Kendall Jenner Reveals Health Scare: What Is Sleep Paralysis?
Jenner, 20, describes her symptoms on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."
— -- Model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner revealed she often wakes up feeling paralyzed in an upcoming episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
“I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t move,” Jenner, 20, said in a newly-released sneak peek of the episode.
The symptoms Jenner described on TV – waking up temporarily unable to move or speak while your mind is completely awake – could be sleep paralysis, according to doctors.
“For many people it's this feeling of almost fear that you want to move your body but you can't,” said Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist and director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center. “It typically lasts for a few seconds to as long as two minutes.”
The clip shows Jenner arguing with family members over the severity of her health scare. Her mom, Kris Jenner, tells her, “I think you’ve just got anxiety.”
"I'm done arguing with people because I don't feel fine,” Kendall Jenner says in the clip. “I promise one day when I'm rushed to the hospital, then you guys are going to wake up."
Harris, who does not treat Jenner, said risk factors for sleep paralysis include stress and not getting enough sleep. Jenner, who became a professional model when she was 14, has admitted to stress in the past.
“A lot of times in our country we're very busy, we're not making sleep a priority," Harris said. "If you're not getting good quality sleep or enough sleep you're at a greater risk for having sleep paralysis."
In addition to stress and lack of sleep, there are other factors that can cause sleep paralysis, medical experts say. The list includes alcohol use, certain medications, anxiety, sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser said there are things people can do to help reduce their chances of sleep paralysis.
Besser recommended dimming lights before going to sleep, turning off electronics one hour before going to bed and using tools on electronic devices that change screen colors from blue shades to orange shades.
"These are little things that you can do that may help you get a better night's sleep," Besser said today on "GMA."
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