You're fast asleep

你正熟睡時

when all of a sudden you're awoken!

突然醒了過來！

And not by your alarm clock.

卻不是被鬧鐘叫醒

Your eyes open,

你睜開眼睛

and there's a demon sitting on your chest,

看到一個魔鬼坐在你的胸口

pinning you down.

把你壓在床上

You try to open your mouth and scream,

你試著張嘴尖叫

but no sound comes out.

卻叫不出聲音

You try to get up and run away,

你想要爬起來逃跑

but you realize that you are completely immobilized.

但你發現你動彈不得

The demon is trying to suffocate you,

那魔鬼想把你悶死

but you can't fight back.

你卻無法還擊

You've awoken into your dream,

你從夢裡醒來

and it's a nightmare.

這是場惡夢

It sounds like a Stephen King movie,

這聽起來像是史蒂芬‧金的電影

but it's actually a medical condition

然而這卻是一種醫學癥狀

called sleep paralysis,

稱為睡眠癱瘓症

and about half of the population

差不多有一半的人口

has experienced this strange phenomenon

都經歷過這種奇怪的現象

at least once in their life.

一生起碼一次

This panic-inducing episode

這即將與你惡夢裡的怪物

of coming face-to-face with the creatures

面對面的恐怖經歷

from your nightmares

面對面的恐怖經歷

can last anywhere from seconds to minutes

可以維持幾秒鐘到幾分鐘

and may involve visual or auditory hallucinations

可能會有視覺或聽覺上的

of an evil spirit

惡靈的幻覺

or an out-of-body feeling like you're floating.

或是像靈魂出竅，感覺在漂浮

Some have even mistaken sleep paralysis

有些人甚至誤把睡眠癱瘓症

for an encounter with a ghost

當成自己撞到鬼了

or an alien abduction.

或是被外星人綁架

In 1867, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell

1867 年，塞拉斯·威爾·米切爾醫生

was the first medical professional

是首位研究睡眠癱瘓症

to study sleep paralysis.

的醫學專業人士

"The subject awakes to consciousness

「當事人醒過來

of his environment

對周遭的環境有知覺

but is incapable of moving a muscle.

但卻動也不能動，

Lying to all appearance, still asleep.

就外表看來是躺著、仍在睡覺，

He's really engaged for a struggle for movement,

他很努力掙扎想要移動、

fraught with acute mental distress.

充滿劇烈的精神折磨，

Could he but manage to stir,

若他試著喚醒自己

the spell would vanish instantly."

這魔咒才會馬上消失。」

Even though Dr. Mitchell was the first

雖然米切爾醫生是第一位

to observe patients in a state of sleep paralysis,

觀察患有睡眠癱瘓症的人

it's so common that nearly every culture

但是這實在太普遍了，幾乎所有文化

throughout time has had some kind

從古至今

of paranormal explanation for it.

對它都有某種怪力亂神的解釋

In medieval Europe, you might think that an incubus,

在中世紀的歐洲，你可能會認為那是夢魘

a sex-hungry demon in male form,

一個男性外型的性飢渴惡魔

visited you in the night.

在晚上拜訪你

In Scandinavia, the mare,

在斯堪地納維亞，一個魔鬼

a damned woman,

一個被詛咒的女人

is responsible for visiting sleepers

她會造訪在睡覺的人們

and sitting on their rib cages.

坐在他們胸膛上

In Turkey, a jinn holds you down

在土耳其，一個神怪把你壓著

and tries to strangle you.

想把你勒斃

In Thailand, Phi Am bruises you while you sleep.

在泰國，皮安在你睡著時把你弄得全身瘀青

In the southern United States,

在美國南方

the hag comes for you.

女巫會來找你

In Mexico, you could blame

在墨西哥，你可以怪

subirse el muerto, the dead person, on you.

死者的亡靈上身 （subirse el muerto）

In Greece, Mora sits upon your chest

在希臘，魔拉坐在你的胸口上

and tries to asphyxiate you.

想把你悶死

In Nepal, Khyaak the ghost

在尼泊爾，有一種叫 Khyaak 的鬼

resides under the staircase.

