You suddenly find it difficult waking up, you try to open your mouth and call for help but no sound is coming out. Its as if someone is pressing you down with some evil power. In fact, you can see the person and can even recognized them. Eventually, you succeed in waking up with terror and fear spread across your face. You spend the next minutes or hours "binding" and "casting" the devil. But, is it really the devil? more often than not, it is not a spiritual issue but a medical condition called sleep paralysis. 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.
Over
the centuries, symptoms of sleep paralysis have been described in many ways and
often attributed to an "evil" presence: unseen night demons in
ancient times, the old hag in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and alien abductors. Almost every culture
throughout history has had stories of shadowy evil creatures that terrify
helpless humans at night. People have long sought explanations for this
mysterious sleep-time paralysis and the accompanying feelings of terror. In most
cultures in Africa, sleep paralysis is attributed to the evil powers of witches
and wizards who are out to torment or even kill their victims.
According to health experts, 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. Some people may also feel pressure or a sense of choking.
People
mistake sleep paralysis for evil powers because the brain's fight-or-flight response activates
while waking up paralyzed. Lacking mobility, the conscious mind hallucinates
threatening figures and a crushing weight on the chest, leading individuals to
naturally interpret these vivid, terrifying visions as supernatural attacks.
Why the experience feels so real? When experiencing sleep paralysis,
the physical and neurological disconnect creates the perfect conditions for
these terrifying misinterpretations. The brain is highly active in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) dream phase.
Waking up abruptly means the still-active dream imagery bleeds into the real
world. Paralysis restricts voluntary breathing control, causing
hyperventilation and a heavy, suffocating weight on the chest. The terror of
being trapped spikes the fear center
in the brain, projecting threat-based imagery.
Before
the discovery of the sleep-wake cycle, generations relied on folklore and beliefs in witches and wizards to explain
these vivid nocturnal terrors. The terror felt during sleep paralysis is nearly
universal, but its interpretation varies across regions
However, medical professionals categorize sleep paralysis as a simple brain glitch where the mind wakes up, but the body remains chemically locked in REM atonia. During REM sleep, the brain paralyzes the major muscles to stop you from acting out your dreams. To prevent these episodes, medical experts on the Sleep Foundation, a global organization focused on sleep, recommend prioritizing good sleep hygiene, reducing stress, and avoiding sleeping flat on your back.
Sleep paralysis may accompany other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an over powering need to sleep caused by a problem with the brain's ability to regulate sleep.
Sleep paralysis usually occurs at one of two times. If it occurs while you are
falling asleep, it's called hypnagogic or predormital sleep paralysis. If it
happens as you are waking up, it's called hypnopompic or postdormital sleep
paralysis.
As you
fall asleep, your body slowly relaxes. Usually you become less aware, so you do
not notice the change. However, if you remain or become aware while falling
asleep, you may notice that you cannot move or speak.
During sleep, your body alternates between REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM
(non-rapid eye movement) sleep. One cycle of REM and NREM sleep lasts about 90
minutes. NREM sleep occurs first and takes up to 75% of your overall sleep
time. During NREM sleep, your body relaxes and restores itself. At the end of
NREM, your sleep shifts to REM. Your eyes move quickly and dreams occur, but
the rest of your body remains very relaxed. Your muscles are "turned
off" during REM sleep. If you become aware before the REM cycle has
finished, you may notice that you cannot move or speak. Sometimes, due to the
pictures that had been playing in your brain, you feel some presence of
familiar faces trying to press you down.
Health
experts say up to as many as four out of every 10 people may have sleep
paralysis. This common condition is often first noticed in the teen years. But
men and women of any age can have it. Sleep paralysis may run in families.
Other factors that may be linked to sleep paralysis include:
- 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
So, when next you try to wake up and it looks as if
someone is pressing you down, it is not witches or any other demons but sleep
paralysis. And instead of "binding" and "casting", it is
time to see your health provider.
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