Though sleep paralysis is not thought of as a condition that is life-threatening, it is a very serious condition. It is rare for someone to die from this condition, and it is not a direct reason for someone's death. This condition occurs when a person is unable to move for a certain amount of time.
This happens when they are falling asleep or in the midst of waking up. The cause of sleep paralysis is the stages in between sleep and waking up. It can be very scary and frightening at the moment and make the person feel as if they are dying.
Sleep paralysis is not considered a life-threatening condition. It is extremely rare for someone to die as a result of sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is not known to be a direct cause of death.
Sleep paralysis is being unable to move for a few seconds or minutes upon falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis occurs due to irregularities in passing between stages of your sleep and wakefulness.
Although sleep paralysis can be quite disturbing, scary, and cause you to have high levels of anxiety, it hardly leads to death.
If you are experiencing sleep paralysis on a regular basis, it is advised that you visit your doctor to assist you. It could be a sign of an underlying condition.
Anika Nicole, Wordsmith, PG In Journalism, New York
Answered Jan 06, 2020
Sleep paralysis is not considered to be dangerous, although it may feel very dangerous for those who are experiencing it. People who experience it are unable to move. They sometimes experience some demons while they are in between waking up and becoming totally conscious. There are also no known deaths that are due to sleep paralysis.
The main reason why people may feel that they are about to die is people usually feel helpless whenever they are experiencing this condition. If people could get hurt while experiencing sleep paralysis, this may only happen when a person is experiencing high anxiety levels. Anxiety can cause some cardiovascular diseases and stroke. When people are feeling too anxious, they may begin to feel that they are already near death even though they are not.
The only way that people can die from sleep paralysis is when people are so anxious that it can already lead to high levels of anxiety. While this is not considered to be a life-threatening disease, those who may encounter this may feel that they are already about to die because of the things that they are feeling.
Some of the episodes may only last for a few seconds to a few minutes, but it will be enough to make people feel that their life is about to end. According to some reports, sleep paralysis usually does not have lasting effects as long as people would be able to keep their anxiety levels in check.
While sleep paralysis can be frightening, it will not kill the person who is suffering from it. People who have braved through sleep paralysis have claimed that it was like a living death experience. It makes the person feel as if they are being suffocated, and they may not be able to feel sensations in their toes and fingers. You can't move your own body upon waking up, and it is terrifying.
Extreme fear and helplessness may ensue, but there are ways to pull yourself out of it safely. There have been some instances of "sudden death syndrome." SDS is caused by asphyxiation, which is caused by sleep apnea and acute pancreatitis.