Tag Archives: sleep disorders

Sleep paralysis and shadow people

02/02/2023 Charmeine 2 Comments

Sleep paralysis, simply described, is when messages sent from the brain as you wake up from sleep, get “stuck” somewhere down your neuro path. It is thought that it’s a temporary disconnection from the brain and spinal cord. The key word, being temporary. It usually only lasts seconds or moments when it happens but can feel like hours. Time is greatly distorted during episodes.

Symptoms include hallucinations, body jerks (hypnojerks), being frozen in fear, weird smells and strong auditory hallucinations, and even if that wasn’t terrifying enough… continue reading for what it was really like for me.

Commonly associated with sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep paralysis is quite has been reported around the globe. Other related conditions include: migraines, seizures, Parkinsons Disease, and dementia.

Beliefs around the globe

Many people around the globe who live with chronic sleep paralysis report seeing shadow people either in their bed or in the room with them. Yep. You read that correctly. Most commonly, people see the Hat Man.

There have been different types of sleep paralysis reported and connected to spiritual beliefs. These include intruder hallucinations, incubus hallucinations, vestibular and motor hallucinations.

I have now experienced all three of these sleep paralysis types and each one was truly horrific in its own way.

Some cultures believe that sleep paralysis is a spiritual experience and caused by visitations from shadow beings or demons.

The Old Hag being one of the more famous of the sleep demons as depicted in the image below (credit Google search). Other names for these creatures are Jinn (Demons), Pisadeira (Brazil), Night-mare (Europe) and Lilitu (Mesopotamia).

One of the early depictions of sleep paralysis was found from 1684 in the Incubus or the Night-mare written by a Dutch physician. Though there are cases that have been documented for centuries around the globe including South East Asian communities.

Most notably, there was a documented case in the Philippines, in a village called (that I cannot find for the life of me) – where many villagers died from what was believed to be sleep paralysis.

Science would explain the death of these healthy people to be sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

But when it happens to an entire village, it makes you stop and ponder. IS there really something to this, that science cannot explain?

The Hooded Figure / Hat Man

For me, my first time, I saw a hooded figure hover over my bed that had no face. And I was wide awake when it happened. I just couldn’t move.

First time it happened, it was over as quickly as it began. I was going through a bad period in life and had been sick for a long time. Doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Everyone knows by now here I suffer from really bad insomnia. This past summer was up to 200 hours. That fall, I was around the 100 mark of no sleep. Grabbing only quick power naps during the day. It got so bad, that I wanted to die. Until after my sleep paralysis experience, I had five weeks of iron infusions that turned things around.

In that first episode, I fell asleep with the light on for only moments on my back. The smell of something burning jolted me awake. Then I heard all the bones and joints in my body BREAK. And it felt like it too. Like I sunk back into the bed from the air. Everything hurt. I flew out of bed not understanding what had just happened.

The next time it happened was a couple of nights later. This was almost 10 years ago in the fall of 2013. Weird.

I was in a lot of pain, and had just about given up. It felt like something was in the room with me all night. I’m sensitive in that sense too to strange energies. It felt like something was lurking. And later that night, around 2 in the morning, I finally passed out. And woke up suddenly. Frozen in bed. Unable to move. Unable to scream. Unable to do anything.

But I was WIDE awake and coherent and knew what was happening around me. It was the single most horrifying experience of my adult life. And I’ve had weird experiences over the years.

The hooded figure came out of the corner of the room near my bed. It moved with grace and stood over me. Reached out its hand, and then that’s when the episode broke. I flew out of bed, landing on the floor, tripping over the comforter. Ran over to the light switch and turned it on.

Sure enough, I was on my own.

That’s the night I learned about sleep paralysis and it would be a subject I would become obsessed with. Then it didn’t happen again for years until last night. My insomnia is back and sleep is shit.

The fear I felt in that moment when I woke up from a dead of sleep. It was the sound of knocking in the walls that did it. The heater has been going crazy. I know it’s the heater and not a demon in the walls at least. But still. I woke up. Couldn’t move.

I can’t begin to describe the amount of fear that took over my body in that moment. I had no idea what day it was. What time it was. Where I was.

I’m writing to this to hear other people’s experiences with sleep paralysis. What was your worst experience like? How often do you get it? And what do you do to make it go away?

