By: Zeela Shoaib
What could be worse than witnessing your nightmares in the real world? Nightmares that left your blood cold and made you tremble with fear when they were merely just a dream. Indeed, if our deadly visions personified and presented themselves in real, some of us might pass out.
Sleep paralysis is an astounding phenomenon that brings this fear to life. It is a state that a person experiences during waking up or falling sleep. In other words, it is a state where your mind is conscious of its surroundings, and unlike in dreams, it can actually notify your brain and body about its environment. So, the things you feel or see seem to look extremely realistic because not just your mental self but your physical self is also aware about it.
What makes it even terrifying is that this feeling is accompanied by the inability to move. Picture yourself in a dark room, standing in front of a mirror, depicting a girl whose bloodshot eyes are frozen at you. Who gently raises a hand to claw your eyes out but somehow you can’t run although your brain is aware of the danger and your body is practically shaking with fear. Sleep paralysis makes you experience the same emotions in the comfort of your bed. How convenient, no?
Most people in our society who experience this phenomenon are totally unaware about the whole concept behind it. They dismiss it with a wave of their hand, calling it nothing more than a nightmare or maybe a djinn, as quoted by the superstitious folk.
People who experience sleep paralysis are usually in the process of falling asleep or waking up. During the episode that occurs to them, they may hear humming, hissing, static, or zapping sounds or they may feel a burden on their chest suffocating them which stimulates a feeling of fear and panic as the person is unable to move. Some people also hallucinate during this time and have visions of mysterious beings present on them and around them which further makes the experience devastatingly scary. The episode may last for a few seconds to a few minutes but is enough to give goosebumps.
Usually, people get sleep paralysis because of sleeping in a certain position like on your back, or it may be a part of family history. However, it has also been observed that sleep paralysis can also be stimulated by irregular sleeping patterns, migraines, depression, hypertension, and anxiety disorders. In conclusion, it's all linked to the brain. No wonder, it is the most complex organ of the human body. No large trials have taken place for the medication of sleep paralysis but it can be improved by bringing a healthy change in sleeping habits and adopting a healthy lifestyle along with taking therapy sessions for other brain disorders that may instill this.
Over the course of time, people have linked sleep paralysis with an alien abduction or other paranormal events because the whole experience gives birth to so many myths. Plus, humans throw anything they don’t find logical into the pool of superstitions and black magic. However, the reality is far different from this as sleep paralysis is just one of the activities of the brain.
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