The terrors of sleep paralysis - Ami Angelowicz

Translator: Elda Indria Sari Reviewer: Maria Nainggolan

Imagine this:

Coba bayangkan:

You're fast asleep

Kamu tertidur lelap

when all of a sudden you're awoken!

saat mendadak kamu terbangun!

And not by your alarm clock.

Dan bukan gara-gara jam bekermu.

Your eyes open,

Matamu terbuka,

and there's a demon sitting on your chest,

dan ada setan duduk di dadamu,

pinning you down.

menindihmu.

You try to open your mouth and scream,

Kamu mencoba menjerit, tetapi tak ada suara yang keluar.

but no sound comes out.

You try to get up and run away,

Kamu mencoba bangun dan lari,

but you realize that you are completely immobilized.

tetapi kamu sadar kamu tak bisa bergerak.

The demon is trying to suffocate you,

Setan itu mencoba mencekikmu,

but you can't fight back.

tetapi kamu tak bisa melawan.

You've awoken into your dream,

Kamu terbangun dalam mimpimu,

and it's a nightmare.

sebuah mimpi buruk.

It sounds like a Stephen King movie,

Kedengarannya seperti film Stephen King,

but it's actually a medical condition

tetapi ini adalah kondisi medis bernama kelumpuhan tidur,

called sleep paralysis,

and about half of the population

dan sekitar separuh populasi

has experienced this strange phenomenon

telah mengalami fenomena aneh ini

setidaknya sekali seumur hidup.

at least once in their life.

This panic-inducing episode

Peristiwa yang membuat panik

of coming face-to-face with the creatures

akibat berhadapan dengan makhluk dari mimpi burukmu ini

from your nightmares

bisa berlangsung sekian detik hingga menit

can last anywhere from seconds to minutes

and may involve visual or auditory hallucinations

dan bisa melibatkan halusinasi visual atau pendengaran

of an evil spirit

akan sosok roh jahat

atau perasaan keluar dari tubuh seperti sedang melayang.

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

Some have even mistaken sleep paralysis

Beberapa bahkan salah mengartikan kelumpuhan tidur dengan bertemu hantu

for an encounter with a ghost

or an alien abduction.

atau diculik makhluk asing.

In 1867, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell

Di tahun 1867, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell

was the first medical professional

adalah ahli medis pertama

to study sleep paralysis.

yang mempelajari kelumpuhan tidur.

"The subject awakes to consciousness

"Subjek terbangun dan sadar akan keadaan di sekitarnya

of his environment

but is incapable of moving a muscle.

tetapi ia tak bisa bergerak.

Lying to all appearance, still asleep.

Walau begitu, ia masih tertidur.

He's really engaged for a struggle for movement,

Ia sungguh berusaha bergerak,

fraught with acute mental distress.

dan dipenuhi tekanan mental akut.

Could he but manage to stir,

Jika ia bisa bergerak,

mantranya akan segera musnah."

the spell would vanish instantly."

Even though Dr. Mitchell was the first

Walaupun Dr. Mitchell orang pertama yang mengamati pasien kelumpuhan tidur,

to observe patients in a state of sleep paralysis,

it's so common that nearly every culture

fenomena ini begitu umum sehingga hampir tiap budaya di sepanjang masa

throughout time has had some kind

memiliki semacam penjelasan paranormal tentangnya.

of paranormal explanation for it.

In medieval Europe, you might think that an incubus,

Di Eropa abad pertengahan, kamu mungkin mengira incubus,

a sex-hungry demon in male form,

iblis haus seks berwujud pria, mendatangimu di malam hari.

visited you in the night.

In Scandinavia, the mare,

Di Skandinavia, setan kuda betina,

a damned woman,

si wanita terkutuk,

is responsible for visiting sleepers

mendatangi mereka yang terlelap dan menduduki tulang rusuknya.

and sitting on their rib cages.

In Turkey, a jinn holds you down

Di Turki, jin menindihmu

and tries to strangle you.

dan mencoba mencekikmu.

In Thailand, Phi Am bruises you while you sleep.

Di Thailand, Phi Am melukaimu saat kau terlelap.

In the southern United States,

Di wilayah selatan Amerika Serikat, tukang sihir mendatangimu.

the hag comes for you.

Di Meksiko, salahkan subirse el muerto, si orang mati yang menghantuimu.

In Mexico, you could blame

subirse el muerto, the dead person, on you.

In Greece, Mora sits upon your chest

Di Yunani, Mora duduk di dadamu

and tries to asphyxiate you.

dan membuatmu sesak napas.