Want to learn more about sleep paralysis? Here are some noteworthy documentaries. Also, if you’re looking for some spooky movies that cover the topic – Doctor Sleep and Shadow People are entertaining.

Love posts like this? I cover a variety of topics from self-development, mindfulness, spiritual awareness and general relationship advice.

living well, Personal

Living Well: The importance of a good night’s sleep

10/19/2020 Charmeine 2 Comments

Regulating sleep schedules without the use of medicine or supplements

Sleep plays a vital role in our overall health. Not only is sleep crucial for daily life, but it is also an important part of weight loss and fitness. In continuation of my fitness challenge theme; and this week’s goal to improve my sleep habits, I’ve decided to share some of my favorite tips that help you “rest well.”

As mentioned previously, I am a chronic insomniac. The worst experience was back in 2014 when I was ill. Two months went by and I was surviving on very little sleep. I had been off work for several months and doctors could not figure out what was causing it. I remember one day I was so tired that I felt asleep on the toilet. I was burnt out.

That’s how important sleep is. You can’t function without it.

My longest stretch was about 120 hours without sleep. So, I visited a sleep clinic as suggested by my physician. I learned some valuable information and feel compelled to share it with you.

By the end of the 120 hour stretch, I was completely delusional. I couldn’t form proper sentences. I was seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. I was paranoid and thought the world was out to get me. My career and personal relationships suffered because of it. It led to really bad decision making – decisions that I can’t take back.

Why sleep is so important

According to my research from multiple sources, eight hours of sleep seems to be what the majority of health professionals agree on. If you’re trying to lose weight, getting enough sleep is crucial. Having a regular sleep schedule helps our bodies in many ways to heal and lose weight.

From a recent article by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

Sleep plays a vital role in keeping your brain healthy.

“During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.”

Why can't you fall asleep in quarantine? A sleep expert weighs in ...

Sleep helps us to stay mentally fit and perform day to day tasks. Not getting enough sleep will impact your ability to drive a car, work on heavy machinery or even basic life skills like cooking, reading or writing. Even thinking can seem impossible with a foggy brain.

Sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems and can have a real impact on your personal life, your job and your relationships. Your energy levels will bottom-out and you may even lose interest in doing things you once loved. This is why fitness and exercise really helps to regulate your sleep schedule.

Some tips to help regulate your sleep schedule

For me, there are a few things that help me regulate my sleep schedule so I can get at least six to seven hours of non-interrupted sleep.

Set a regular sleep schedule – in bed by midnight every night
No naps during the week
Daily exercise – but not past nine pm at night
Plenty of sunshine and fresh air
Drink lots of water during the day. No coffee past four pm

Clean your room and bedding often

Nothing beats clean sheets and a fluffy pillow – I sleep best when the bed-sheets are fresh out of the dryer. Keeping your bed clean and free of clutter will help you to relax and be comfortable when you lie down. I need to work on cleaning my room as well. If the room is cluttered or messy, I find at times I can’t relax enough to sleep. Invest in a large hamper for your dirty clothes and look into tools for organizing your closet like shelf hangers or racks.

Without spending a lot of money, you can “feng shui” your bedroom to help you sleep better. Get some blackout curtains, use a humidifier for dry homes, get some scented candles, diffusers – or use calming colors like pastel green, blue, yellows to calm your busy mind.

Pintrest has a lot of great ideas for bedroom makeovers.

No screen time – at least one hour before bed

This means no phone, computer or electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. It’s time to shut off your electronic devices and trade your I-pad in for a paper book. The glare of the screens can be hard on the eyes at night time. Give your eyes and your brain at least an hour to relax before bed. This is why I find being in bed early is crucial. I need to make sure I get at least six to seven hours of sleep to feel refreshed and alert in the morning.

Tablet and iPad Buying Guide | Best Buy Blog

Have a cup of sleepy time tea

One or two cups of chamomile tea with a dash of milk and honey really helps to calm the nerves and puts me in the right frame of mind for sleep. Chamomile is a natural herb that helps you sleep. It is caffeine free which is what you want to drink at night time. I’m a coffee drinker. Not a tea drinker. But the sweet taste of chamomile is a guilty pleasure.

This is something I really need to get back into. It’s June 2020 and I can’t remember the last cup of tea I had!

