- [Narrator] Every night, countless people wake up
unable to move.
Their minds and bodies in the throes of a real condition
called sleep paralysis.
When triggered, the symptoms are usually mild.
From tense muscles, to labored breathing.
But for some, the experience conjures hallucinations
that make nightmares come alive.
Here are some of their stories.
(eerie music)
- [Sean] Before I learned to cope with it
I've seen quite a few awful things.
Horror films don't really, they don't really
do anything for me anymore
because what I've seen is more terrifying.
The earliest I can remember
is seeing a figure that looked like my mother
sitting on my bed.
Uh, her face is then morphing into some kind of demon.
Another time, a little girl was in the corner
just staring at me.
Then without notice, she shrieks and runs up
and grabs me by the neck.
You try to call for help
but your voice, it doesn't work
and your body won't respond.
You just feel helpless.
- [Joo] On one particular night,
I felt like someone was looking at me
from the foot of my bed.
I knew that nothing was there
but I was afraid to open my eyes.
When I did, I saw a woman's head
looking straight back at me.
She didn't have a body or even a neck.
Just her head.
I still remember the smirk she had on her face.
I closed my eyes immediately
and I was unable to move.
When I felt it was safe, I opened my eyes again.
(eerie music)
She was still there.
And she began to laugh at me.
I closed my eyes again, hoping she would disappear.
Then, I heard this scoff.
And she was gone.
- [Nicholas] So, I remember waking up
and feeling a presence in the room.
And I see this woman in a black dress
looming above the floor.
And she kept coming closer and closer to me.
I could feel my throat closing
and I couldn't breathe.
As soon as she made it towards me
she floated right in front of my face
and started screaming.
(eerie music)
I bolted out of my bed
and I tried to wake up my parents.
Little did I know, I was still dreaming
and I ended up back in my bed
in another sleep paralysis experience.
It's something that's so wild and surreal
that there's no logic to it.
- [Narrator] So if you wake up one day
paralyzed by horrific visions
remember to stay calm.
And understand that your nightmares
are only as real as you make them.
(wind blowing)