Hello everyone! Welcome back to another presentation on IN THE WHITE. I hope you all are well and doing everything possible to keep safe from the deadly Pandemic.
Today’s write-up is on a very different topic then the usual subjects. For the purpose of this article, I wish to focus on the topic of Sleep paralysis. I will begin by defining what sleep paralysis is, what causes this phenomenon, how it can be treated, the demonic view behind sleep paralysis and conclude by sharing my own experience of sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis definition & how it occurs
The term sleep paralysis is when a person or feeling being is conscious but is not able to move for a few seconds or even up to a few minutes. Some may feel pressure or a sense of choking.
Sleep paralysis can occur at one of two times. This is when falling asleep or while waking up. The process by which one becomes aware that they cannot move when falling asleep is called Hypnagogic Sleep Paralysis- in the process of falling asleep, a person is not usually aware that their body stars relaxing, but if they do realize the change occurring they might note that they are not able to move or speak in that moment.
The other form of sleep paralysis is called Hypnopompic Sleep Paralysis. This is to do with Rapid Eye Movement (REM, a cycle that occurs during sleep and lasts approximately up to 90 minutes), this is also the process where dreams occur and if an individual becomes aware before the REM cycle is complete, they may notice that body movement may not take place or their ability to speak might be halted for a few seconds or minutes.
Causes of Sleep Paralysis
Since we now know the definition of this phenomenon and understand how it occurs, let us shift our focus to the causes and see why it eventually happens in the first place. There are numerous explanations as to why sleep paralysis happens. Some of these reasons are; lack of sleep, change in sleep schedule, mental stress or bipolar disorder, sleeping on back, substance abuse or other sleeping disorders alongside the use of certain medicines.
Diagnosis & Treatment of sleep paralysis
It is said if a person is not able to move or speak when falling asleep or in the process of waking up, he or she is likely to have isolated recurrent sleep paralysis.
Mostly there’s no treatment for sleep paralysis. However, if preexisting sleep disorder is diagnosed in an individual, then improving sleep habits, using prescribed antidepressant medicines to regulate sleep cycle and treating any mental health issue causing sleep paralysis can help overcome this phenomenon.
Click link for more: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis
The Horror of Sleep Paralysis
A lot of people associate ghosts with sleep paralysis. I do not know to what extent this is true but some claim to have seen the souls of their relative or a demon. It is believed that you are likely to encounter them while sleeping on your back.
A point to note is that different people describe the demons in different ways, this depends how they see it for themselves.
The question of how real the demon maybe when seen during the paralysis period is debatable, but its existence is something that cannot be denied, regardless of the fact that it can be a person’s imagination.
Click link for more: https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-paralysis-demon#are-they-real
Personal Experience of Sleep Paralysis
To be honest I don’t encounter sleep paralysis very often, in fact I do not remember the last time I faced this situation. But what I do recall is that, it happened while I was waking up. I could see a lady who did looked somewhat like a ghost asking for help, I was surprised to see a woman whose eyes were red, scattered black hair with red clothes on coming towards me, I knew something was wrong and tried to escape but I could not move. I opened my eyes to avoid seeing the woman, in which I succeeded but found myself paralyzed for few moments.
So that’s all I have for you, hope you enjoyed reading it. Till we meet again, bye and take good care of yourselves.
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