In Nepal, Khyaak the ghost

Di Nepal, hantu Khyaak

resides under the staircase.

bergentayangan di bawah tangga.

It may be easier to blame

Memang lebih mudah menyalahkan kelumpuhan tidur akibat roh jahat

sleep paralysis on evil spirits

because what's actually happening in your brain

karena yang sebenarnya terjadi di dalam otakmu

is much harder to explain.

lebih sulit untuk dijelaskan.

Modern scientists believe that sleep paralysis

Ilmuwan modern percaya bahwa kelumpuhan tidur

disebabkan tumpang tindih abnormal

is caused by an abnormal overlap

of the REM, rapid eye movement,

antara REM, gerak mata cepat,

and waking stages of sleep.

dengan fase terjaga dari tidur.

During a normal REM cycle,

Selama siklus tidur REM normal,

kau mengalami sejumlah rangsangan sensorik dalam bentuk mimpi,

you're experiencing a number of sensory stimuli

in the form of a dream,

dan otakmu tak sadar serta tertidur sepenuhnya.

and your brain is unconscious and fully asleep.

During your dream,

Selama bermimpi,

special neurotransmitters are released,

neurotransmiter khusus dilepaskan,

which paralyze almost all of your muscles.

yang melumpuhkan hampir semua ototmu.

Hal ini disebut atonia REM.

That's called REM atonia.

Inilah yang mencegahmu berlari di ranjang

It's what keeps you from running in your bed

saat sedang dikejar-kejar di dalam mimpi.

when you're being chased in your dreams.

During an episode of sleep paralysis,

Selama kelumpuhan tidur,

you're experiencing normal components of REM.

kau mengalami komponen REM yang normal.

You're dreaming and your muscles are paralyzed,

Kau bermimpi dan otot-ototmu lumpuh,

only your brain is conscious and wide awake.

hanya saja otakmu sadar dan terjaga sepenuhnya.

This is what causes you to imagine

Inilah yang membuatmu berkhayal

that you're having an encounter

bahwa kau tengah bertemu dengan sosok menyeramkan.

with a menacing presence.

So this explains the hallucinations,

Jadi ini menjelaskan halusinasinya,

but what about the feelings of panic,

lalu bagaimana dengan rasa panik,

strangling,

tercekik,

choking,

tersedak,

chest pressure

tekanan di dada yang dialami begitu banyak orang?

that so many people describe?

Well during REM,

Selama fase REM,

the function that keeps you

from acting out your dreams,

fungsi yang mencegahmu bergerak seperti dalam mimpi,

REM atonia,

atonia REM,

juga menghilangkan kontrol sukarela pernapasanmu.

also removes voluntary control

of your breathing.

Napasmu menjadi lebih pendek

Your breath becomes more shallow

and rapid.

dan cepat.

You take in more carbon dioxide

Kau menghirup lebih banyak CO2

and experience a small blockage of your airway.

dan saluran udaramu sedikit terhambat.

During a sleep paralysis episode,

Saat mengalami kelumpuhan tidur,

a combination of your body's fear response

gabungan rasa takut tubuhmu

to a perceived attack by an evil creature

terhadap serangan makhluk jahat

and your brain being wide awake

dan otakmu yang terjaga sepenuhnya saat tubuhmu dalam kondisi tidur REM

while your body is in an REM sleep state

triggers a response for you to take in more oxygen.

memicumu menghirup lebih banyak oksigen.

That makes you gasp

Sehingga kau megap-megap berusaha bernapas,

for air,

but you can't

tetapi tak bisa

because REM atonia

karena atonia REM telah menghilangkan kontrol napasmu.

has removed control of your breath.

This struggle for air while your body sleeps

Kesulitan bernapas saat tubuhmu tertidur

creates a perceived sensation

menciptakan sensasi seolah-olah ada tekanan di dada

of pressure on the chest

or suffocation.

atau rasa tercekik.

While a few people experience

Walau beberapa orang rutin mengalami kelumpuhan tidur

sleep paralysis regularly

and it may be linked to sleep disorders

yang bisa dikaitkan dengan kelainan tidur seperti narkolepsi,

such as narcolepsy,

many who experience an episode of sleep paralysis

banyak yang tak sering mengalaminya,

do so infrequently,

mungkin hanya sekali seumur hidup.

perhaps only once in a lifetime.

So you can rest easy,

Jadi kau bisa tenang,

knowing that an evil entity is not trying

karena tak ada makhluk jahat yang mencoba menghantuimu,

to haunt,

possess,

merasukimu,

strangle,

or suffocate you.

mencengkeram atau mencekikmu.

Save that for the horror films!

Itu hanya ada di film horor!