During REM sleep, your brain is highly active, processing vivid dreams. To prevent you from physically acting out these dreams—which could lead to accidental injury—your brain signals your motor neurons to relax completely. This state of temporary paralysis is called REM atonia.
During a typical night, two specific neurotransmitters are released to maintain this state:
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GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)
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Glycine
These chemicals effectively switch off the signals from your brain to your skeletal muscles. In a standard cycle, you wake up just as the brain stops producing these chemicals, allowing you to move instantly. However, during an episode of sleep paralysis, your conscious mind wakes up abruptly while the body remains under the chemical influence of REM atonia.
