An Achieve-IT! reader writes:
I have a girl who is having some very weird episodes in her sleep and I would like to help her because she is totally weirded out about the situation. She is sleeping when she starts to see a white “blob” in front of her. Sometime her body becomes paralized and she becomes short of breath. Although she is sleeping her eyes are wide open. She tries to screem for help but cannot because of tghe shortness of breath. Most of the time she is woken by friends or family. When she is woken she is in a panic state for a few and slowly calms down. Can you come up with any explanation for this? Have you heard of this in the past?
Strangely enough, I have heard of this.
Now, provided she’s been diagnosed as healthy by a medical doctor, she may be experiencing a dream state referred in many cultures as “hagging”. It is a culture-independent experience that can be traced through history. It is terrifying to the person who has one or several of these experiences. Many times the archetype is representative of a fearful symbol in the culture and see “the blob” as an old witch (hag) or ghost that is pressing on the sleeper’s chest. I have no idea why the “spirit” is almost always female. But studies reveal across cultures the experience is most likely linked with the image of a female witch.
The pressure on the chest would explain her being out of breath and unable to scream. But in real physiology during REM the “paralysis” can feel like suffocation. Some narcoleptics awaken because they feel they have stopped breathing. So although not entirely “normal,” the feelings of being out of breath aren’t too far removed from what many people experience on an ongoing basis.
From my research on the matter, it is a “half-wakefulness” similar to lucid dreaming where the person is conscious or partially conscious while their body is asleep. During REM sleep the body does experience what one would describe as paralysis – so her symptoms of being paralysed are normal. REM is also a heightened dream state, so her vision of a white blob sounds like it would coincide with another normal function of sleep cycle.
However, you still have the problem of a terrified little girl. I would suggest treating this as you would approach any young child suffering from nightmares. Consider the following Do’s and Don’t:
1. Avoid meals, snacking and sugary drinks 3-4 hours before bed.
2. No caffeine at any hour of the day.
3. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise like running, swimming, biking in the mornings and afternoons.
4. Healthy meals, low in carbs, sugars and fats.
5. Avoiding TV, Movies or video games at least 1 hour before bed, especially the scary ones.
6. If she is on any type of ADD stimulants or medications, it would be wise to ask her doctor about alternatives.
7. Lights in the room while she is sleeping may be contributing to the “hallucinations” Dimming or turning off the lights entirely can help. The white blob you describe suggest to me there is a light on in the room. Although it might be scary for her, negotiating it to be switched out for a small nightlight or dimmed bulb would be a good place to start.
If your doctor says otherwise she is healthy then I think a few simple lifestyle changes will go a long way toward stopping this from happening. Typically, provided she is not experiencing post trauma, this is just a phase where the dreams will go away eventually and will only occur occasionally in the years to come.
If it was my child, I would explain in detail what I’ve just told you. Help her to understand that she’s not crazy, nor is she being visited by a ghost. It’s a part of sleep that everyone experiences, but most people don’t know it’s happening. If you can turn it into a positive then that’s all the better. It makes for a good family study that can help future children in your family because there is at least some anecdotal evidence this trait can be inherited.
Oh and one more thing. I never thought it a good idea to wake someone during a nightmare. You’ve got a good chance that she’ll forget it if you let her continue sleeping. If you wake her up during it she’ll remember. Plus, that REM sleep serves a purpose – we don’t know all of what it does but interrupting it might be doing more harm than good.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting, I actually have similar experiences occasionally, although I typically wake myself up (at least after the ones I remember). I find that they usually happen if I try to force myself to sleep too long or when I don’t need it, so that might be another situation to avoid. It’s good to know there is a name for it.
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Pottera,
Do you ever have the “paralysis”? I find sleep topics very interesting. When I first learned of hagging years ago, I wondered if I’d ever experience it. So far so good, but I can sympathize with someone who has had it happen.
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One popular theory (and I believe this to be true) is that while sleeping you astrally project. You can sometimes ‘wake up’ but not be totally back in your body so to speak. This is a case of your mind/astral body being awake but separated from your physical body.
The best thing to do in this case is focus on moving one toe (ala Kill Bill 2) while thinking of being back in your body.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2004/09/07.html
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Brad,
I do experience total “paralysis” when I have those kinds of dreams and I’ve only ever once been able to make a sound. I’m told by my husband that even though I think I’m trying to struggle in my dream, he’s never seen me actually physically react while sleeping. It was very scary the first time it happened, but now I usually realize that I’m asleep and just wait it out. I don’t experience white light hallucinations during my “episodes” though, instead I have extremely lucid dreams of where ever it is I fell asleep that involve a menacing presence.
Jonahan, I use to think that I was astrally projecting when I was young and I would occasionally wake up with a sudden jerk. In my case, at least, I think it was an over-active imagination and an earlier experience with seeing the Ghostbusters. That doesn’t really happen anymore though.
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Pottera,
The menacing presence would be alarming, but I wonder if you’ve tried switching topics?
When I was younger I’d have an occasional lucid dream that would sometimes start as a nightmare. The second I became aware I was dreaming I’d switch topics and be off flying or exploring space.
Haven’t had one for years though.
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It’s never occurred to me while dreaming to try that.
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I usually get these types of episodes frequently, so i’ve become use to them. The feeling of paralysis usually last for a little bit and then I wake up, I’m still dreaming a dream but am aware at the same time that I’m in a paralised state. Because this happens to me so often I’m able to calm myself down until this passes and thinking to myself this will stop shortly and relax. I used to fight it by trying to move my body, lift an arm or something to try to get someones attention to wake me, but i’m not sure if i’m actually moving or dreaming that i am. However, it seems that the sleep paralysis happens to me more when i take small naps. Is never happens when i sleep thru the night. Maybe small naps are not good for me. Depends on the individual.
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