However, art is not the only thing impacted by this terrifying disorder: sleep paralysis is considered to be the underlying source of ghostly encounters. From demons to modern-day alien abductions, the symptoms of sleep paralysis seem to match the diversity of feelings recorded in these reports exactly. What Is the Symptoms of Sleep Paralysis?
While many have never heard of the phrase âsleep paralysis,â individuals were aware of the condition long before sleep laboratories or even contemporary nations existed. Sharpless stated that the ancient Greeks named it âPan ephialtes,â which translates as âwhen the god Pan jumps on your chest. Indeed, the term ânightmareâ used to refer to what we now refer to as sleep paralysis. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a nightmare in Middle English refers to a âfemale spirit or monsterâ that would âsettle on and induce a sense of suffocation in a sleeping person or animal. (âMareâ used to refer to a âevil female monster.â) After all, many who suffer from sleep paralysis often get the sensation that a monster – whether a Greek deity, a feminine ghost, or an extraterrestrial – is sitting on their chests. âNightmareâ only came to denote âbad dreamâ in the twentieth century. What is the etiology of sleep paralysis?
Age â Sleep paralysis is most prevalent in adolescents and young adults. After the age of 25, it is uncommon for someone to have their first encounter. Certain sleeping postures â When you sleep on your back, you are significantly more prone to develop sleep paralysis. Certain individuals who have recurrent sleep paralysis discover that they experience it exclusively in a certain sleeping position and that by avoiding this posture, they may avoid experiencing sleep paralysis.
Obstructive sleep apnea may cause breathing difficulties. This leads you to wake up often during the night, culminating in a sleep paralysis episode. This explains why those who sleep on their backs are more prone to experience sleep paralysis. If you experience symptoms such as the following, your disease may have an underlying cause, such as sleep apnea.