If you've ever had the experience of feeling like you can't move your body, even though you want to, either right before falling asleep or as you wake up, you've had what's known as sleep paralysis. While it only lasts for a brief time, people report feeling anything ranging from anxiety to terror during an episode. For some, it can even create nervousness around going to sleep.

Pillow describes how people throughout history have attempted to understand this phenomenon, often ascribing it to spirits, witches, or demons holding the sleeper down or sitting on their chest. And, in modern times, some have even taken to blaming their nocturnal hallucinations on aliens.

However, while people experiencing sleep paralysis might feel in the moment like they are in danger, it can't actually kill

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