Block out as much light as possible. Light, even ambient light like a bright street light, can affect your sleep. If you’re tossing and turning, consider your bed. Maybe it’s time to update it to something more comfortable. [5] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source

It can also help to have a sleeping “cue. " Pick something that relaxes you, such as drinking a cup of (caffeine-free) tea, reading or meditating, and do that every night before bed. [7] X Research source

Two hours before bed time, start turning off all your screens (such as the television and smartphone), which can affect your sleep. Start winding down and moving towards bed. As you wind down also stop doing any work, which may be too stimulating and interfere with your sleep.

If you’re laying there stressing about something on your mind, try spending some time writing your worries down in a journal to get them off your mind.

Also, try to cut stress out of your life where possible. For instance, if you notice feeling anxious or stressed every time you watch the news, try cutting back.

Try focusing on your body parts sequentially as in a relaxation routine. Bring your attention to your toes and think about them. Then try to move your toes and move on to your feet, legs and so on.

Fear can be one of the worst aspects of sleep paralysis. Try to remind yourself that the thing you fear has not really happened. Focus on the here and now.

If you can, open your eyes so that another person nearby can notice. However, not everyone is able to do it.

Also track any other sleep problems you notice, such as insomnia, the number of times you wake up in the night, hallucinations upon waking, and/or falling asleep frequently during the day. Try to notice if anything in particular triggers the paralysis. For instance, you may notice it happens more often when you drank alcohol the night before.

Other symptoms of narcolepsy can include hallucinations when you’re falling asleep or waking up and cataplexy, which is sudden muscle weakness often brought on by strong emotions. For example, a large burst of laughter may cause parts of your body to go weak temporarily.

It is particularly important to seek a counselor if you believe your sleep paralysis is caused by PTSD.