Isn’t it a terrible feeling when you wake up in the middle of the night and just cannot move? You get completely paralyzed and your body totally freezes. As time passes, with every tick of the clock the fear of this unknown gets to you pretty bad. It is when your eyes open and your body moves when you come back to reality.
For me, it started when I woke up to someone choking my throat. I already had such an experience which made me know what was coming. It was sleep paralysis. I saw the door opening, a man stepped in. He had a mask on full of blood. The mask was so demonic in nature, it had several bizarre cuts on the cheeks and wrinkled brows. His head was covered with a hood and his eyes were bulging out. I could see him taking out every person I loved out of my body.
The worst part was when I saw his bony hand with nails full of blood reaching my throat. I saw him removing his mask with the other hand as I felt life draining out of me.
As his face uncovered I cannot begin to fathom what I witnessed. I couldn’t move my body even though I felt like I was awake. He leaned down and stroked my face with his filthy hands. The next thing he said gave me goosebumps and I could see my existence crawling out of me. “Enjoy these last moments that you have”, he said. I instantly woke up with a jerk.
I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Or maybe what I perceived as reality was not real at all? A presence in the room was felt, something had appeared to harm me. A threatening feeling filled me from head to toe. It stayed even when I tried sleeping again. These hallucinations and instances happen often and are referred to as sleep paralysis or sleep demons in some cases.
It is different for everyone, some people see faceless creatures, some feel a presence and others say the demons look like a dead relative.
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Are these ‘demons’ genuine and real?
Well, the answer to this question is half true and half false. The part where the paralysis happens is real. The whole experience of sleep paralysis is very much real. It is often referred to as a hypnogogic hallucination. As long as the demon is concerned it’s not true. Trust me it isn’t.
What is Really Happening?
However, the demons of sleep paralysis are quite dreadful. The rationale after them is very boring. Sleep Paralysis happens when a person wakes up during the phase of sleep which is the ‘dream’. The brain shuts down the signals in order to make the body stagnant and not moving.
And when you wake up from that phase you still are in the phase but no matter what you do, you just cannot move.
Sleep Paralysis
It has been estimated that around 40% of people undergo this phase of sleep paralysis. But the thing that makes it different for everyone in the absence of the demons in some. Not everyone has hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucinations.
Hypnogogic, Hypnopompic Hallucinations, and Nightmares
A dream-like experience that is more vivid than reality is known as hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. These are often mixed with nightmares however these are way more different than that. The ones that one gets whole sleeping are known as hypnagogic and the ones felt waking up are known as hypnopompic.
These hallucinations can cause you to see people around you that are scary and cause come always with sleep paralysis. These hallucinations occur mostly when a person is in between the sleep cycle known as RPM (Rapid Eye Movement). This sounds scarier when you know that what you see is in the real world but also is a part of a dream. In some cases, the situation gets so worse that even the things in your room start to transform into something else.
This can be the light from your washroom’s bulb that transforms into a monster. A pile of cloth might start to take a face and structure of a supernatural object.
Who is likely to Encounter them?
There are some of the factors that might induce you to experience sleep paralysis more than other people. The number one reason that is most of the time pointed out is sleeping on your back. Although there is no explanation as of yet for that. Sleep Apnea also plays a huge role. Here are some of the other factors besides sleep that can cause sleep paralysis,
- Anxiety and Extreme Stress
- Jet lag
- Alcohol consumption
- Heartburn and upset stomach
- Sleep deprivation
How to Maintain a Safe Distance from Demons?
It is known that sleep paralysis doesn’t last for more than a minute. And even if they feel like they have been with you for a lifetime. It is easy to get rid of the demons that are bothering you. Here are a number of tips for you to opt for if you want to lessen the chances of experiencing these episodes of sleep paralysis. These include,
Avoid sleeping on the back: It is seen and observed that people who sleep on their back are more likely to wake up at night than those who don’t. It is because they are more likely to experience snoring and sleep apnea. So the chances of experiencing sleep paralysis are more.
Treat underlying issues: Visit a doctor in case you think that your stress and anxiety are causing you to sleep paralysis.
Adopt a proper sleep schedule: You need to go to bed at a set time and wake up at a set time. Make sure that you are taking around 6 to 8 hours of sleep.
Wrapping it Up!
Sleep paralysis and the demons that come with it are very much real to feel. Although these aren’t some real creatures that you see, the terrifying feeling of an episode stays in your head forever. If the episodes are getting more frequent with time, it is important for you to visit a doctor. There may be some underlying causes that might be the cause behind it.
