Old Hag Syndrome (Sleep Paralysis)
Have you suddenly awoken from sleep or just about to fall
asleep and found yourself completely paralysed? Did you sense a presence (often
malevolent) in the room, hear strange noises and have a crushing sensation
on your chest as if you were being sat on or held down? If so you may have
been paid a visit by the Old Hag!
So who is this Old Hag? Well, in days long gone and from various cultures across the globe, she was considered to be a witch, demon or spirit who came in the night and wanted some sort of reparation. Another theory weaving its way into this ‘syndrome’ is alien abduction. To the medical profession it is simply Sleep Paralysis.
People who experience this phenomenon, and it’s estimated to be around 25-30%, claim to see or sense a ‘presence’ in their room at the time as well as other sense provoking occurrences such as sounds, smells and touch.
Research into this ‘syndrome’ considers the mind’s natural reaction to the sense of sudden or unexpected total paralysis with the fight or flight stress response. As neither response is possible at the time, the body’s sense of fear conjures up all sorts of explanations to deal with the situation – often these are unhelpful ones. You may have an interest in the paranormal or aliens and this in turn may be used by the mind to explain the temporary loss of movement. For example, sounds in the background, even a clock, may appear to sound like the engine of a spacecraft or the groans of a malevolent spirit. Even if you don’t have an interest in these subjects, your mind tries to rationalise what is happening and once it locks onto something you may hallucinate any weird or wonderful answer.
There are two stages of sleep. The first stage is 'non-R.E.M' sleep. This is the first stage of sleep and it’s during this stage that your brain waves slow down. After an hour or so, you reach R.E.M sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). In this stage of sleep you have rapid eye movements, are completely paralyzed and actively dreaming. If your body was not paralyzed during R.E.M sleep you could very likely injure yourself by acting out your dream. For example if your dream involved you punching out, your body would physically punch out too. If you’re lying next to someone at the time, I don’t think they’d be too amused to be woken up that way!
Sleep paralysis happens when your body is half awake and half into R.E.M sleep. Therefore your body is still in the paralysis stage, but your mind is awake. It may take a few seconds to a minute for your body to catch up.
The two states of mind when sleep paralysis occurs is usually before waking up (hypnopompic) and just before falling asleep (hypnagogic). The major number of these experiences is from people who have been lying flat on their back at the time. Diet and lifestyle may play a part in this but as yet there is no conclusive evidence, though it may be a contributing factor. It is often thought to be associated with narcolepsy and other sleeping disorders. Research seems to show that the majority of sufferers were aged between their late teens and thirties.
For those of you who have experienced sleep paralysis or old hag syndrome only you can decide what to make of it. My own experience of it was initially quite frightening but after the first couple I taught myself to remember it was only temporary and subsequent ones were void of the ‘demonic presence’. Some people have come to enjoy this experience though I find it hard to understand why. Perhaps you can tell me about your experiences on the Hauntedland forum. My own detailed experience can be found Here.
Further Reading
Web