The 12 Disturbing Sleep Disorders
9. Sleep paralysis
In the Philippines, it is often called the bangungot, and folklore would suggest that people actually die from this. Sleep paralysis happens during REM sleep. We have temporary paralysis, but will be gone once the body is aroused when we wake up (Pappas, 2011). But with sleep paralysis, you can’t move your body even when you’re already conscious (Phillips, 2014). This disorder often coincides with sleep hallucinations, commonly reporting sensing an evil presence, along with the feeling of being crushed or choked (Phillips, 2014). That sensation has given sleep paralysis a place in worldwide folklore and, to an extent, alien abduction. And noticeably, this is in contrast to any of the parasomnias mentioned above.
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