Do you feel pinned down on your bed after waking up or just going to sleep?

Do you feel pinned down on your bed after just waking up or going to sleep? it is a condition known as the sleep paralysis or the old hag syndrome. You cant move or scream, and sometimes this paralysis is accompanied with the feeling that someone or something is in the room. Sleeping paralysis or the old hag syndrome is one of the most horrifying experiences in life which can occur at anytime of the day, because of the helpless and incapacitated state it throws the victim into.

The experience i had, instigated me to conduct an incisive research into this paranormal occurence. From time immemorial  sleep paralysis was widely considered to be the work of demons, and more specifically incubi, which were thought to sit on the chests of sleepers.
The truth is, sleep paralysis is a biological event which can be prevented by adopting any of the various techniques postulated by Ryan Hurd,
1) Do not lie in a supine position- Lying on your back may instigate this unpleasant experience, it is safer to lie on your belly or on any of your sides.
2)Dont Fight- If you feel like being held down and you are unable to move do not fight back because this will actually intensify the encounter and thus trigger the emotional centers of the brain to strengthen the lucid night mare.
3)Wiggle your toe- Moving the toe or fingers back and forth in many cases breaks the paralysis.
4)Focus on your breath- An easy way to stop this uncontrolled nightmare is to do some controlled breathing. Breathing is autonomous like the heart's beating or digestion so it is not paralysed like the big muscles in our arms, chest and legs. Simply draw your breath in at a normal rate and exhale fully using all of your lung capacity. This technique will keep you calm as the sleep paralysis runs it's course
5)Lean into love to find courage- Now is also the time to lean into unconditional love. For many the surest path is in religious or spiritual beliefs. Think of someone who calms you down, this could be Jesus, Allah or someone you know personally.
6)Coughing for help- Like breathing, coughing can be autonomous or consciously regulated. By coughing on purpose you can jar yourself awake.
7) Scrunching your face- When you realize you are in a sleeping paralysis, scrunch up your face, in otherwords make a face like you just smelt something bad. Snarl and squint. Do this three times in a row and the paralysis will break immediately.

Take these strategies as tools in a tool box and choose the one that works for you. Feel free to share your experiences here!

Sent in from Kenechukwu Ugochukwu.