Does Drinking Chamomile Tea Help People Fall Asleep? | Live Science

Listen to white noise or nature sounds

While some people like me listen to music to fall asleep; I find listening to white noise or nature sounds can really put me to sleep fast. The low hum of a fan in winter months or humidifier often does the trick for people. Sometimes I listen to nature music.

Hypnosis or “Talk Down” Videos

The Honest Guys on YouTube have some great videos that can help you fall asleep to. I really like the twenty minute talk-down sleep videos. If you’re looking for more music suggestions, check out my post on music for relaxation.

Deep breathing exercises or “bedtime” yoga

Deep breathing while lying down at night time is a great way to prepare the mind and body for sleep. Yoga and meditation before bed can help with calming anxiety. Here’s a video on how to combine deep breathing and yoga for sleep.

There are many other things I’ve learned over the years to help with my sleep problems. Insomnia can really drag you down mentally and physically. But don’t let sleep ruin your life.

If I can change my life long sleep disorders – there’s hope for you too.

Regular exercise, getting plenty of sunshine (vitamin D), and fresh air really is an amazing way to help regulate your sleep schedule. I can count the number of nights I’ve had interrupted sleep on one hand. On those nights, I either went on a long nature hike, or spent a lot of time outdoors – or I took a fitness class like Aqua Fit.

Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed this post on how to regulate your sleep schedule. What works for you? What methods have you tried to help you sleep at night time?

Thanks for all the comments and re-shares. If you’d like to use any of the information from this blog, please, I ask that you refer to my website in your post.

(this is a repost from September 2019 – but good information to share)

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Personal, spiritual

Dream Speak: Stress Dreams

01/01/2020 Charmeine Leave a comment

Last night, I crawled into bed at exactly midnight. I tried staying up late but I was so tired that I gave up and caved in at 11:56. I put in a good effort. But sometimes my sinus issues makes me more tired than I actually am. Or this is life from now on. Who knows.

I woke up from a stress dream that left me a bit perplexed. I’ve had a lot of those lately. Random dreams about random stresses in my life.

Most of you who read my blog know that I play the organ for a small church in town. This is something I’ve done for 15 years. And love it. But when stress creeps into my life, it usually manifests itself in all it’s ugly glory and appears as stress dreams. Or even more fun, night terrors And even better than that – sleep paralysis. I’ve had fully blown hallucinations from sleep paralysis. Not fun at all, I tell you.

Last night’s dream threw me off a bit. I was sitting in a pew in a crowded church. It looked very much like the Catholic church my mother used to drag us to every Sunday. That’s where I learn to read sheet music. I was bored to tears and would sing along to the hymns.

I was surrounded by strangers who were chanting and singing along to “Now we thank our god” when all of a sudden, I found myself sitting at the organ. I had already missed playing a verse because I couldn’t find the hymn in their hymnal book.

I panicked as the crowd started singing the second verse. No one seemed to notice that I wasn’t playing. I played the first chord. And started having flash backs to the first wedding I played the organ for. It was a scary experience.

Everything I played on the organ, came out wrong. Then they moved onto the next hymn and I was still trying to find the hymn – the number 345 appeared on the wooden board where they displayed hymn numbers. But that didn’t make sense. To me, number 345 was Morning Has Broken – a favorite of mine (and my mother’s).

Finally, the singing stopped and I found myself back in my seat. Next to me, sat friends from the church were I play the organ. I couldn’t figure out how I got there so fast. That’s how my dreams are. They seemingly flip from one scene to the next.

And then I moved to another dream. A handsome and dashing man from the crowd honed in on me to tell me how amazing my performance was (huh? what performance?) and asked if he could take me home. I said yes. And the dream turned into… um. Let’s just go with, something else.

All I know is I woke up from that dream and scratched my head. I have no idea what it means. But … is it a bad sign that I started off a new decade with a stress dream about doing something I’ve loved for fifteen years?

Ponder that scenario for a moment if you will.

I hopped out of bed at 8:15 am and by 9:00 am, I had cleaned up my kitchen and had coffee and breakfast ready. Plans for a semi-productive day are now on hold as I’m considering crawling back into bed. I don’t even know why I got up so early on new year’s day.

Eh, fuck it. I’m going back to bed. Maybe I can slip back into the dream and find out what it all really means.

How does stress manifest itself in your life?

Asking for a friend.

Happy new year!

Charmed Reflections