Has this happened to you? You're peacefully sleeping, dreaming about puppies and kittens and oh, that girl you like oooooooooh but then all of a sudden you're not sleep anymore but you're not awake either and you can't move a muscle, you hear weird voices in your room and in the corner of your room there it is, a dark shadow approaching you, slowly but surely to get you it is almost at hand and... and!!! OMG IS ABOUT TO SLAP YOU WITH A SLICE OF CHEESE!!!
Source: GIPHY
I mean, perhaps not exactly like that, but if you've been sleeping and then you woke up and couldn't move and saw some demons that scared the hell out of you, then you, my dear champ have experienced Sleep Paralysis, this irregular state is unpleasant, but don't worry, you're not alone, it is pretty common, data has shown that almost 8% of people suffer from this but up to 50% of all of us have to go through this hallucinating and terrifying episode at least once in our life, I mean that's the reason some artists pull out shit like this!
Of course, I don't need to say that sadly demons and specters don't exist, otherwise, I would be shotgunning them while blasting metal, the reason this happens has to do with a disturbance in our R.E.M. sleep, R.E.M. is Rapid Eye Movement it has nothing to do with the band, ok... just in case in this phase is when we're dreaming and our muscles are shut down to prevent us acting our dreams, but sometimes when we're falling asleep or waking up, we became aware but our muscles are still on sleep mode, this is what causes the paralysis
The hallucinations are a bit more tricky, it has to do with some structures of the brain and the fact that you're still sleeping, your brain is still maintaining the shut down of the muscles but at the same time you're basically still on your R.E.M sleep so you're still dreaming, this combination makes you feel, hear and even fear everything as you are really living it
Source: GIPHY
As I said before, no one is immune to these experiences hurray, everybody! but experts say that genetics, sleep disorders, and poor mental health may contribute, but no fear my dudes, ugly at it is, sleep paralysis doesn't represent any kind of danger to anyone, besides, you cloud try anti-stress exercises before going to bed, have a regular sleeping schedule and if it's really serious, talk to a mental health professional to avoid... you know... seeing Demon Hitler dancing La Macarena wearing a bikini in the corner of your room... talk about nightmares!
Source: GIPHY
Other Sources
Sleep Paralysis | Wikipedia
What Causes Sleep Paralysis During REM Sleep | Sleep Foundation
Sleep Paralysis Overview & Facts | Sleep Education
What is sleep paralysis? | Brainbook
Why We Hallucinate While Falling Asleep | SciShow
What is sleep paralysis? | Demystifying Medicine
THANKS FOR READING!
Source: GIPHY
THANKS FOR READING!