住在樓梯下方

It may be easier to blame

若把睡眠癱瘓歸咎於鬼魅還比較簡單

sleep paralysis on evil spirits

若把睡眠癱瘓歸咎於鬼魅還比較簡單

because what's actually happening in your brain

因為真正發生在大腦內的事情

is much harder to explain.

比較難解釋

Modern scientists believe that sleep paralysis

當代科學家相信睡眠癱瘓症

is caused by an abnormal overlap

是因 REM 也就是快速動眼期

of the REM, rapid eye movement,

與睡眠的清醒期

and waking stages of sleep.

不正常的重疊所致

During a normal REM cycle,

一個正常的 REM 循環中

you're experiencing a number of sensory stimuli

你會從你的夢中感受到

in the form of a dream,

一些感官刺激

and your brain is unconscious and fully asleep.

你的大腦沒有意識，你完完全全沉睡

During your dream,

作夢期間

special neurotransmitters are released,

大腦釋放特殊的神經傳導素

which paralyze almost all of your muscles.

這些傳導素幾乎癱瘓你全身的肌肉

That's called REM atonia.

這叫做 REM 肌肉麻痺

It's what keeps you from running in your bed

這就是當你在夢中被追逐時

when you're being chased in your dreams.

你無法逃離床上的原因

During an episode of sleep paralysis,

睡眠癱瘓症的期間

you're experiencing normal components of REM.

你正在經歷 REM 的正常部分

Your dreaming and your muscles are paralyzed,

你正在作夢而你的肌肉癱瘓了

only your brain is conscious and wide awake.

只有你的大腦具有意識且是清醒的

This is what causes you to imagine

這就是讓你以為

that you're having an encounter

你撞見了某種

with a menacing presence.

兇惡的鬼怪

So this explains the hallucinations,

這解釋了幻覺

but what about the feelings of panic,

但很多人都說感到恐慌、

strangling,

窒息、

choking,

無法呼吸、

chest pressure

胸口上的壓力

that so many people describe?

該怎麼解釋呢？

Well during REM,

好的，在 REM 期間

the function that keeps you

讓你不會把睡夢中的情節

from acting out your dreams,

用行動表現出來的機制叫做

REM atonia,

REM 肌肉麻痺

also removes voluntary control

這也讓你無法自主控制

of your breathing.

你的呼吸

Your breath becomes more shallow

你的呼吸變得比較淺

and rapid.

而且快

You take in more carbon dioxide

你吸進更多的二氧化碳

and experience a small blockage of your airway.

感覺呼吸道有點阻塞

During a sleep paralysis episode,

睡眠癱瘓期間

a combination of your body's fear response

你的身體對遭受惡魔攻擊

to a perceived attack by an evil creature

所產生的恐懼

and your brain being wide awake

加上你的大腦是清醒的

while your body is in an REM sleep state

你的身體又是在 REM 期間

triggers a response for you to take in more oxygen.

這會讓你想要吸進更多空氣

That makes you gasp

那使你呼吸急促

for air,

要更多空氣

but you can't

可是沒有辦法

because REM atonia

因為 REM 肌肉癱瘓

has removed control of your breath.

剝奪你控制呼吸的能力

This struggle for air while your body sleeps

當你的身體睡著，你卻努力想吸更多空氣

creates a perceived sensation

這會產生一種感覺

of pressure on the chest

像是你胸口上有種壓力

or suffocation.

或是窒息的感覺

While a few people experience

雖然有少部分的人是經常性地經歷

sleep paralysis regularly

睡眠癱瘓症

and it may be linked to sleep disorders

那或許和睡眠失調有關

such as narcolepsy,

如猝睡症（嗜睡症）

many who experience an episode of sleep paralysis

很多經歷睡眠癱瘓症的人

do so infrequently,

很少會有這樣的情況

perhaps only once in a lifetime.

一輩子大概只有一次

So you can rest easy,

所以你就好好睡吧

knowing that an evil entity is not trying

知道妖魔鬼怪不會想盡辦法

to haunt,

在你身邊出沒、

possess,

纏住你、

strangle,

勒你、

or suffocate you.

或想把你悶死

Save that for the horror films!

這些題材就留給恐怖電影吧！