Old Hag or sleep paralyses?

[buglebe]

I was just surfing when I came across this subject. I have had the paralyses that goes with sleep apnea but I have never experienced this or even heard of it. Have any of you? This paragraph, letter, was taken from the article.

taken from the article--
What happened to you is called sleep paralysis. They usually call it the old hag syndrome. It is happening to people all over the world. Just look up in google old hag AND sleep paralysis. It is really scary. You feel like the devil himself is in the room with you and you can't move at all. It has happened to me several times. There is a sleep study about it, trying to figure out what it is. They can't find a common demonitator, such as medications, or even certain foods. It is scarying the hell out of alot of people. You are not really asleep yet, so you are aware of everything that is going on, but can't do anything about it. Check it out!

from Amazon
The Terror That Comes in the Night (Publications of the American Folklore Society New Series)(Paperback)
by David J. Hufford

[speedygirl]

Nope, never heard that expression.

In neurobiology
The expression Old Hag Attack refers to a hypnagogic state in which paralysis is present and, quite often, it is accompanied by terrifying hallucinations. When excessively recurrent, some consider them to be a disorder; however many populations treat them as simply part of their culture and mythological world-view, rather than any form of disease or pathology.



Question: What is Old Hag Syndrome?

Answer: Victims of "Old Hag Syndrome" awake to find that they cannot move, even though they can see, hear, feel and smell. There is sometimes the feeling of a great weight on the chest and the sense that there is a sinister or evil presence in the room. And like the above reader, they are often quite frightened about what is happening to them. The name of the phenomenon comes from the superstitious belief that a witch - or an old hag - sits or "rides" the chest of the victims, rendering them immobile. Although that explanation isn't taken very seriously nowadays, the perplexing and often very frightening nature of the phenomenon leads many people to believe that there are supernatural forces at work - ghosts or demons. The experience is so frightening because the victims, although paralyzed, seem to have full use of their senses. In fact, it is often accompanied by strange smells, the sound of approaching footsteps, apparitions of weird shadows or glowing eyes, and the oppressive weight on the chest, making breathing difficult if not impossible. All of the body's senses are telling the victims that something real and unusual is happening to them. Rather than ghosts or demons, however, there is probably a scientific explanation: "sleep paralysis" or SP (sometimes ISP for "isolated sleep paralysis").

[tammy77]

I had this happen to me one time while spending the night at an exes house.Atleast I think its what happened.His house use to be an old horse stable which he remodeled.The upstairs was his bedroom.He was older then me and sometimes I would joke around with him and call him daddy.Anyway one night I had a dream that I looked up at the ceiling and there was a man dressed all in black in a long trenchcoat up in the corner(like in the movie John Carpenters Vampires).I got scared and woke up.When I woke up I was laying on my stomach and felt like someone was laying on top of me pinning my arms down.Then someone whispered in my ear "its ok daddys here".I tryed to talk and yell but nothing came out.Finally I was able to move.That was most freakiest thing that has ever happened to me.

[jasmine]

I have had this happen to me, I couldn't move at all, and you know, I can't remember if my eyes were open to actually see, but I remember seeing something coming down the hallway, and feeling THE most evil presence in my life. I truely thought it was going to take my soul, and the more I got anxies, the harder it was to breathe. It was just freaking aweful. I also remember that I prayed to myself harder than I ever had in my life. Going back to my old religion roots, pleading, rebuking......... ugh, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up now.

[justme23]

I *love* sleep paralysis. If you let yourself be aware of what's going on then the scariness goes away. Okay, so I also believe in Out of Body Experiences and many ppl believe this is the gate for jumping. I've never actually had an obe... but I continue to enjoy the paralysis... I really love trying to control it, which you can, if you try hard eough.

[iluvmybaby]

I have had several OBEs, I believe when you wake up with "sleep paralysis" your spirit is reentering your body and it shocks you stiff until you can get your whits about you.

[justme23]

I have had several OBEs, I believe when you wake up with "sleep paralysis" your spirit is reentering your body and it shocks you stiff until you can get your whits about you.

I've never heard it explained like this... that's interesting... think it's possible to have an obe and not remember it?

[jerseybarb]

When you are asleep, your body is paralized so you don't act out your dreams. Sometimes you wake up but your body is still paralized. This is the sleep paralysis state. I used to get them all the time, I hate them as they are scary.