Sleep Paralysis Theory

Sleep Paralysis and The Paranormal
Sleep paralysis itself has been around for many centuries. However, with the development of cultures and more people sharing their experiences, sleep paralysis now has many theories relating to the paranormal surrounding it. This paper will explore various supernatural theories, including the paranormal and alien abductions, along with the lasting trauma people face after having a sleep paralysis episode. Sleep paralysis is known to be common during sleep. Many leading causes are connected to stress, as well as sleep being interrupted while falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis occurs when the REM cycle is interrupted during sleep as the person wakes up, however, the mind has put the body to sleep to prevent the body from harming itself while dreaming which then gives the effect of sleep paralysis as the person becomes aware of their surroundings without moving (Reisner). This insight gives a …show more content…
Waking up in the middle of the night unable to move one’s body can give the mind many ideas as to what may surround them in their own room. Depending on what culture you may possibly be a part of, sleep paralysis can affect what type of paranormal entity a person has come into contact with. However, within most cultures it seems to have a similar creature interrupting one’s sleep, whether it constricts air flow or causes distress by making its own presence seen (Sa et al.). Along with the paranormal, alien abduction is also closely connected to sleep paralysis. For John, he actually believed aliens had abducted him; his mind had given him a “hallucination” one night during an episode of sleep paralysis after watching a movie about aliens (Reisner). Following these events, it is important to draw attention to the fact that people have been known to experience lasting trauma due to seeing hallucinations during sleep