- Consider that non-clinical descriptions of parasomnia events may help elucidate conditions such as sleep paralysis.
- This study was published as an abstract and presented orally at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed publication.
MINNEAPOLIS, June 18 -- Sleep paralysis is common among Mexican adolescents, researchers reported here.
One in four (26.4%) of those interviewed claimed to have experienced the phenomenon, Alejandro Jimenez-Genchi, M.D., of the Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatria Ramon de la Fuente, in Mexico City, told attendees at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies meeting.
An earlier study found that the phenomenon affected only about 11% of the population, but Dr. Jimenez-Genchi believes that's because of the terminology used by the researchers.
"They used a clinical description to investigate sleep paralysis," he said. "Mexicans use the expression 'a dead body climbed on top of me.'"
