Understanding Mystery Of Sleep Paralysis Demon

Sleep Paralysis Demon

Most of us have experienced sleep paralysis demon. They often relate this phenomenon to the mystical thing. Actually, you are not being haunted because there is a scientific explanation. When you are experiencing sleep paralysis demon, usually you will be very difficult to move and then there is a little cold feeling spread from the tip of the foot to the whole body. The only way to wake up, you have to move the tip of the foot, the tip of the hand or the head as fast as possible until the whole body can be moved again.

Sleep Paralysis Demon Phenomenon

This phenomenon is usually accompanied by the emergence of the shadows of darkness. Therefore, many people assumed that it is spirit or ghost. In order not to get wrong understanding, you need to know the sleep paralysis mystery.

Understanding Sleep Paralysis

According to the medical, sleep paralysis is the circumstances when people sleep or wake up feel shortness of breath like strangled, chest tightness, body difficult to move, and difficult to shout. Almost everyone has experienced it at least once or twice in their life. This phenomenon can happen to anyone, male or female. The average age of people first experience this sleep disorder is 14-17 years that can last in seconds to minutes.

Interestingly, when the sleep paralysis occurs, we often experience hallucinations such as seeing a figure or black shadow around the bed. No wonder, this phenomenon is often associated with mystical things. In the Western, this phenomenon is often called the nightmare of an incubus or old hag based on a form of shadow that appears. While in some medieval paintings, the seizures are depicted with an evil spirit figure occupying a woman's chest until she is frightened and hard to breathe.

Sleep Paralysis Demon 1

The Occurrence Of Sleep Paralysis

According to Al Cheyne, a researcher from the University of Waterloo, Canada, sleep paralysis is a kind of hallucination due to sleeping malfunction in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage. As knowledge, based on brain waves, sleep is divided into 4 stages. The stages are the lightest sleep stage (we are still semi-conscious), deeper sleep stage, deepest sleep, and REM stage. At this stage, the dream occurs. When the condition of the body is too tired or lack of sleep, brain waves do not follow the proper sleep stage. It immediately jumps to the dream (REM) stage.

When the brain suddenly awakens from the REM stage but the body has not, this is where sleep paralysis occurs. We will feel very conscious, but the body cannot move. Moreover, there is a hallucination of the appearance of a figure that is actually a characteristic of the dream. In addition, sleep paralysis demon can also be caused by something that cannot be controlled. As the result, appear stressful and it is carried into the dream.

Although this common happens, this sleep disorder should be wary. This is because sleep paralysis can also be a sign of narcolepsy (sleep attacks suddenly without any signs of sleepiness), sleep apnea (snoring), anxiety, or depression. Keep in mind, sleep paralysis generally occurs in people who sleep in the supine position (face up and almost soundly or in a state of almost awake from sleep). That is why we need to frequently change the sleeping position to reduce the risk of this sleep disorder. If this phenomenon is accompanied by other symptoms, it is better for the sleeping doctor or sleep laboratory for further examination.

Sleep Paralysis Myths Around The World

There many myths of this sleep disorder around the world that you should know.

In African-American culture, it is called the devil riding your back
In Chinese culture, it is called gui ya shen or disturbance by ghosts which suppresses a person's body
In Mexican culture, It is called se subio el muerto and is believed as the occurrence of a dead man's spirit that sticks to someone
In Cambodian, Laos, and Thailand culture, it is called pee umm that refers to the occurrence of a person dreams the spirits hold or restrain the person's body to live in their habitat
In Icelandic culture, it is called mara, a ghost that occupies one’s chest at night and tries to make the person breathless and suffocate
In Turkish culture, it is called karabasan, a creature that attacks people at bedtime presses the person's chest, and takes his breath
In Japanese culture, it is called kanashibari which literally means binding. It means someone is bound by spirits

Conclusion

Most of us have experienced sleep paralysis demon once or twice in our life. Actually, this phenomenon means that you are not being haunted because there is a scientific explanation. Because of this sleep disorder is usually accompanied by the emergence of the shadows of darkness, many people assume that it is spirit or ghost and relate to mystical things.