Sleep Paralysis

By Jennifer Day

Imagine waking up from a night’s sleep and being unable to move. Your body is paralyzed. For a few terrifying seconds or minutes, you can’t call for help.

That’s sleep paralysis, a relatively understudied phenomenon that seems to occur more frequently among African Americans.

“It’s commonly referred to as ‘being ridden by the witch’ in the African-American community,” said Orlena Merritt-Davis, MD, a Wayne State University School of Medicine assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences.

..	Dr. Merritt-Davis is trying to understand the relationship between sleep paralysis and panic disorder.

Dr. Merritt-Davis is part of a larger effort at the School of Medicine led by Thomas Uhde, MD, associate dean for research and graduate programs, to better understand the link between panic disorder and different types of frightening arousals from sleep. Panic disorder is characterized by sudden episodes of overwhelming anxiety (panic attacks) that often include a number of physical symptoms such as sweating, racing heart and shortness of breath. During an episode, individuals often believe they are having a heart attack or going crazy. Attacks may occur during sleep and, like sleep paralysis, may be extremely frightening.

“Right now, we’re trying to learn more about sleep paralysis and its relationship to panic disorder,” said Dr. Uhde, who is recognized worldwide for his work on panic disorder. “Sleep paralysis in African Americans is remarkably understudied.”

Dr. Uhde is an expert in panic disorder.

In one study, 15 percent of African Americans who experienced sleep paralysis also had panic disorder, Dr. Merritt-Davis said. “Unfortunately, African Americans are significantly underrepresented in mental health research,” she said. “Reasons cited include mistrust of research, stigma associated with mental illness and the lack of African-American researchers.”

Sleep paralysis and trauma,
psychiatric symptoms and disorders in an adult
African American population attending primary medical care.

Source

Department ofPsychiatry, Howard University Mental Health Clinic, 530 College St., Washington, DC 20059, USA. TMellman@Howard.edu

Abstract

The occurrence of sleep paralysis (SP) absent narcolepsy appears to not be uncommon in African Americans and probably other non-European groups. Prior research has linked SP to trauma and psychiatric disorders and suggested a specific relationship to panic disorder in African Americans. The objective of our study was to evaluate relationships of SP with trauma, concurrent psychiatric symptoms and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses in an adult African American population recruited from primary care. Cross sectional study with surveys and diagnostic interviews; Patients attending primary care clinics filled out a survey that determined the 6 month prevalence and associated features of SP, a panic disorder screen, the self-rated Hamilton Depression Scale, and an inventory of trauma exposure. A subset of trauma-exposed participants (N = 142) received comprehensive diagnostic interviews that incorporated the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Clinician Assessed PTSD Scale. Four hundred and forty-one adults participated (mean age-40.0 SD = 13.3, 68% female, 95% African American). Fourteen percent endorsed recent SP. In approximately 1/3 of those with SP, episodes also featured panic symptoms. SP was strongly associated with trauma history, and concurrent anxiety and mood symptoms. SP was not associated with specific psychiatric disorders other than lifetime (but not current) alcohol or substance use disorders. Our findings suggest that SP is not uncommon in adult African Americans and is associated with trauma and concurrent distress but not with a specific psychiatric diagnosis.

Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

.Sleep paralysis, also known as isolated sleep paralysis, affects people all over the world, regardless of race or social position. Research shows that most people experience it at least once in their lives. African Americans, however, experience recurrent sleep paralysis at a much higher rate than anyone else. When compared to whites it is 59% to 7% according one study.

The significant difference in the frequency of sleep paralysis between the two races has been attributed to factors such as poverty, racism and genetics. I believe it has more to do with ancestry than anything else.

While asleep one night during a recent trip to Ghana I experienced an attack. The next day, I talked about it with my driver. I told him I had been experiencing it all my life; waking up paralyzed, unable to move or speak. He seemed surprised that I had brought the subject up, but went on to say that this was very common in Africa, especially Ghana.

He said Ghanaians don't refer to it as sleep paralysis or consider it a medical condition requiring treatment. They know it is an evil spirit attacking them at night. Many even see the spirit. He told me that the reason they have these sleep attacks so much is due to the practice of witchcraft throughout the country.

A great number of African Americans are descended from Africans transported from the slave castles along the Ghanaian coast. When their ancestors came to America, the spirits causing the paralysis traveled with them and continued their activity among their descendants. People descended from Europeans who immigrated from countries steeped in fairy lore and witchcraft have had spirits passed on to them as well.

While social factors play a role in how often sleep paralysis occurs in an African American's life, they should not be seen as the cause. They only contribute to more mental activity at night, which increases the time an individual drifts between states of consciousness. This drifting leaves the individual more susceptible to demonic attack. Sometimes they dismiss it as a dream. Sometimes they forget about it completely. Others know something unusual took place, but don't see it as anything to be concerned about.
I was sharing one of my sleep paralysis stories with an African American friend who suddenly remembered having an experience of her own. It was like a forgotten dream that came back to her in full detail. She was afraid once she realized what it was, but when I explained how to handle it, she seemed okay. The fear wasn't totally gone, and I don't know if she would have preferred staying in the dark about it, but I felt like I'd done her a big favor.

Regardless of our race or ethnic background, we need to be aware of sleep paralysis and know exactly what it is and how to overcome it. Demons don't care what color their victim is. And whatever they're doing to us in the night, it's a lot more complex than just riding our chest or back. I have a theory and I'll share it in the future. For now, let's just realize that we're at war. And when it comes to sleep paralysis, we wrestle not against flesh and blood.

Charles Allen is a writer of urban and paranormal fiction, and author of the novel The Gangsta Prophecy.

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