Those who are unfamiliar with the causes of sleep paralysis (muscle atrophy on the verge of sleep) often describe this phenomenon as a “paranormal” experience. Sleep paralysis is experienced by 8–30% of the population, and although treatment for this condition is yet to be developed, it is important to know the physiological underpinnings of this state in order to avoid panicking or succumbing to the influence of popular lore.
For example, in an article published in November 2020 in The Journal of International Youth Neuroscience Association, author Alhassan Bangura conducted a cultural-historical analysis of the phenomenon over the past 350 years. The discovery of sleep paralysis in a clinical setting is credited to the Dutch physician Isbrand van Diemerbroeck in 1664. He was also the first person to mention the presence of an “incubus”, attributing “demonic” implications to sleep paralysis. This term has become entrenched in European culture, imbuing patients’ stories about the “night strangler” with supernatural horror.
Three hundred years later, the supernatural aura surrounding sleep paralysis was once again revived due to the outbreak of Sudden Night Death Syndrome in Laos in South-East Asia. The Hmong community attributed the phenomenon to evil dab-tsog (“night hag”) spirits strangling their victims at night. The Egyptians believe that sleep paralysis is a case of being attacked by Jinns, while in Japan it is the demon Kanashibari who renders the sleeper powerless. In Western India, the state of sleep paralysis corresponds to a trance in which a person cannot move because a ghost or spirit is passing through their body. African Americans, on the other hand, believe they are being immobilized by witches.
Sleep paralysis is a recurring phenomenon throughout history and across cultures, each attributing a different religious connotation or mythological origin to the occurrence. However, contrary to these beliefs, there is a scientific explanation for such visions. Partial loss of muscle movement (primarily eyelids and mouth) during the transitional stage of sleep is accompanied by hallucinations, which are interpreted in a state of fear as the presence of a demonic being or other mythological entities. Those who know a little more about this phenomenon may even experience pleasant sleep paralysis.
