Sleep paralysis is a frightening experience where a person is awake but unable to move or speak. It often happens just as someone is falling asleep or waking up. People who experience sleep paralysis sometimes report feeling a strange presence in the room, pressure on their chest, or even seeing figures they cannot explain. In many cultures, these experiences are linked to jinn encounters.
In the Middle East and parts of North Africa, sleep paralysis is often seen as a sign of a jinn attack. According to Islamic beliefs, jinn are supernatural beings made from smokeless fire. Some jinn are thought to cause harm to humans, especially at night. People who experience sleep paralysis may believe they are being held down by a jinn, which causes the sensation of being unable to move.
An example of this belief comes from a real-life event in Saudi Arabia. A woman reported that during sleep paralysis, she felt as though a dark figure was sitting on her chest, choking her. She believed it was a jinn, and the experience terrified her for weeks. Such stories are common in this region, where many people still attribute sleep paralysis to supernatural causes.
While modern science explains sleep paralysis as a natural phenomenon related to the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep cycle, cultural beliefs around the world add a mystical layer to this unsettling experience. This connection between jinn and sleep paralysis shows how folklore and science sometimes overlap.
