Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis can be defined as an incapacity to move for quite a few minutes, either before, or after waking up. It usually occurs during the REM (rapid eye movement) sleeping state, which is medically considered as the deepest state of sleep. So it can be explained by a desynchronized disconnection between mind and body. It may appear in the case of people of different ages. Sleep paralysis is likely to occur after long periods of sleeplessness.

It has several symptoms like sensations of terror, very lively hallucinations, paralysis, strange noises, moving images, the sensation of high pressure on the body, without being able to get rid of that which causes the pressure. Causes range from the sleeping position, to excessive stress, bad sleeping habits, lack of sleep, unexpected changes in the environment or lifestyle, etc.

Although at first it was considered a rare phenomenon, nowadays it seems to occur at a lot of people. And can very often be genetic. It cannot be lethal, except in very few cases that were found in Southeast Asia, where some young people (teenagers mostly) are known to have died choking during a sleep paralysis crisis. But such an attack is most usually without any grievous effects. It takes quite a short time for the brain to reconnect to the body. Yet what troubles that person is the psychological aspects, namely the very unpleasant, often horrifying sensations they may have. The hallucinations make sleep paralysis so hard to bear and due to these hallucination elements people often associated it with the idea of encountering ghosts or aliens.

In most cultures, sleep paralysis is attributed to the presence of ghosts, witches, or to demon-possession while sleeping. Thus, in the African American culture, they explain the strange state of sleep paralysis as being caused by "the devil riding your back." So it refers either to ghost, or to demon-possession of the body.

Cases of sleep paralysis are sometimes described in literature. Like, for instance, in Cervantes's Don Quijote. Sancho Panza, Don Quijote's faithful companion, has such a scary experience while sleeping, and wakes up terrified from the nightmare. It also appears in Melville's celebrated "Moby Dick". Such an account of a sleep paralysis occurrence is to be found in "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", by Ernest Hemingway. Here it is represented by death itself who sits on the narrator’s chest and tries to choke him. Another depiction of sleep paralysis is made by William Shakespeare in "Romeo and Juliet", in which the "Old Hag", a night demon is mentioned and described.

From my very own experience, I can tell I often had such "dreams" as a child, but also as a teenager. I knew that I was dreaming, but at the same time I felt fully awake, and I felt a presence, something very strange going on. I couldn't move, and it felt as if something or someone was sitting on my back. It was a terrible feeling that there was none to help me, that I couldn't even scream, because I was asleep. It was always a great relief when I managed to wake up, but the fear persisted, especially that I knew I would have to go to sleep, and maybe go through the whole thing again. Later on I understood it all has a medical explanation, and found out there are many more people who suffer from sleep paralysis.

At any rate, I haven't experienced it in ages, it seems to have disappeared as mysteriously as it once appeared in my life. I think it is best to see it as a sleeping disorder and not be frightened by its possible occurrence. Like I said before, it does have a very good medical explanation and it is quite common to many people, it is as old as thousands of years. So there's nothing new under the sun. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with alien abductions, ghosts or any other paranormal activities. Yet it has a lot to do with stress, sleeplessness, bad eating habits, psychological traumas and sudden changes occurring in our lives. These are the things we should pay attention to and try to diminish by trying to lead a healthy, well-balanced life.