Strange Sleep Disorder Makes People See 'Demons'

livescience ^ | 31 March 2013 Time: 10:20 PM ET

[Ken H]

I just had a doozy of one. Some obscure, leftist community organizer gets elected to the Senate and then to the presidency. And get this - he appoints Eric Holder as AG! You simply would not believe what he does to the country.

Glad I finally woke up!

[JoeProBono]

[Joe 6-pack]

Henri Fuseli - The Nightmare
1781

[Secret Agent Man]

i had them as a’child. they are called night terrors.

[HerrBlucher]

One time several years ago I was in a state of relaxed sleep paralysis and at the same time my two cats were meowing on the other side of my bedroom door. In that state I was able to understand what they were saying, which was to complain about the medicine I had been giving them (antibiotics and anti ear mite medicine). When I opened the door, their they stood next a turd one of them left on the carpet. I stopped giving them the medicine and took them down to the vet to get a shot to stop the ear mites.

Weird but true. There is so much to this universe we do not know.

[Secret Agent Man]

well iwas/awake’and couldn’t move or talk/for awhile. the part of you that stops you moving during sleep stayed on after i was awake from a bad dream.

[The Cajun]

I think that we, every now and then, remember the process of waking up.
I know that happens to me, like it takes a couple of tries from dreams slipping away to reality setting in and becoming fully conscious.
The brain's awareness section, jumbled with dream info, probably leads the motor control section causing the feeling of paralysis.
Most of the time it's just snap, awake, with no memory of thoughts/dreams during the process of awakening..........Just my guess.

[Boogieman]

“Sleep paralysis happens when people become conscious while their muscles remain in the ultra-relaxed state that prevents them from acting out their dreams. The experience can be quite terrifying, with many people hallucinating a malevolent presence nearby, or even an attacker suffocating them.”

What is interesting is, this description fits exactly the reported experiences of Whitley Streiber in “Communion”, and many of his legions of “alien abductee” followers.

[Oratam]

Awake, unable to move, and convinced something that hates you intensely is standing at the foot of your bed. Not fun.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[deadrock]

When I had an Addison`s attack, I saw a continuous Rolodex of pictures of the faces I had seen in my life time. Every time I closed my eyes, the pictures span. Horrible extreme nausea.

[deadrock]

Just to clarify, I wasn`t watching the game, having a beer. I was in and out of coma.

[Thorliveshere]

Dammit, guys! Thanks a lot! Now, I had better get some sleep tonight!

[count-your-change]

Is it any surprise considering what people fill their minds with? Vampires, zombies, blood and guts murders, and other such degrading trash?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Remember this movie? THE NIGHT WALKER.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058403/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[catnipman]

When I was in my early 20s I had this exact thing happen to me many times. Half-awakening with paralysis with the eyes half open, a sensation of dying and being attacked by a demon. My demon was a demonic wolf creature with glowing red eyes and supernaturally long and big teeth and an unearthly growl. Pure evil.

Absolutely terrifying. I knew I was half-asleep and half-awake but couldn’t alter the situation. I learned that if I didn’t sleep on my back, it wouldn’t occur. Wearing a cross helped too.

As I recall, this happened only in a certain bedroom in the house. My grandmother was later put into this same bedroom, but soon declared that she would no longer sleep there, even though she refused to say why. I’ve often wondered if something more “real” than simple night terrors was going on.

[SkyDancer]

Right ... like I was paralyzed and struggled to wake up.

[Drango]

Do NOT post a Helen Thomas pic....

[Secret Agent Man]

not exactly the same.

I wasn’t struggling to wake up, I was awake. I just couldn’t move, but I was awake. I was struggling to MOVE, not to wake up. I would finally after minutes be able to shout and start moving again.

[BenLurkin]

Good find!