The terrors of sleep paralysis - Ami Angelowicz

恐怖的睡眠瘫痪（鬼压床） - Ami Angelowicz

翻译人员: Chenlu Wang 校对人员: Geoff Chen

Imagine this:

想像这个场景：

You're fast asleep

正当你睡得很香的时候

when all of a sudden you're awoken!

突然惊醒了！

And not by your alarm clock.

而且你不是被闹钟吵醒的，

Your eyes open,

你睁开双眼，

and there's a demon sitting on your chest,

在你的胸前坐着一个恶魔，

pinning you down.

狠狠地压住你。

You try to open your mouth and scream,

你试图张嘴尖叫，

but no sound comes out.

但是无法发出声音。

You try to get up and run away,

你试图爬起来逃跑，

but you realize that you are completely immobilized.

但是你意识到你完全无法动弹。

The demon is trying to suffocate you,

那个恶魔试图让你窒息，

but you can't fight back.

但是你无力反抗。

You've awoken into your dream,

你惊醒过来，

and it's a nightmare.

原来这是一场噩梦。

It sounds like a Stephen King movie,

虽然这听起来像一部斯蒂芬.金的电影，

but it's actually a medical condition

但是这其实是一种身体状况

called sleep paralysis,

叫做睡眠瘫痪，

and about half of the population

大约一半的人在他们的一生中

has experienced this strange phenomenon

至少经历过这种

奇怪的现象一次。

at least once in their life.

This panic-inducing episode

这种诱发恐慌

of coming face-to-face with the creatures

感觉与噩梦中的生物

from your nightmares

面对面的情形

can last anywhere from seconds to minutes

一般能够持续数秒或甚至几分钟，

and may involve visual or auditory hallucinations

还有可能伴随对可怕事物的

of an evil spirit

错觉与幻听，

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

或者会产生一种灵魂出窍的感觉， 比如你正飘浮在空中。

Some have even mistaken sleep paralysis

一些人错误地认为睡眠瘫痪

for an encounter with a ghost

是因为碰到了鬼，

or an alien abduction.

或者是被外星生物绑架。

In 1867, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell

1867年，塞拉斯・威尔・米切尔医生

was the first medical professional

成为第一个开展

to study sleep paralysis.

睡眠瘫痪研究的权威人士。

"The subject awakes to consciousness

“研究对象对于

of his environment

周围环境意识清醒

but is incapable of moving a muscle.

但是他的肌肉无法动弹。

Lying to all appearance, still asleep.

表面上看，他似乎仍然处于睡眠状态。

He's really engaged for a struggle for movement,

但是其实他一直在努力挣扎，试图移动，

fraught with acute mental distress.

并且脑中充斥着严重的精神压力。

Could he but manage to stir,

他只能够使劲试图移动，

the spell would vanish instantly."

魔鬼的力量不久就会消失。”

Even though Dr. Mitchell was the first

尽管米切尔医生是第一个

to observe patients in a state of sleep paralysis,

观察处于睡眠瘫痪状态中的病人的人

it's so common that nearly every culture

几乎在各种文化

throughout time has had some kind

的历史长河中都出现过

of paranormal explanation for it.

对于这个现象超自然的解释。

In medieval Europe, you might think that an incubus,

在中世纪的欧洲， 人们认为这是一个魔鬼，

a sex-hungry demon in male form,

一个性饥渴的男性魔鬼

visited you in the night.

在梦中造访他们。

In Scandinavia, the mare,

在斯堪的纳维亚，是一头母马，

a damned woman,

一个噩梦般的女人，

is responsible for visiting sleepers

负责造访沉睡中的人们

and sitting on their rib cages.

并且坐在他们的胸廓上。

In Turkey, a jinn holds you down

在土耳其，是一个神灵按住他们

and tries to strangle you.

并且试图扼死他们。

In Thailand, Phi Am bruises you while you sleep.

在泰国，是寡妇鬼使他们在梦中受伤。

In the southern United States,

在美国南部，

the hag comes for you.

是因为女巫。

In Mexico, you could blame

在墨西哥，可以归罪于

subirse el muerto, the dead person, on you.

苏布瑞丝奥 莫瑞克多， 一个已经死了的人压在你身上。

In Greece, Mora sits upon your chest

在希腊，是莫拉坐在胸口上

and tries to asphyxiate you.

试图使你窒息。

In Nepal, Khyaak the ghost

在尼泊尔，是住在楼梯下面的

resides under the staircase.

