Sleep Paralysis-Disorder or Satan?

Normal sleep paralysis

Normal sleep paralysis is thought to be due to mechanisms in the brain stem, particularly the reticular, vestibular, and oculomotor neurons, which prevent bodily movements, block sensory input and provide the forebrain with the internally generated activity that characterises brain activity during REM sleep. This is thought to be necessary to prevent the body from moving in response to dream stimuli. Eyes however are not paralyzed by this system, and this exception was used to prove that lucid dreaming was an objectively verifiable phenomenon


Awareness during sleep paralysis

The disorder known as "sleep paralysis" occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state is usually accompanied by certain specific kinds of hallucinations. This state usually lasts no more than two minutes before a person is able to either return to full REM sleep or to become fully awake, though the sense of how much time has gone by is often distorted during sleep paralysis. People who are fortunate enough to be facing a clock while having an episode may often be surprised to see how little time has gone by during an episode that seems to last a very long time.


Accompanying hallucinations
Many report hallucinations during these episodes. The features of these hallucinations generally vary by individual, but some are more common to the experience than others:

Most common

Vividness
Fear
Common

Sensing a "presence" (often malevolent)
Pressure/weight on body (especially the chest)
Impending sense of doom/death
Fairly common

Auditory hallucinations (often footsteps or indistinct voices, or pulsing noises)
Visual hallucinations such as people or shadows walking around the room
Less common

Floating sensation (sometimes associated with out-of-body experiences)
Seemingly seemless transition into full hallucinations or dreaming, also associated with out-of-body experiences
Tactile hallucinations (such as a hand touching or grabbing)
Rare

Falling sensation
Vibration

Possible causes
Little is known about the physiology of awareness during sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarisation current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles.

There is also a significant positive correlation between those experiencing this disorder frequently and those suffering from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sleep paralysis at least once or twice in their lives.

Some report that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include:

Sleeping in a supine position
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in
Increased stress
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes

 

There is only ONE Satan and he's got a lot better things to do than bother you while trying to sleep. Demons? Why? Demons cannot inhabit a Christian and might put things in your way to cause you to destroy your testimony.

No, I do not think you're experiencing anything but a very normal reaction to being disturbed during sleep. If you think it's bad now, wait until menopause when sleep is very disturbed (unless you fill up on hormone pills).

 

My wife sometimes has sleep paralysis. If I am at home when it occurs I will wake her up by calling her name and shaking her. She is aware that I am nearby and is actually trying to call me so that I will wake her. Before we were married 15 years ago she said that often she felt an evil presence. Since we married she hasn't felt that. I don't know if it was demonic or not, but I wouldn't totally dismiss the idea of a demonic presence. Any advantage they can get over a Christian they will attempt.

 

SOUTHINGTON??? We lived in Meriden from 1982 - Oct. 1995. Our daughter is still there.

 

So THAT'S what it was! That happened to me a few months ago and I was afraid to tell my doctor. I couldn't move, felt like I was going to die (not in pain, just felt I would never make it out of bed) and felt like I was rising off the bed.

This has never happened to me before.

So as not to leave you all biting your nails in suspense, I did make it out of bed alive.

 

This happened to me several times when I was younger. The first few times it happened in school. My sleep was really messed up from working late so instead of eating lunch I'd go to the library and pretend to read while sitting in a chair. Several times while sleeping in the chair this happened. It almost felt like I was strapped tightly into the chair. I heard muffling and felt scared. Only once do I remember coming out of it because someone else came and disturbed my sleep. I remember the nun who ran the library touching my shoulder and saying something and that brought me out of it.

The other times it happened when I was 20 and 21 years old while napping on the couch in the middle of the day. The tv was on. I could hear it very clearly. I did sense that something was in the room at the time and felt like I was being held down. I was sleeping on my back when it happened those times. It was very frightening.

For the record, I don't believe it's anything paranormal of evil. It's just one of those neat things our bodies do sometimes.

Lucy

 

While it is impossible for any of us to diagnose anyone else, satan would love it if we always dismissed his messing with us as "just a normal discomfort" etc.

Granted he does not have the access to a Christian that he does to a non-believer, but he certainly can harass if God gives His permission.

I would definitely NOT summarily dismiss a "feeling of evil" as just some physical discomfort without a quick consultation with God!

After all, Jesus "healed" in some instances, and other times He cast out demons, so both physical and demonic interference are reality!

 

It's not impossible for us to diagnose ourselves, in that if we know it was not a demon in the room, but merely an altered state of conscousness due to a mild sleep disruption, we would know it. In my case, it was just that. In fact, except for the first week after it happened, I had forgotten all about the episode until it was brought up here. If Satan wanted to "get to me" he would have tried harder, and frankly, I'm not important enough in his life to bother messing with. I'm not worried about it.

I agree with Diane when she said, "There is only ONE Satan and he's got a lot better things to do than bother you while trying to sleep."

 

Same here. I had completely forgotten about it. It was just one of those normal physical things. The last thing I want to do is give Satan credit for it.

 

If you think it is Satanic, turn to God. You don't have to be able to move or speak to do that. Call on Christ, ask Him to protect you from whatever is in the room.

I do not ever want to glorify Satan, and while sleep paralysis is normal, the feeling there is evil in the room is not something that a Christian should ignore. Satan can use "normal" against people, in fact, since the flesh is more satanic than godly, Satan probably uses it quite often.

When in doubt, pray.

Even when you are not in doubt, pray.

 

I don't recall an evil presence. I do recall feeling I was going to die (not dyING, but that I was not going to make it out of bed). I suppose I would define it as total fear or anxiety...I guess a panic attack, maybe, but without a pounding heart and hyperventilation. I would think this would be due to that fact that those rates are reduced when you're resting, anyway (I'm guessing). But, looking back, I can see how it could have been mistaken for an "evil presence" if I had looked at it that way. But I'm not saying this is what anyone else experienced.

The "evil presence" feeling could have been a waking dream like when we dream about monsters. I dunno.

I agree with TexasSky and 5xBlessed. I wouldn't give Satan credit or glorify him over something like this. Go the other "extreme" and pray about it.

Actually, now I have to ask myself if this could have been a missed opportunity to pray for someone who needed it? But at the time, I was too weirded out and praying didn't cross my mind, I'm ashamed to say. But, it could have been a nudge from the Lord. There are many nights when I have a difficult time sleeping, going to sleep, or waking early that I take the opportunity to ask myself who in my life needs prayer during that time. Sometimes it's a sick friend or relative and sometimes I pray for my husband while he's at work. I've even prayed for people in here when I couldn't sleep.

My insomnia may not be a prayer nudge from the Lord, but why waste the time worrying about everyday problems that will just keep me awake longer when I could be making good use of the time by praying for someone who really HAS problems bigger than mine?