Essay. If Not Demons, What Causes Sleep Paralysis? Long believed to be caused by evil spirits, the frightening phenomenon is now understood as a disconnect between brain and body.

In the Middle Ages, sleep paralysis was blamed on "sex-crazed demons" who had their "wicked way with their paralysed, helpless victims", a belief "beautifully illustrated" in Henri Fuseli's 1781 ...

Sleep paralysis is a condition where one experiences a temporary state of consciousness while waking up, without the ability to move or speak. Some people, like me, hallucinate while stuck in it.

But normally, dreaming and paralysis occur when people are unconscious, said Sharpless, who is also the author of "Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological and Medical Perspectives" (Oxford ...

You may start to notice that your sleep-paralysis demon no longer invites over the man in the floating top hat or the elderly woman whose skin uncoils. These ghouls aren’t too busy to hang out.

But during sleep paralysis, features of REM sleep continue into waking life. Those who experience it will feel awake, yet might experience dream-like hallucinations and struggle to move.

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Culture also affects reports of sleep paralysis demons, clinical psychologist Brian Sharpless told Global News, which is why they look "very different from one era or country to another".