魔鬼凯安克。

It may be easier to blame

也许把睡眠瘫痪这种现象

sleep paralysis on evil spirits

归结于是因可怕的恶魔们而起更简单，

because what's actually happening in your brain

因为真正在人们脑海中发生的事情

is much harder to explain.

实在是太难解释了。

Modern scientists believe that sleep paralysis

当代的科学家认为睡眠瘫痪

是由于睡眠的 REM 阶段

is caused by an abnormal overlap

of the REM, rapid eye movement,

（快速动眼期）

and waking stages of sleep.

跟清醒阶段的非正常交错而引起的。

During a normal REM cycle,

在一个正常的快速动眼期中，

you're experiencing a number of sensory stimuli

会经历许多感官刺激，

in the form of a dream,

这些刺激以梦的形式加以表现，

and your brain is unconscious and fully asleep.

但是大脑是完全处于 睡眠状态并且没有意识。

During your dream,

在你的梦中，

special neurotransmitters are released,

特殊的神经递质被释放，

which paralyze almost all of your muscles.

它们几乎麻痹了你所有的肌肉。

That's called REM atonia.

这就叫做快速眼动期的肌肉迟缓。

It's what keeps you from running in your bed

这也是为什么当你梦见在被追赶

却不会真的从床上爬起来跑动的原因。

when you're being chased in your dreams.

During an episode of sleep paralysis,

在睡眠瘫痪这种情形中，

you're experiencing normal components of REM.

你会经历快速动眼期的所有正常部分。

You're dreaming and your muscles are paralyzed,

你会做梦并且你的肌肉被麻痹，

only your brain is conscious and wide awake.

只有你的大脑非常清醒并且有意识。

This is what causes you to imagine

这就是让你产生

that you're having an encounter

遇到具有恐怖长相的人

with a menacing presence.

的幻觉的原因。

So this explains the hallucinations,

所以，这解释了幻觉部分，

but what about the feelings of panic,

但是恐慌部分怎么说呢？

strangling,

扼死感，

choking,

窒息感，

chest pressure

胸部的压迫感

that so many people describe?

这些被很多人描述的感觉？

Well during REM,

事实是，在快速动眼期，

the function that keeps you

from acting out your dreams,

使你睡觉时不会真正做出梦中

行为的这种身体机能

REM atonia,

－快速动眼期的肌肉迟缓，

also removes voluntary control

也剥夺了你

of your breathing.

呼吸的自主控制权。

Your breath becomes more shallow

你的呼吸变得更浅、

and rapid.

更快。

You take in more carbon dioxide

你呼入更多的二氧化碳

and experience a small blockage of your airway.

并且经历呼吸通道的微微堵塞。

During a sleep paralysis episode,

在睡眠瘫痪这种情形种，

a combination of your body's fear response

你整个身体的恐惧反应聚集成为

to a perceived attack by an evil creature

一种被邪恶生物攻击的感觉，

and your brain being wide awake

你的脑子十分清醒，

while your body is in an REM sleep state

当你处于快速动眼期的时候

triggers a response for you to take in more oxygen.

会触发身体机制以呼入更多的氧气。

That makes you gasp

这就使你想要喘息

for air,

以呼入空气，

but you can't

但是你不能

because REM atonia

因为快速动眼期的肌肉麻痹

has removed control of your breath.

已经剥夺了你控制呼吸的权利。

This struggle for air while your body sleeps

这种当你睡着时身体为呼吸空气的挣扎

creates a perceived sensation

产生了一种可以被感知的感觉，

of pressure on the chest

这就是胸部压迫感

or suffocation.

或者说是胸闷的感觉。

While a few people experience

然而一小部分人

sleep paralysis regularly

会经常经历睡眠瘫痪，

and it may be linked to sleep disorders

这也许与一些睡眠紊乱症有关

such as narcolepsy,

比如嗜睡症，

many who experience an episode of sleep paralysis

那些经历睡眠瘫痪的人

do so infrequently,

很偶然也会产生嗜睡，

perhaps only once in a lifetime.

也许一生中就一次。

So you can rest easy,

所以不用担心，

knowing that an evil entity is not trying

因为你已经知道那些 可怕的东西并不是在尝试

to haunt,

possess,

缠上你，

占有你，

strangle,

or suffocate you.

扼死你，

或者使你窒息。

Save that for the horror films!

还是把这些想法都留给恐怖电影吧！