If you’ve ever woken up unable to move, feeling as if a ghostly presence is pressing on your chest, you’re not alone—welcome to the strange world of sleep paralysis. This phenomenon, which affects ...

It’s the stuff of nightmares. You wake up, and you can’t move your body. A shadowy figure looms over you, but it feels too real to be a dream. If you’ve experienced this, you might have had a sleep ...

Sleep is vital for both mental and physical health. Lack of restful sleep can lead to the effects of fatigue, and further potential health issues. One of the more disturbing sleep disturbances is ...

Sleep paralysis is a condition where a person is conscious but unable to move during the transition between wakefulness and sleep. It can cause temporary paralysis, such as a few seconds of inability ...

Jalal is a neuroscientist at Harvard University, Department of Psychology. He was previously a Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University, where he completed his Ph.D. with the School of Clinical ...

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health. Benjamin holds a Master's degree ...

Maybe you’ve seen the meme: “This is my sleep paralysis demon: [insert photo].” The viral idea builds on a very real condition in which a person is conscious but unable to move. In some cases, people ...

Sign up for CNN’s Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep. Baland Jalal lay in bed terrified ...

BERKELEY, Calif. — Baland Jalal lay in bed terrified, experiencing his own real-life horror film. Newly awake, the 19-year-old could see his surroundings but couldn't move or speak, and he didn't know ...

Sleep is a semiconscious state, but there are neurons firing in the brain even when all seems quiet. Now brain activity during the deepest sleep phase could make it possible for people to communicate ...

I can't breathe. There's a tremendous pressure in my chest. I'm panicking, and then I realize I can't move. I try to scream. Suddenly, violently, I'm startled awake, sweaty, shaking, and disoriented.