Sleep paralysis has not been entirely worked out by scientists. It is still unknown why people have sleep paralysis and the mystery allows for many cultural beliefs to take root in the form of terrorizing spirits and monsters that come to people at night.
Throughout all cultures there are different creatures that will come to haunt you at night. For example, the night hag is a figure that appears throughout many different cultures. While this wicked woman looks different throughout each culture she is usually blamed for sleep paralysis. Another spirit is a black cat that is supposed to sit on your chest at night and suck out your breath. In the documentary "The Nightmare" one man recalls an experience where he was having his own sleep paralysis experience with this dark figure with red eyes looming over him and saying things like "you know me" and "i'm going to kill you". When he woke up the girl next to him woke up as well screaming and she informed him that she had had a nightmare about a black cat with red eyes sitting on her chest and talking at him in a language that she was unable to understand.
No culture seems to be without its own sleep paralysis causing monsters. In the land of the rising sun, there is a creature known as the yamachichi. This is a yokai (spirit) that comes into your room at night to "inhale...the breath of a sleeper "[6]. This is not the only creature that similarly seems to steal people's breath away. Cats are often seen during sleep paralysis sitting on the chest of the person afflicted. There is an old wives tale that connects felines to the same breath taking mannerisms. This is very possibly connected to the instances when people feel their breathing is labored or difficult during a sleep paralysis episode.
Other creatures such as the succubus and incubus are supposed to seduce their victims or engage in sexual activities with them while they are unable to move or sleeping. A woman shares her story in "The Nightmare", when she recounts an instance where something she could not see was having relations with her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Some similarities between the myths and the experiences that people have are absolutely uncanny.
This was a subculture that was almost looked over but given a second glance. Alien abduction has some interesting possible ties to sleep paralysis . Many times when people say they have been abducted they experience paralysis and seeing figures standing around their bed. The symptoms here would be the paralysis and hallucinations.
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Out of body experiences and astral projection are also an important part of what could be sleep paralysis. In "The Nightmare" a man recounts his story of being able to see his body and a white line connecting him to his body. While in this other world he was able to touch the shapes that haunted him at night. Out of body experiences can happen in sleep paralysis but it does not seem nearly as prevalent as the other symptoms.
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