A growling sound wakes you up.
As you open your eyes,
you see a dark silhouette in your room.
You’re frightened.
You try to stand up to face the threat,
but your body isn’t responding.
You can’t move or scream.
The figure’s coming at you.
You’re trapped and helpless.
Is it a demon?
Is it a dream?
What’s happening?
Sleep paralysis
is the feeling of being aware
of your surroundings
but unable to move or speak.
Often, victims feel pressure on their chest
or a sense of choking.
These episodes happen
when you’re transitioning
through the stages of wakefulness
and sleep.
But the creepy part comes
when you have hallucinations too.
During these vivid dream-like experiences,
you might see scary creatures near you
or even lying in your bed.
It's common to experience hallucinations,
including hearing voices
or feeling like something is touching you.
As you’re sleeping,
your body alternates between
two sleeping cycles,
rapid eye movement (REM)
and non-rapid eye movement (NREM).
Each of these lasts 90 minutes.
During REM sleep,
your muscles remain still
but your eyes move quickly.
This is when dreams occur.
Sleep paralysis happens
when your brain wakes up from REM sleep,
but your body doesn’t.
There’s a disconnect
between your mind and body.
To avoid this,
try using a good sleep routine.
Being sleep deprived
or continuously changing
your sleep schedule
will increase the risk of having
episodes of sleep paralysis.
Ting Diu woke up to a dark
presence in the room.
They tried to scream
but could not make a sound.
Then, a figure made its way to the bed
and crept over Ting,
who felt intense pressure.
The silhouette screamed into their face.
Only then did Ting Diu wake up.
This happens every time they sleep
on their back.
When you sleep on your back,
you’re more likely to snore
or have difficulty breathing.
Either of these can abruptly
wake you up while you're dreaming,
making you more vulnerable
to sleep paralysis.
Even if you fall asleep in another position,
you could end up on your back.
To prevent that,
place a pillow on your side
to stop you from rolling onto your back.
Despite your best efforts to avoid it,
you’re experiencing sleep paralysis.
It can be creepy and scary.
But don’t panic.
The best way to approach the episode
is to accept that it is happening.
Tell yourself that this condition is common,
and it will pass in a few moments.
Remind yourself that there's no real threat,
as the creatures and noises
are part of a dream.
Try to focus on a happy thought.
And don’t try to move
until the episode has run its course.
Sleep paralysis could paralyze your body
except for your eyes.
You could still move them, so use them.
Move your eyes rapidly.
This might help you
snap out of the episode
since it can help your body realize
that you’re awake.
If sleep paralysis happens to you too often
and affects your quality of life,
you may need to see a specialist.
The most commonly prescribed
medications are stimulants
to help you stay awake.
Antidepressant medicine
prescribed by a doctor
also helps regulate sleep cycles.
It was one of the creepiest things
you've experienced,
but you survived sleep paralysis.
If you never want to go through that again,
I guess you'd have to stop sleeping.
But that can be dangerous too.
If you stop sleeping altogether,
you might start seeing those
scary demon creatures
in your everyday life.
Find out more.