Sleep Paralysis: Battle of evil forces or medical condition?

Most people have experienced sleep paralysis at one time or the other. But is this phenomenon that makes someone momentarily paralysed a spiritual interference or a medical condition? ADEOLA OTEMADE provides answer in this report.

Shola (not real name) has suffered at the hands of individuals who claimed to possess spiritual gifts. She has gone from visiting praying mountains, riverbanks  to spending her fortune on candles, and incense to wade off evil spirits from her room during the day and also at night, especially  whenever she is sleeping.

Her ordeal started when she noticed that, on a particular night, she couldn’t move her hands or lift her body from the bed, although fully aware of her environment. On other nights, even with the presence of another person in the room with her, she  would be  incapacitated to shout for help or stand up or move her body.

“I can’t give the exact time or year I started to experience sleep paralysis,” she narrated to  Sunday Tribune. “But I can recall that I was in my late 20s then; it started with not being able to move any part of my body. Although I would be fully awake, I would experience difficulty standing up from the bed.

“It got worse that, at times, the paralysis comes with the presence of someone in the room with me, or I feel like I am being choked, which makes me unable to shout for help or call the name of Jesus.

“I started to visit pastors, went for deliverance of all sorts, bought incense to wade off evil spirit from my room and would read Psalms and you know, still,  nothing changed,” she recounted and, like many people often do, attributing it to some spiritual connection and attacks.

But what is sleep paralysis and how does this phenomenon come about? Sleep paralysis is a temporary inability to move or speak while asleep or upon waking up. Sleep paralysis, according to medical experts, most often occur in people who have narcolepsy or sleep apnea, but it can affect anyone.

According to a research made available online by the College of Medicine, the University of Ibadan, more than 1.5 million of Nigerians suffer from sleep paralysis. Although there are myths surrounding sleep paralysis, as many believe it is spiritual, and that some spiritual forces are at work, others think it is the handiwork of the devil.

Ame Johnson, a student, who shared her experience with Sunday Tribune, said whenever she experienced sleep paralysis, she would try as much as possible to calm her mind, then slowly she would try to move a finger or wriggle her toe.

“It felt like I lost control of my body; my mind was awake but body refused to get up. Worst of it all, sometimes it got serious that I would feel some is pressing me to the bed.  I really do not know what causes it, but I told my mother and she said I should go for deliverance, which I went for, because she believed that it was spiritual. It has gotten better now, as I sleep soundly these days,” she stated.

Tosin Olaniyan was scared when he experienced sleep paralysis. Olaniyan, a graphics designer, said he sometimes dreamed about it.

“The experience is kind of scary …  even in my sleep, I would dream of forcing or dragging something with someone. Whenever I tried to shout the name of Jesus, my mouth would freeze, unable to talk. I would then wake up trying to shout it.”

For Joseph Chima, a student, the experience has always been a scary one for him. Most times, it felt like he was almost dead, but would then wake up to realise he had been asleep. But even after being fully awake, he would discover that he could not move his body while his heart would race fast.

“You wake up thinking you almost died. But then you realise that you have been sleeping. Then you wondered, was your experience was a lie. No, it wasn›t a lie at all. Was it a dream?  Not exactly. But only those who have had a similar experience will understand.”

Omolara Adeyemi a nurse at Randle General Hospital Surulere, explained that sleep paralysis is a medical condition and not a spiritual condition. But, according to her, many people believe it is spiritual problem as a result of societal beliefs.

“It›s a neurological disorder,» she explained. «And it happens when you are in REM state (Rapid Eye movement) i.e half-sleep, which means you are not deeply asleep. It is terrible when you resist because your muscles are immovable at that instant. However, if you are calm and just relax, you will snap out of it sooner.  You may even feel like someone is in the room with you. What I do is just to relax and not force it because the more you struggle to snap out of it, the crazier it gets.”

 

A spiritual or medical condition?

According to Dr Kehinde Abiodun, Consultant Neurologist, Federal Medical Centre, FCT, Abuja, “sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is aware but unable to move or speak. Episodes generally last few seconds to a few minutes, and may be single or recurrent. Sleep paralysis is a normal part of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.”

But Abiodun said though REM could be normal, sleep paralysis can also become a medical condition. According to him, “it is considered to be a disorder when it occurs outside the REM sleep time frame. Normally, while falling asleep or waking up, the brain sends signals to the muscles in the arms and legs causing them to relax. During sleep paralysis, however, awareness is regained with perception of inability to move, often accompanied with hallucination which results in fear. Sleep paralysis affects males and females equally.  Eight per cent of the general population and 28 per cent of students will experience at least one episode in a lifetime.”

Explaining further, he listed the possible causes of the phenomenon. “Sleep paralysis is more likely when a person is under stress. Factors that have been linked to sleep paralysis include, narcolepsy, iIrregular sleeping patterns (jet lag or shift work), sleeping in supine position (on your back), family history of sleep paralysis. as well as other medical conditions, such as depression, migraines, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and anxiety disorders.

However, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, a renowned author and Ifa priest, who is also the Araba of Osogbo, Osun State, has a different view that is far from being medical. According to him, the sleep disorder has some spiritual ring to it, which could be the handiwork of witches and other evil forces.

According to Chief Elebuibon,  wall-geckos and witches  sometimes play a strong role in the occurrence of paralysis during sleep or while waking up.  The presence of a wall gecko in the house, he stated, could result in paralysis to the sleeper.” Another reason could be that the person experiencing paralysis was being punished by witches or wicked people which requires spiritual consultation.”

Chief Elebuibon explained the belief of the Yoruba about wall-geckos.  “Yoruba people believe that when a person has that experience, it is because a wall-gecko is in the house and it is pressing the person down. Another reason is when a person is being punished or in bondage of witches and wicked people, when they do not want to person to be prosperous, it happens that way.”

 

Is sleep paralysis harmful?

According to Abiodun, “sleep paralysis is not physically harmful and it can be prevented. It is basically a disorder of normal physiological response during sleep. However, it could be associated with various experiential phenomena.

“Sleep paralysis is brief and not life-threatening, but the person may remember it as haunting and horrifying.”

Explaining further, Abiodun listed common consequences of sleep paralysis as headaches, muscle pains weakness or paranoia. Individuals, he stated further, may experience hallucinations, such as presence of an “intruder” in the room, the presence of an “incubus”, and the sensation of “floating”.  Dreams during sleep paralysis are vivid and often accompanied with feelings of terror, such as suffocation or evil presence trying to strangulate the individual during sleep.

 

Solutions to sleep paralysis

But how can sleep paralysis be treated? Both Chief Elebuibon and Dr Abiodun agreed that the condition has solutions, depending on the belief of the sufferer.

The solution according to Elebuibon is first to seek to understand the source of the problem. He claimed that even when it is induced by the presence of wall-gecko, there is more to it.

“Most times it is caused by wall-geckos. People who experience this should seek divination from the Ifá priest for treatment. The Ifá priest will ask the oracle and relay Ifá›s message to the person. The treatment is usually to make sacrifices to appease the powers afflicting the person.”

In his own submission, Dr Abiodun reiterated that experiencing sleep paralysis is not harmful, and with few adjustment to one’s sleeping pattern, it is possible to stop experiencing sleep paralysis.

“If you experience occasional sleep paralysis, you can take steps at home to control this disorder. Ensure you get enough sleep; do what you can to relieve stress in your life, especially just before bedtime. You may have to change your sleeping positions if you sleep on your back. And be sure to see your doctor if sleep paralysis routinely prevents you from getting a good night›s sleep,” Abiodun advised.