 Hello? Is anybody there? I can't move. Why can't I move? Hello? Somebody help me, please. The following is the first video in a 12-part series on disturbing sleep disorders. In this first video, we'll be discussing sleep paralysis. What causes it and how it affects the body? Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious, but unable to move. It occurs when a person passes between stages of wakefulness and sleep. In the Philippines, sleep paralysis is often referred to as the Bangungat, and some folklore has even suggested that people have died from this. Sleep paralysis happens during REM sleep when the body is temporarily immobilized. This immobilization occurs as a natural way to prevent us from acting out our dreams and potentially injuring ourselves. But the paralysis normally goes away once the body is roused when we awaken. When experiencing sleep paralysis, however, a mind wakes up often several minutes before the body does, and thus the body is still paralyzed despite the mind being fully conscious. The experience can be terrifying, and it often coincides with sleep hallucinations, where reports of an evil presence are common. Also commonly associated with the experience are the feelings of being crushed or choked. These sensations have given sleep paralysis a firm place in the world of paranormal folklore, and also in the world of UFO and alien mythology. So why do we experience sleep paralysis? Well, many of us have had it at some point in our lives, and it can sometimes be triggered by anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, or even certain kinds of medication. The key to dealing with it when it does occur, though, is to not fight it and instead try to relax and take slow controlled breaths. Then while remaining calm, attempting to move the extremities such as fingers or toes can often do the trick, as the feeling of paralysis is often less prevalent in these parts of the body. So that's it for part one of our 12 part series on disturbing sleep disorders. If you would like to see part two, which is on insomnia, please make sure to like this video and subscribe to Psych2Go. That's it for now. Good night and sleep tight.