Fact
Sleep paralysis is your body’s own safety catch, caught in the open
The terror that sits on your chest has been reported in nearly every culture on Earth.
During REM sleep the brain paralyses the body so you do not act out dreams. Occasionally consciousness returns before the paralysis lifts, leaving you awake and unable to move, often with hallucinated presence or pressure. Cultures have named the visitor differently – the Old Hag, the kanashibari, the mare in nightmare – but the description barely changes.