During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – one of four stages in the sleep cycle – the body goes into a temporary paralysis to prevent one from acting out any dreams. This is a normal occurrence. However, some individuals regain awareness and panic when they find themselves unable to move or speak for up to several minutes. This is known as sleep paralysis, a condition identified by a brief loss of muscle control (atonia) that happens just after falling asleep or waking up. Many affected individual