Rates and Characteristics of Sleep Paralysis in the General Population of Denmark and Egypt

@article{Jalal2013RatesAC,
  title={Rates and Characteristics of Sleep Paralysis in the General Population of Denmark and Egypt},
  author={Baland Jalal and Devon E. Hinton},
  journal={Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry},
  year={2013},
  volume={37},
  pages={534-548}
}
In the current research we report data from two studies that examined rates and characteristics of sleep paralysis (SP) in the general population of Denmark and Egypt. In Study I, individuals from Denmark and Egypt did not differ in age whereas there were more males in the Egyptian sample (47 vs. 64 %); in Study II, individuals from Denmark and Egypt were comparable in terms of age and gender distribution. In Study I we found that significantly fewer individuals had experienced SP in Denmark… 
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Lifetime presence and rates of sleep paralysis in Denmark of ethnic Danes and non‐ethnic Danes

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

It is found that Italians from the general population reported high lifetime rates of SP, prolonged duration of immobility during the event, and great fear of the experience, all of which were particularly elevated as compared to cultures where there are no such elaborate traditions of SP.

Prevalence and Clinical Picture of Sleep Paralysis in a Polish Student Sample

It is shown that a significant proportion of students experience recurrent SP and that this phenomenon is associated with fear and physical discomfort, and the scale of the phenomenon requires a deeper analysis.

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It is suggested that not only the known rapid eye movement sleep dysregulation but also some personality variables may contribute to the characteristics of SP.

Beliefs about sleep paralysis in Turkey: Karabasan attack

The Karabasan constitutes a culturally specific, supernatural interpretation of the phenomenology of SP in Turkey that is rooted in Turkish folk tradition and applied various supernatural and religious methods to prevent future SP attacks.

Risk factors of sleep paralysis in a population of Polish students

Mental and somatic health problems and lifestyle factors were found to predispose individuals to this disorder and a large proportion of students experienced isolated sleep paralysis.

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

The number of SP episodes was positively correlated with the severity of symptoms measured by the PCL-5, PSS-10, STAI and PSWQ questionnaires, and officers who experienced at least 1 SP during their lifetime had significantly higher results in the scales.

Sleep paralysis and folklore

Clinical cause of these disturbances is sleep paralysis due to the unsuitable timing of REM sleep, where the sleeper becomes partially conscious during REM cycle, leaving the individual in a state between dream and wakefulness.

Sleep Paralysis in Brazilian Folklore and Other Cultures: A Brief Review

The neuropsychological aspects of SP are reviewed, the Pisadeira is presented, a character of Brazilian folklore originated in the country’s Southeast, but also found in other regions with variant names, and the many historical and artistic manifestations of SP in different cultures are summarized.

Sleep Paralysis Among Egyptian College Students: Association With Anxiety Symptoms (PTSD, Trait Anxiety, Pathological Worry)

As hypothesized, relative to non-SP experiencers, participants who had SP reported higher symptoms of PTSD, trait anxiety, and pathological worry, and the experiencing of hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations during SP, even after controlling for negative affect, was highly correlated with Symptoms of PTSD and trait anxiety.

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