MEANING
A temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking, sometimes accompanied by vivid perceptions or a sensed presence.
Use it for
Consciousness trapped at the sleep-wake boundary; a perceived intruder without voluntary movement; uncertainty about a nocturnal encounterKeep the bodily immobility real while distinguishing the perceived presence from external evidence.
Words that belong together
- episode of sleep paralysis
- recurrent sleep paralysis
- experience sleep paralysis
On the page
During sleep paralysis, she could see the doorway but could not call out.
He recognized the episode as sleep paralysis only after movement returned.
The journal described sleep paralysis; the camera recorded something else entirely.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- sleep paralysis
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Established sleep phenomenon, not proof of a supernatural attack. Different from a nightmare or ordinary fearful hesitation; a character's interpretation may remain uncertain. Usually uncountable in this sense; no routine plural.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.