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.

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.