sleep paralysis

noun

The normal paralysis of the body that occurs during REM sleep.

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Meanings

nounsleep paralysis (countable and uncountable, plural sleep paralyses)

plural sleep paralyses

  1. countableuncountableThe normal paralysis of the body that occurs during REM sleep.
  2. countableuncountableA situation where a person is not fully awake, and although conscious of their surroundings, unable to move or speak, often accompanied by hallucinations and feelings of terror.

Translations

Arabic شَلَل النَّوْم, جَاثُوم
  • شَلَل النَّوْم (šalal an-nawm)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • جَاثُوم (jāṯūm)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Catalan paràlisi del son
  • paràlisi del soninability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Chinese Mandarin 睡眠癱瘓症 /睡眠瘫痪症, 鬼壓床 /鬼压床
  • 睡眠癱瘓症 /睡眠瘫痪症 (shuìmián tānhuànzhèng)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • 鬼壓床 /鬼压床 (guǐyāchuáng)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • 鬼壓身 /鬼压身 (guǐyāshēn)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Finnish unihalvaus
  • unihalvausinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
French paralysie du sommeil
  • paralysie du sommeilinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
German Schlafparalyse, Schlafstarre
  • Schlafparalyseinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • Schlafstarreinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • Schlaflähmunginability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Greek παράλυση ύπνου
  • παράλυση ύπνου (parálysi ýpnou)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Icelandic svefnlömun
  • svefnlömuninability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Indonesian kelumpuhan tidur, ketindihan
  • kelumpuhan tidurinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • ketindihaninability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Italian paralisi nel sonno
  • paralisi nel sonnoinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Japanese 金縛り
  • 金縛り (kanashibari)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Korean 가위눌림
  • 가위눌림 (gawinullim)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Latin paralysis somnī
  • paralysis somnīinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Portuguese paralisia do sono
  • paralisia do sonoinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Romanian paralizie în timpul somnului
  • paralizie în timpul somnuluiinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Russian со́нный парали́ч
  • со́нный парали́ч (sónnyj paralíč)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Spanish parálisis del sueño
  • parálisis del sueñoinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Swedish sömnparalys, sömnförlamning
  • sömnparalysinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
  • sömnförlamninginability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Thai ผีอำ
  • ผีอำ (pǐi-am)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Ukrainian со́нний пара́ліч
  • со́нний пара́ліч (sónnyj parálič)inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Vietnamese bóng đè
  • bóng đèinability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon awakening
Cite this entry
APA

sleep paralysis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20paralysis

MLA

“sleep paralysis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20paralysis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sleep paralysis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20paralysis.

Source: sleep paralysis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.