How I cured myself of sleep paralysis
Silencing the demon in the bed
I had my first sleep paralysis attack in 2016. I was in a hotel room, in Mumbai, and I hadn’t know such a condition ever existed then. It happened at dawn, just as I was to wake up, and lasted for about two minutes.
Two of the most horrible minutes of my life, until then.
I could hear everyhing. I was breathing normally. I was wide awake.
Except that I wasn’t.
I couldn’t move my body. I couldn’t open my eyes. I could feel someone, or something, in the room. I knew the room was locked.
Eventually, I jerked my limbs hard enough to snap out of the sleep. I found myself breathing heavily. I was still a bit drowsy, but going back to sleep scared the hell out of me. I’d never have a panic attack, or any kind of attack, in the past. I’d never experienced something like it.
It was over, though. A one-off, I thought. I moved on.
The next night, it happened again.
And again.
And then again, a few days later.
It got worse — there were hallucinations. I imagined people in the room. It doesn’t matter if I recognised them, or knew them, or not. The very fact that, at 4am, people entering my hotel room, scared me shitless.
I headed back home to Bangalore. I had two nights of great rest, curled up in my bed.
It was over, I thought.
Until it happened again, in my bed. My room was bolted from the inside.
I could feel something crawl all over me. No, it wasn’t big like a monster. A smaller animal. Like a crab. I imagined it had tentacles.
I jerked my head really hard again, and woke up with a fast-beating heart and in cold sweat.
I had imagined it all. I was petrified. I couldn’t sleep all night.
At the stroke of sunrise, I fired up google and searched for “body doesn’t move when you sleep”.
There were scores of articles on sleep paralysis — which, to be honest, was a relief. I knew I was not alone. Apparently, this is a very common condition, yet nobody had ever brought it up in any conversation amongst all the humans I have ever interacted with. Strange, I thought.
I then asked around. Two other people I knew suffered from this condition. We all had the same thing in common.
We had no sleep hygeine.
We would be up at 2am working, or binge-watching a series in Netflix.
We slept only 4–5 hours a day.
We often took early morning (5am) flights to morning meetings in other cities.
Eventually, this would destroy my sleep for a good two years. I was now scared of sleeping. I would lie awake for as long as I could, which made it worse. I got snappier over time, just before/after I slept, filling myself with negative vibes at night.
But after trying out all kinds of home remedies, I managed to cure it. It has been almost six months since I last had an attack.
And what’s more? I now sleep like a baby. Here is what I do.
Wearing myself out before I sleep
For at least four days in a workweek, I don’t just curl into bed at night anymore. I do some physically intense activity, even if it is only for a few minutes, like running up a few flights of stairs, or crunches, or a brisk jog if the neighbourhood dogs are asleep. I break into a sweat, jump into the shower and crouch under the steaming water for a few minutes, before drying myself and sleeping.
Bedside jazz
I invested in a Google Home and placed it by my bedside. I fire up TuneIn and listen to a few Jazz radio stations all night. It is actually really nice to listen to, and looking out for improvisation in the music — it helps take my mind off things.
Reduced caffeine intake
I used to have a big pot of coffee every morning. And then one more in the afternoon/early evening. And another shot of espresso after dinner.
I’ve now gotten it down to about four to five coffees a week. It’s made a HUGE difference to how consistent my scheduler now is; I now fall asleep every day anywhere between 12 and 1, and wake up only after 7.
A glass of lime water and ice
I developed a liking for fresh lime water – saltless and sugarless – just before going to bed. This is almost a combination of a digestion pill, a sleeping pill and a mood pill of sorts.
Getting more sleep
My work-and-leisure lifestyle is pathetic. I often find myself having to do early morning meetings in another city, or following football matches in the middle of the night (read: Champions League games). Ultimately, I’ve zeroed in on a few changes to my habits to accommodate more sleep.
First, I never fly out in the morning again. I either do a flight the previous day, and get a good night’s rest in the destination city, or I plan the meeting for the second half of the day, and take a comfortable flight at about 10am.
Next, I almost never sacrifice sleep anymore; seven hours each night is a minimum on most. Champions League football games mean you sleep at 3.00am in India. It means I wake up the next day at 10am. My calendar is scheduled accordingly; I don’t take morning meetings those days.
Finally, if I do wake up abruptly and I haven’t gotten my sleep, I make it a point to catch up during the day. Bangalore, its traffic and the rains are a great opportunity to take an Uber pool and just nap away in the vehicle. The commute usually lasts an hour and some, and you can easily sneak in two hours of good sleep, to and fro.
Simply put, I am a happier person now that I sleep well. Remember, sleep paralysis is a common condition. Be sure to talk to your doctor if it persists.
