Episode 20. Sleep Paralysis
The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be a depiction of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation.
Sleep paralysis, to say the least, can be a terrifying experience. It occurs when a person is somewhere between sleeping and waking . The mind is conscious but the body is unable to move. It leaves you with a feeling that you are trapped inside your body, and if you’re one of the really unlucky ones, you may also feel a sense of being choked or held down, and may have visual or auditory hallucinations. It’s not uncommon for people to report that they had some kind of creature or evil presence on top of them and preventing them from moving or calling for help.
Sleep paralysis can happen either upon falling asleep or while waking. The latter is more common. While falling asleep some people may notice that their body has relaxed into a state where they are unable to move or speak as the brain starts the sleep process. My only experiences with sleep paralysis have occurred when waking from nightmares.
If you’ve experienced this before, you are not alone. It’s reported that up to 4 people out of every 10 will experience sleep paralysis, usually starting in teen years. It can be affected by a number of factors, including tiredness, substance abuse, use of certain medications, sleeping on your back, which happens to be the only way I can fall asleep. Often times, this is not a condition or occurrence to worry about, though if it happens repeatedly and affects your waking life, it may be worth checking in with your GP.
Research into sleep paralysis in both Denmark and Egypt show that in Egypt, around 50% of sufferers associate sleep paralysis with impending death and it is seen through a filter of fear and superstition. In Denmark, only 17% of people reported experiencing sleep paralysis and it was seen as a strange physiological event, not to be concerned with.
Speaking of impending death, I remember one of the worst experiences of sleep paralysis I had, I was sleeping on my stomach. My mind woke up before my body and I was laying face down in a pillow unable to breathe because I couldn’t move myself. I remember feeling as though there was someone sitting on my back and holding me down. I doubt I was in any trouble, but when you feel as though you’re in such a vulnerable position it really can be unnerving.
Sleep paralysis can lead to what is referred to as “worry attacks” or increased anxiety regarding sleeping. This anxiety can cause nightmares and interrupted sleep which in turn may increase the likelihood of experiencing sleep paralysis. As someone who experiences chronic nightmares and restless nights as a result, I can’t stress how important it is to make your bed or where ever you sleep a place of comfort and safety so you can get as much solid rest as possible.
If you’re looking for ways to prevent sleep paralysis, worry attacks or nightmares, I recommend journaling before bed to clear your head. Having a relaxing nighttime routine before you go to sleep, not sleeping on your back, and making sure you have regular sleeping and waking times.
So, what makes this a Good Nightmare story, aside from the fact that sleep paralysis for me often is the result of a bad nightmare? Well, there’s plenty of folklore attached.
Very early on, sleep paralysis was thought to be the work of demons, more specifically, incubi, who would sit on the chests of sleeping people. Of course, as many of us know, the different visions, beliefs and hallucinations are often heavily affected by a person’s culture. For some, the demon may be an incubus, for others, an Old Hag, or aliens. For me? It’s usually follows a nightmare in which I have been murdered. I experience a moment of pure nothingness before starting to slowly become aware of my body, usually starting at the eyes and spreading from there. Thankfully, it’s never lasted more than a minute. There are many others who have also described the experience as feeling as though they have “woken up dead” and are essentially trapped in their body.
As mentioned, experiences can differ depending on your cultural background.
In Scandinavian folklore, the belief is that a supernatural creature called a mare, associated with incubi and succubi, is the cause of sleep paralysis and nightmares. The mare is a damned woman whose body is carried around in sleep to sit on the chests of dreamers and give them nightmares.
In Fiji, sleep paralysis is interpreted as “being eaten by a demon”. The spirit is usually said to be that of a recently deceased relative with unfinished business with the living. People nearby the sleep paralysis victim will often attempt to talk to the spirit, seeking answers for why they have come back.
In the southern states in America, sleep paralysis is colloquially referred to as “witch riding”, which kind of takes the spookiness and some of the fun out of it.
In Malta, where my dad is from, sleep paralysis is related to Haddiela, an entity that haunts people in a way similar to a poltergeist. To get rid of this entity, you are meant to place silverware or a knife under your pillow prior to sleeping. I consider doing this sometimes, but less for the sleep paralysis, and more for the “oh shit, I just heard someone outside my window at 3am”.
Side note, avoid using a knife to protect yourself. They’re a close proximity weapon with little to no grip, so not only do you have to get up close and personal to a potential attacker, when any sweat or blood gets involved, your hand is likely to slide and end up around the blade if you need to use it. Also, I totally don’t condone using any kind of weapon in any situation. Naturally…
Overall, the most common lore related to sleep paralysis is that it is caused by a malevolent spirit who sits on top of a person while they’re sleeping, causing them to be unable to move and to experience vivid and terrifying hallucinations. It’s not a pleasant experience and with any luck, you’ll only have to go through it once in your lifetime, if at all.
As an extra tidbit for you, one of the worst cases of sleep paralysis I had occurred after a nightmare in which I died. I had dreamt that I was getting out of bed and my nose was bleeding. I was trying to call for help but my boyfriend in my dream was upset with me and by the time he noticed what was happening, it was too late. I held onto his hands while I slumped to the floor, hemorrhaging. Death felt like arms wrapped around my waist, trying to pull me down through the floor. My mind started to go blank and my eyes were closing. The body doesn’t know what triggers are real and what are dreams, it just reacts. My body reacted by going into the worst paralysis I’ve experienced. There was a moment between dying in my dream and waking in life that was just blank, as though my mind had already switched off. The first part of my body that I could feel was my eyes moving against the backs of my eyelids before slowly regaining awareness throughout the rest of my body. It was a while before I could move.
The dream was based on a real life experience. I was prone to mild to severe nose bleeds until my mid- twenties. One night, laying in bed with my then boyfriend, my nose started to bleed and I ran into the bathroom. It was already dripping down my hand, arm and onto the floor. He followed me in, thinking I was upset or crying and kind of freaked out when he saw the blood. I sat down on the edge of the bath thinking I was going to pass out and guided him through what first aid I needed. I lost a significant enough amount of blood to warrant going to the doctor, and spent the next couple of days feeling weak, achy and flu-like. It still makes me sick to think about how it felt.
If you have your own stories of sleep paralysis, whether you interpret it as a spirit, alien or other entity causing it or just a strange physiological occurrence, feel free to write in and let me know.
Good Nightmare 