleep Paralysis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments. (https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-disorders/more-sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis/) Accessed 5/3/2022.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Sleep Paralysis – Overview and Facts. (https://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis/) Accessed 5/3/2022.

Brooks, P., & Peever, J. (2008, November 1). Unraveling the mechanisms of REM sleep atonia. Retrieved May 03, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579970/

Denis D. (2018). Relationships between sleep paralysis and sleep quality: current insights. Nature and science of sleep, 10, 355–367. 

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