Page 38 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2014 Edition

What Makes Sleep Paralysis Scary What Makes Sleep Paralysis Scary Live Science Imagine waking up to find you can't move a muscle. It's dark, but you're sure you feel a presence in the room, hovering near your bed — or perhaps sitting on your chest, crushing the breath out of you. This weird phenomenon is known as sleep paralysis, and a new study finds that understanding why it happens helps people feel less distressed after an episode. Believing that sleep paralysis is brought on by the supernatural, on the other hand, makes people feel more unnerved. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain and body aren't quite on the same page when it comes to sleep. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, dreaming is frequent, but the body's muscles are relaxed to the point of paralysis, perhaps to keep people from acting more likely to seek out and believe naturalistic house and you see something out of the corner or scientific explanations for the condition, the of your eye; the "haunted" location could lend out their dreams. Researchers have found that researchers wrote, while intuitive thinkers itself to one perceiving the odd glimpse as two brain chemicals, glycine and GABA, are responsible for this muscle paralysis. might be drawn to supernatural explanations. paranormal. Then there's fear: "When we become afraid, blood flows from the fingertips "These results suggest that it is not only Estimates of how many people experience sleep paralysis vary from 5 percent important for clinicians to be aware of the from the major muscles of the body as you get implications of supernatural beliefs on SP [sleep ready to run or fight, and that can make you to 60 percent, likely because of differences in paralysis] distress but also sensitive to the cold," Wiseman said in July. "You also become survey methods. Some people find themselves experiencing sleep paralysis frequently, while likelihood that not everyone will accept or hyper-vigilant, so you start noticing footsteps or experience voices you wouldn’t have noticed before, and relief naturalistic from others wake up paralyzed only once or twice in their lifetimes. The good news is that sleep interpretations," the researchers wrote. start assuming this is some sort of weird paranormal activity." The online survey drew from a self- paralysis is ultimately considered harmless. selected, rather than random, sample and relied As for who believes, a small study Night terror on self-report, the researchers wrote. But published in the Skeptical Inquirer magazine in 2006 showed that seniors and grad students allowing respondents to tell their stories can be important, they wrote, because patients were more likely than freshmen to believe in Becoming mentally aware before the body complain that their doctors often dismiss the haunted houses, psychics, telepathy, channeling "wakes up" from its paralyzed state can be a very real fear they feel when they wake up and a host of other questionable ideas. So higher terrifying experience, as people realize they paralyzed. [] education seems to lend itself to belief in the can't move or speak. Frequently, these episodes supernatural. In additon, Gallup Poll in 2001 are accompanied by hallucinations and the Americans' Beliefs in found younger Americans far more likely to sensation of breathlessness. Such hallucinations believe in the paranormal than older likely gave rise to the myths of the incubus and Paranormal Phenomena respondents. A 2009 Pew Research Center the succubus, demons that pin people down in survey revealed that about half of Catholics and their sleep (and sometimes have sex with them). (Infographic) black Protestants believed in or had experienced People may also sense a malevolent at least two of a list of supernatural presence nearby or believe they are about to die. So why do people believe in the paranormal? phenomenon. The list included: belief in Some sleep paralysis episodes come with Experiences perceived as paranormal reincarnation, belief in spiritual energy located feelings of falling, floating or dissociating from are not uncommon, according to Richard in physical things, belief in yoga as spiritual the body. Wiseman, a University of Hertfordshire practice, belief in the "evil eye," belief in These sensory experiences are more psychologist and author of "Paranormality," astrology, having been in touch with the dead, likely to distress people than mere paralysis (Macmillion, 2011), which delves into the consulting a psychic, or experiencing a ghostly alone, according to the study published online science (or lack thereof) of hauntings, psychics, encounter. in February in the journal Clinical telepathy and other supposedly inexplicable Even if such ghosts and goblins aren't Psychological Science. phenomena. real, they can sure scare us. So if you're home Researchers James Cheyne and Gordon The thrust of the book was to figure out alone and hear an seemingly unexplainable Pennycook of the University of Waterloo in why people have these weird experiences creaking noise or see a glimpse of a "ghost," Canada surveyed 293 people, mostly women, despite spirits and psychics and ghosts not Wiseman suggests knowledge is your best on their experiences with sleep paralysis. They existing, he said. weapon against a freak out. "I think that just found that people were most distressed after an "There's also the notion that these knowing what's going on helps," he said. Take a episode when hallucinations felt threatening beliefs are very comforting. So if you're ill, then Ouji Board: Once you realize the glass is moved and when they held supernatural beliefs the idea of the psychic healer is a nice idea," by one's unconscious movements, the resulting regarding the cause of the paralysis. Wiseman told LiveScience in July. "And then letters are less scary, albeit less meaningful there's the influence of the paranormal industry. possibly. [] Thinking away fear The books, the television shows, the psychic hotlines all have a vested interest in getting the People with analytical thinking styles were less public to believe this stuff." The Store That Caters likely to hold such supernatural beliefs, and These beliefs can tell us a lot about Exclusively were less likely to be distressed after human nature and psychology, it seems. For To The World-Wide Members of experiencing sleep paralysis, the study found. instance, reports of ghosts may be fueled more Though the study couldn't pin down the than anything else by the power of suggestion The ‘X’ Zone Nation causal relationship, analytical thinkers may be along with some fear. Say you're in a haunted www.xzonestore.com