Sleep paralysis in Italy: Frequency, hallucinatory experiences, and other features

Jalal, Baland; Romanelli, Andrea; Hinton, Devon E.

doi:10.1177/1363461520909609

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…It assesses the frequency of SP episodes, the presence of psychological and somatic symptoms, prevalence rates and the level of knowledge about this experience [32]. The questionnaire was used in SP studies in Italy, Turkey and Poland [7,27,33,34].…”

Section: The Sleep Paralysis Experience and Phenomenology Questionnaire (Sp-epq)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep Paralysis among Professional Firefighters and a Possible Association with PTSD—Online Survey-Based Study

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Jalal

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The prevalence of sleep paralysis (SP) is estimated at approximately 7.6% of the world’s general population. One of the strongest factors in the onset of SP is PTSD, which is often found among professional firefighters. Our study aimed to assess in the professional firefighter population (n = 831) (1) the prevalence of SP, (2) the relationship between SP and PTSD and (3) the relationship between SP and other factors: the severity of the stress felt, individual tendency to feel anxious and worried and lifestyle variables. The incidence of SP in the study group was 8.7%. The high probability of PTSD was found in 15.04% of subjects and its presence was associated with 1.86 times the odds of developing SP [OR = 1.86 (95% CI: 1.04–3.33); p = 0.04]. Officers who experienced at least 1 SP during their lifetime had significantly higher results in the scales: PCL-5, STAI-T, PSWQ. The number of SP episodes was positively correlated with the severity of symptoms measured by the PCL-5, PSS-10, STAI and PSWQ questionnaires. Further research is needed to assess the importance of SP among the firefighter population in the context of mental and somatic health and to specify methods of preventing SP episodes.

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Section: The Sleep Paralysis Experience and Phenomenology Questionnaire (Sp-epq)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep Paralysis among Professional Firefighters and a Possible Association with PTSD—Online Survey-Based Study

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Jalal

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…This novel venture sheds light on the experience of SP in narcolepsy. Reminiscent of the general population, patients' self-estimated duration of SP was ~5 min, occurred most often at sleep offset, and a comparable proportion of individuals hallucinated during the event [e.g., 66 vs. 72% in the general Italian population, see ( 25 )]. Taken together, SP in narcolepsy and the general population appear to be phenomenologically indistinguishable, and further studies are needed to directly compare their features.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SP was assessed using the Sleep Paralysis Experiences and Phenomenology Questionnaire (SP-EPQ) ( 23 – 25 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meditation-Relaxation (MR Therapy) for Sleep Paralysis: A Pilot Study in Patients With Narcolepsy

et al. 2020

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Sleep paralysis (SP) is a condition where a person is paralyzed upon waking or falling asleep. SP afflicts ~20% of people, and is also one of the typical symptoms in narcolepsy. During SP the sleeper may experience hallucinations. Unsurprisingly, SP is associated with great fear globally. To date, there are no published clinical trials or outcome data for treating this condition. However, few non-pharmacological interventions have been proposed, including cognitive behavioral approaches, and case studies showing clinical amelioration with auto-hypnosis and Meditation-Relaxation (MR) therapy. The latter for instance showed positive preliminary results; when applied for 8 weeks it reduced SP frequency and anxiety/worry symptoms. With this paper we aimed to evaluate, with a small-scale pilot study, the efficacy of MR therapy for SP in patients with narcolepsy. Ten patients with narcolepsy and SP were enrolled in the study. Notably, MR therapy ( n = 6), applied for 8 weeks, resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of days SP occurred (50% reduction); and the total number of SP episodes (54% reduction) in the last month of the study (demonstrated by large within-group effect sizes); unlike the control intervention (deep breathing) ( n = 4). These findings are preliminary and exploratory given the small sample. Nonetheless, they represent the first proof of concept at providing empirically-guided insights into the possible efficacy of a novel treatment for frequently occurring SP. Although the study was conducted in patients with narcolepsy we cautiously suggest that the findings may generalize to individuals with isolated SP.

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“…The questionnaire developed by Baland Jalal and Devon Hinton assesses the frequency of SP episodes, the presence of psychological and somatic symptoms, prevalence rates, and the level of knowledge about the experience [41]. Hitherto, this version of the questionnaire has been used in SP studies in Italy, Turkey, and Poland [40,45,46]. It is an extended edition of the sleep paralysis questionnaire (SPQ) used in SP research in Cambodia [47], Nigeria[48], China, America [49,50], Egypt, and Denmark [23,41].…”

Section: Sleep Paralysis Experience and Phenomenology Questionnaire (...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors of Sleep Paralysis in A Population of Polish Students

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Róg

et al. 2022

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Background: Sleep paralysis (SP) is a transit 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) and poor sleep hygiene. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of SP and its risk factors in the Polish student population. Methods: The study used a battery online consisting of a set of questionnaires (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 disorder (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 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.

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Sleep paralysis in Italy: Frequency, hallucinatory experiences, and other features

Cited by 20 publications

References 65 publications

Sleep Paralysis among Professional Firefighters and a Possible Association with PTSD—Online Survey-Based Study

Sleep Paralysis among Professional Firefighters and a Possible Association with PTSD—Online Survey-Based Study

Meditation-Relaxation (MR Therapy) for Sleep Paralysis: A Pilot Study in Patients With Narcolepsy

Risk Factors of Sleep Paralysis in A Population of Polish Students

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