REM atonia is a state of temporary muscle paralysis that naturally occurs during the rapid eye movement stage of your sleep cycle to prevent you from acting out your dreams.

A closer look

REM atonia is a state of temporary muscle paralysis that naturally occurs during the rapid eye movement stage of your sleep cycle to prevent you from acting out your dreams. Your brain stem actively releases neurotransmitters that shut down motor neurons, effectively turning you into a helpless, immobile log while you hallucinate vividly in the dark. If you wake up before this chemical switch turns off, you experience sleep paralysis, trapped in a waking nightmare while your brain catches up to reality. It is deeply comforting to realize that our central nervous system has to literally paralyze us every single night just to stop us from punching a wall while dreaming about fighting a giant marshmallow