Some interesting data (via The Daily Telegraph):

“The details of sleep paralysis vary from person to person. Some hear vague sounds, indistinct voices and demonic gibberish. Others see hallucinations of humans, animals and supernatural creatures. There is a striking inability to move or to speak, or a weight on the chest. Also common are feelings of rising off the bed or flying. In addition, people report out-of-body experiences, sometimes accompanied by “autoscopy” when they look down on themselves. Not surprisingly, these moments are accompanied by fear. Throughout history, there have also been accounts of people having visions on the brink of death – what are now called “near-death experiences”. Today, the two odd effects are linked by a study that backs the idea that the near-death experience is a biological experience, rather than anything to do with a spiritual dimension, a glimpse of heaven or the existence of the soul. People who have had near-death experiences are also likely to have suffered sleep paralysis, according to the survey published by a team in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, by Prof Kevin Nelson, from the University of Kentucky, Lexington.”

It’s long been known that sleep paralysis is a likely explanation for many supposed “sightings” of ghosts, extraterrestrials, angels, demons and the rest of the supernatural menagerie we’re always hearing so much about. Fascinating to see the correlation with near death experiences, as well…

I, for one, shall sleep easier tonight, as the flames of hell recede (a bit).