| Hypnagogia Demonic haunts or sleep disorder? |
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| Hypnagogia Debunk your bedtime spooks |
by Victoria Reina
Hypnagogia (hip-nuh-go-jee-uh), also spelled hypnogogia, is a sleep disorder
involving the state of intermediate consciousness preceding sleep (or during waking,
and thus referred to as hypnapompic) in which the sleeper experiences vivid dreamlike
auditory, visual, or tactile sensations, which are often accompanied by sleep paralysis.
Hypnagogic experiences can be quite mild. Many of us have experienced hypnic
jerks, as one of our body parts twitches us out of our sleep or we feel the sensation of
falling. These experiences can increase in complexity and cause confusion when we
begin hearing our names being called, voices, a loud bang, or knocking just as
we nod off. Sometimes, on our way to dreamland, we see flashes of random
unrelated images, often unpleasant or scary. We may even question whether or not
we were asleep as we experienced these things, especially if they are new to us.
But hypnagogic experiences go from confusing to downright frightening as many people
report being unable to get out of bed, feeling a pressure on their chests or
backs, even seeing demonic looking beasts in the room or on top of them when
they open their eyes.
Those who experience hypnagogia are generally normal, everyday people. Many, if
not most, of them genuinely feel that the occurrence has really taken place and may
seek answers in the paranormal realm. However, what has occurred is actually more
normal than the sleeper realizes. In a study conducted by the University of London, up
to 40% of the population had experienced hypnagogic visions at some point, and
around 5% had intense experiences.
If you have had your own hypnagogic incidents, you are probably wondering what
causes hypnagogia, and how you can make it stop. According to sleepdex.org,
when we go into REM sleep our brain restricts our body from moving by blocking the
signals to the body that tell us to move. This is so that when we are running in a dream,
we are not running in bed. The theory most widely accepted is that hypnagogia
sufferers’ brains simply do not open up that block quickly enough after waking. It is
said that if the sleeper rolls his eyes back during an incident, he will signal to the brain
that he is awake and may end the incident at that moment.
Recommendations for reducing the number of times you experiences hypnagogia
mostly lie in regularly getting more sleep, not over-stimulating the mind before bed with
video games or television, and reducing stress if possible – though there is no sure-fire
way to stop hypnagogia. Some comfort may be found in knowing that given that the
experiences are coming from within your mind, you may find that you are able to control
them simply by trying something different each time it happens.
Related links on the subject:
The "Old Hag" Syndrome
About Sleep Paralysis & Associated Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Experiences
