Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov. Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

NLM Logo

Sleep Paralysis MeSH Descriptor Data 2025


MeSH Heading
Sleep Paralysis
Tree Number(s)
C10.886.659.633.800
F03.870.664.633.800
Unique ID
D020188
RDF Unique Identifier
http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D020188
Scope Note
A common condition characterized by transient partial or total paralysis of skeletal muscles and areflexia that occurs upon awakening from sleep or less often while falling asleep. Stimuli such as touch or sound may terminate the episode, which usually has a duration of seconds to minutes. This condition may occur in normal subjects or be associated with NARCOLEPSY; CATAPLEXY; and hypnagogic HALLUCINATIONS. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occur during REM sleep. (From Adv Neurol 1995;67:245-271)
Entry Term(s)
Paralysis, Sleep
Previous Indexing
Sleep Disorders (1965-1999)
Public MeSH Note
2000
History Note
2000
Date Established
2000/01/01
Date of Entry
1999/11/08
Revision Date
2004/08/02
Sleep Paralysis Preferred
page delivered in 0.121s