Sleep Paralysis

What is sleep paralysis ?

Sleep paralysis is a transient state between sleep and waking, with an incomplete
separation of sleep-related paralysis and a waking awareness of the external
environment. There are various interpretations found across time and culture are
catalogued and interpreted. Sleep paralysis is found to be the original Nightmare,
a phenomenon that is very different from the scary dreams associated with that
term today. It is argued that sleep paralysis played a role in the generation and
maintenance of various beliefs in witches, demons, vampires, and other
supernatural entities. Echoes of these earlier interpretations of sleep paralysis
phenomena can be found in contemporary narratives of alien abductions, ghosts,
and shadow people.

By definition, sleep paralysis is a transient inability to move or speak as one goes

from sleep to wakefulness. Sleep researchers conclude that, in most cases, sleep
paralysis is simply a sign that your body is not moving smoothly through the stages of
sleep. Rarely is sleep paralysis linked to deep underlying psychiatric problems.

How does it feel?

Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move. It occurs when a
person passes between stages of wakefulness and sleep. During these transitions,
you may be unable to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes or in the
worst cases hours. Some people may also feel pressure on the chest area or a sense
of choking.

During an episode of sleep paralysis you may:

 find it difficult to take deep breaths, as if your chest is being crushed or restricted
 be able to move your eyes – some people can also open their eyes but others find
they can't
 have a sensation that there's someone or something in the room with you
(hallucination) – many people feel this presence wishes to harm them
 feel very frightened
 Eye movements are typically preserved.
 It more often occurs while sleeping on one’s back.
 Visual and auditory hallucinations often occur and may include a sense of an evil
presence, of being touched, or hearing voices or noises in the room.

How Often Does Sleep Paralysis Occur?

It is common and may be experienced by 20% to 60% of people, depending on the
population examined. In a study of college students, 21% were found to have had
at least one episode of sleep paralysis, but only 4% had 5 or more episodes.

About 30% of young adults experience Sleep paralysis at least once in their lives.

It is more likely to happen to young adults.

What are the causes?

 Lack of sleep
 Sleep schedule that changes
 Mental conditions such as stress or bipolar disorder
 Sleeping on the back
 Other sleep problems such as narcolepsy or nighttime leg cramps
 Use of certain medications, such as those for ADHD
 Substance abuse
 Long-standing sleep disturbances in those who have been sexually abused
Obstructive sleep apnea may also trigger awakenings due to breathing disruption
and cause sleep paralysis. This might also explain why sleep paralysis is more
likely to occur when someone is lying on their back. Associated symptoms such as
snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping or choking, daytime sleepiness,
teeth grinding (bruxism), and frequently waking to urinate at night (nocturia) may
point to this as the underlying cause of sleep paralysis.

Cure and treatment

Fortunately, sleep paralysis is harmless. It is self-limited, ending by either falling
back asleep or waking more fully out of it. It may occur infrequently. Once it is
recognized, reassurance is usually enough. It occurs commonly, and the cause
may be relatively benign. There is no risk of dying when these episodes occur. It
can still be very scary as it occurs.

Though these episodes may be frightening, the disorder itself is not harmful and
will generally resolve on its own. No treatment is needed, but avoiding sleep
deprivation, stress, and other precipitants may be helpful. These are summarized
in the sleep hygiene guidelines.

For those who suffer from multiple episodes and who are unable to tolerate the
psychological distress, a selective serotonin receptor inhibitor (or SSRI) may be
prescribed. These are a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants in
the treatment of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders.
People experiencing episodes

1. I get this on a regular basis, but mostly when I nap, not when I go to sleep
for the night. I have never experienced the “demon”, but the experience is
terrifying. I can see everything (or at least it seems like I can) but I am
unable to move. It feels like if I don’t make every effort to move I will be
stuck like that forever. I usually have to start by wiggling a toe, or a finger,
and then keep that momentum going until I fully wake. It takes an extreme
amount of effort and if I don’t keep the effort constant, I have to start all
over again.

2. I have a few different “sleep paralysis demons” and one sort of “sleep
paralysis guardian angel”. The demon ones are the usual shadowy figure
standing over me or by my bedroom door. The worst one was while I was
lying on my side with my back to the door and it felt like someone got into
bed behind me. Under the covers and put their arm round my waist. Then it
felt like they were cuddling into me and I could feel breath on my neck. It
felt like they cuddled me for about half an hour. All this time I’m trying not
to show that I’m panicking because it feels like I’m getting cuddled by a
skeleton with claws. It was only about the second, maybe third time I’d had
sleep paralysis, so I nearly had a heart attack when this thing feels like its
moving in closer to kiss me behind the ear. Worst of all it whispered “Not
yet. You’re not ready yet. I’ll come back when you are.” To me it sounded
disappointed and excited. It felt like it was silently telling me it meant that
it was coming back when I was about to die.

3. I have experienced sleep paralysis literally hundreds of times. To me, it’s

usually a slick, black alien-type creature about four feet tall, although I have
seen a grim-reaper type figure as well. I don’t tend to get auditory
hallucination, so keeping my eyes closed pretty well negates the entire
experience (except for the actual feeling of paralysis).

4. A good one - My mom once told me that when she was younger, her room
lit up and a couple of men dressed in white and gold were sitting at the foot
of her bed playing music. One had a guitar and the other some kind of wind
instrument. My mom said she felt such joy and peace, that she didn’t want
them to ever go. But when she finally managed to move her head, she
heard one say to the other, “She is waking up. It’s time for us to go.” Then
they vanished.
A secret history of Sleep Paralysis

A history of a talisman from middle ages reveals a connection of an old legend of

sleep paralysis. I saw a reference to a 1910 article describing a modern (late 19th
century) Hebrew talisman described as “Kabbalistic.” Then was believed that
there’s magical objects for every purpose, every occasion, sort of like the state of
apps for smartphones today.

- the translation

“In the name of the angels of the God (of Israel) I conjure you all kinds of Lilin,
male and female,and Demons, male and female by the power of the holy Name.”

The myth

Lilin are a host of night demons that are first mentioned in Babylonian seals some
eighteen hundred years before the Common Era. Much, much later came the
Judaic tradition of Lilith: the owl-footed half human demoness who steals upon
men at night and sexually assaults them in order to create demon-human hybrid
babies. Lilith and Lilin were blamed for the unexplained death of infants at night
(probably related to what we call SIDS today)… and also for the terrible plague of
supernatural assault that was termed the Incubus in the middle ages. That’s why
this desease is related to sexually abused people and this legend is why it is
believed that it’s episodes often have this tent of evil sexual abuse.

Book : Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection

(Studies in Medical Anthropology) – Shelley R. Adler

Documentary : The Nightmare (2015)