Sleep paralysis goes by many different names, and one famously known name for it is Old Hag Syndrome. For some people who have had episodes of sleep paralysis, they might have experienced an inanimate being known as the old hag. When the old hag is present, your chest might feel like it is getting crushed, making it hard to breath. “In Newfoundland sleep paralysis has been called an attack of ‘Old Hag’” (Heffron, Thomas). In a paper by N C. Ness, multiple people had reported of seeing the same old hag on their chests while being paralyzed, and by the description of each of their encounters, researches were able to trace back the old hag to the clinical condition, sleep paralysis. These hags, or incubi are very common, but there are also two
