| Connect & Subscribe |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.
It happens to me all the time... But I'm not scared anymore!
by Lam
(Montreal, Canada)
Hi there. I experience sleep paralysis on a relatively regular basis. Most of the time, my body just becomes paralysed while my mind is fully alert, and I don't feel any "evil" presences. However when I first started having them, I would feel those presences quite often: demonic laughters (male and female), footsteps in my room while I'm being pinned down by some kind of hellish animal or dog, feeling the breath of that hellish animal, etc.
My answer to those "presences" was to pray. The more I would experience them, the more I would pray during the day. Anyways, I now go to mass and say my rosary regularly and ever since I started doing that, I'm still having the sleep paralysis from time to time, except that now, the "evil presences" are gone!
Today, I was a bit lazy and haven't said my rosary. That hasn't happened to me in quite some time. And guess what? I had a sleep paralysis episode where I could very strongly feel and hear that stupid hellish dog again. I haven't had such a bad episode in a very long time! As I was able to move again, the dog of course vanished. I then started reflecting about the whole experience and realised I hadn't said nor planned on saying the rosary that day.
I can experience sleep paralysis no matter what position I sleep in. However it looks as if my sleep paralysis episodes are not accompanied by evil presences on days when I have prayed whereas the evil presences manifest themselves when I become lazy with prayer. This is just what I have noticed about my own sleep paralysis experiences, I don't know if it would apply to everyone.
Although having sleep paralysis isn't fun, it's not something that scares me. Whenever it happens, I just say in my head the "Hail Mary" (I'm a Catholic) and it's usually just a matter of seconds for the paralysis to break, whether the paralysis is accompanied by the evil presences or not.
So prayer works for me! Hope my testimony can be helpful to some people.
Subscribe To Our RSS Feed
About This Site
Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.
We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.
In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?
Interviews With Sleep Specialists: Insights Into the Worlds of Sleep Medicine & Sleep Business
America's Most Dangerous Disorder: What Is Sleep Apnea Doing To Your Sleep?
Sleep Debt: How Much More Will You Achieve When You Reduce Yours?
The Stages Of Sleep: The Journey Through The Night
Delayed Sleep Phase: You Want To Sleep But You're Not Tired Yet
Paralyzed at Night: Is Sleep Paralysis Normal?
Sleep In Words: Smart, Strange, and Funny Quotes About Sleep
Sleep Disorders In Children: What's Keeping Your Child From A Full Night's Rest?
Attacks of Pavor Nocturnus (a.k.a. Sleep Terrors, Night Terrors, or Incubus Attacks)
A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:
Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.
If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.
The Stanford Sleep Book
Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.
In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.
Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy
More Sleep Resources
The Zeo
A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.
Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide
Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.
Important Disclaimer
Please Note:
The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.
For more info, see our
Terms of Use.