When Sleep Gets Weird: Neurodivergence, Sleep Paralysis, and the Old Hag

The Old Hag is one way some people experience sleep paralysis. This post explores one story and connects sleep disturbances to different forms of neurodivergence.

The Old Hag Visits

I was five years old the first time I smelled her.

She reeked of fish rotting at the edge of a scummy lake.

Image of the Old Hag (generated with Adobe Firefly)

Although I could not move, I was able to look around. There she was – sitting at the side of my bed.

Her face was sunken and corpse-like. Her skin was stretched too thin over sharp cheekbones. Her long, stringy hair draped down her shoulders. She reached out with a bony hand, her index finger nearly touching me.

Paralyzed and terrified, I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t hide. I could only stare. My heart pounded. The stench of decaying fish made me feel queasy, as if I could choke on it.

Who was this terrifying old hag creeping closer?

What Is Sleep Paralysis? Who is this Old Hag?

She returned, again and again, throughout my childhood and into adulthood. She usually appeared when I had a high fever. I didn’t know what to call it or how to explain it until my mid-twenties, when I learned about sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis is a temporary experience that can last from a few seconds to several minutes. It occurs when your brain wakes up while your body is still “asleep.” Your body is still in a state of rapid eye movement (REM) atonia, a state of muscle paralysis that prevents you from acting out your dreams. Even though you are conscious, you cannot move. You cannot speak.

Sometimes, during sleep paralysis, you experience hallucinations. Hallucinations can be visual (see), auditory (hear), tactile (touch), or olfactory (smell).

With sleep paralysis, many people report seeing versions of this Old Hag, but others describe seeing different figures, like the Hat Man or Shadow People. Source vary, but estimates suggest anywhere from 8% to 30% of people experience sleep paralysis at least once in their lifetime.

Across cultures, the Old Hag is a well-known folklore figure. Often, people have described her as an evil entity who crawls up from the foot of the bed. She presses on someone’s chest, evoking a sense of suffocation, terror, and being trapped.

But for me, she’s never attacked. She’s never pressed against my chest. Instead, my experiences with her – while terrifying – have always had two distinct elements.

Two Distinct Features of My Sleep Paralysis

Over the years, I’ve been fascinated by stories of peoples’ encounters with the Old Hag. While stories have similarities, my experiences seem to differ in two ways.

First, the smell.

I always smell her before I see her: that unmistakable reek of rotting fish. While some people also report olfactory hallucinations, it’s not universal. Sometimes I feel like I’m choking on her stench.

I also tend to have vivid sensory experiences – especially with smells – during nightmares linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I’ve come to believe these olfactory experiences reflect how my brain processes high fevers, intense emotions, and traumatic memories.

Second, her intention feels… caring.

Yes, her appearance is grotesque. Yes, she terrifies me. But her gestures seem motherly, not malicious.

She often reaches out to caress my cheek, as if trying to comfort me. Others describe her as suffocating and sinister, but she seems to want to help me. I have not come across another person's account that aligns with this seemingly caring aspect of the Old Hag.

Sleep paralysis, though not the Old Hag specifically, affects other people in my family. Shadow People. Mountain Man with No Face. A Gargoyle. Whispers. How might these sleep disturbances be connected to neurodivergence?

Image of the Old Hag, generated with Adobe Firefly

The Old Hag, Sleep Paralysis, and Connections to Neurodivergence

In my house, sleep is rarely simple. Between my kids and me, we deal with:

• difficulty falling asleep

• frequent waking

• sleep paralysis

• vivid nightmares

• night terrors (screaming, thrashing, confusion)

• sleepwalking

We experience a lot more than just sleep paralysis.

And yes – there is a strong connection between sleep disturbances and forms of neurodivergence, and those connections go beyond sleep paralysis and the old hag.

According to Xavier (2021), 50% to 80% of autistic children and adolescents experience sleep issues, compared to just 20% to 30% of neurotypical kids. These sleep disturbances range from insomnia and sleep anxiety to night waking and poor sleep quality (Xavier, 2021).

Other forms of neurodivergence show similar trends. Children with ADHD often face insomnia and nightmares (Grunwald & Schlarb, 2017). Those with developmental dyslexia also show increased sleep disturbances (Carotenuto et al., 2016).

While autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are innate forms of neurodivergence – meaning they’re present from birth – other forms are acquired, such as PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and more. These acquired conditions can change brain functioning, which can affect emotional regulation, sensory sensitivities, memory, the ability to focus, and more. Many studies also link acquired forms of neurodivergence to a rise in sleep disturbances.

90% of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, indicate some form of a sleep disturbance, such as nightmares and insomnia (So. et al., 2023). About 75% of depressed people have insomnia symptoms, and insomnia in non-depressed individuals is a risk factor for later development of depression (Nutt et al., 2008). People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) show different sleep patterns characterized by poor sleep quality and more sleep disturbances (Segalas et al., 2021). Furthermore, sleep disturbances are highly prevalent among people with bipolar disorder and exert a negative impact on quality of life and treatment outcomes (Gold & Sylvia, 2016).

So, in a household where multiple forms of neurodivergence intersect, it’s no wonder sleep doesn’t come easily.

Normalizing the Experience

When I was a kid, discussing the Old Hag with others seemed risky. After a friend told me I was destined for hell upon revealing that I had seen the Old Hag, I became hesitant to talk about it, fearing that people might consider me strange or think something was “wrong” with me.

Even as an adult, a partner once referred to me as “damaged goods” due to my nightmares, night terrors, and PTSD. (That relationship didn’t last long, and to learn more about the importance of affirming language for PTSD, check out this post).

Now, with my own kids, I try to normalize our sleep struggles.

We talk about them. We name the scary things. We make space for understanding, validation, and compassion.

The Old Hag still visits me now and then. So do a few Shadow People, and sometimes I hear whispering in my ear that isn’t scary, just annoying. But I no longer see these experiences as signs that something is “wrong” with me. I still get scared sometimes – but not as scared.

Because now, I understand what’s happening. And I know I’m not alone.

Jen with Cool Wiring

References:

Carotenuto, M., Esposito, M., Cortese, S., Laino, D., & Verrotti, A. (2016, September). Children with developmental dyslexia showed greater sleep disturbances than controls, including problems initiating and maintaining sleep. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27173764/

Gold, A. K., & Sylvia, L. G. (2016, June 29). The role of sleep in bipolar disorder. Nature and science of sleep. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4935164/

Grunwald, J., & Schlarb, A. A. (2017, September 5). Relationship between subtypes and symptoms of ADHD, insomnia, and nightmares in connection with quality of life in children. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919767/

Nutt, D., Wilson, S., & Paterson, L. (2008, September). Sleep disorders as core symptoms of depression. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3181883/

Segalàs, C., Labad, J., Salvat-Pujol, N., Real, E., Alonso, P., Bertolín, S., Jiménez-Murcia, S., Soriano-Mas, C., Monasterio, C., Menchón, J. M., & Soria, V. (2021, January 14). Sleep disturbances in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Influence of depression symptoms and trait anxiety. BMC psychiatry. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7809865/

So, C. J., Miller, K. E., & Gehrman, P. R. (2023, November 1). Sleep disturbances associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatric annals. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10825808/

Xavier, S. D. (2021, September 14). The relationship between autism spectrum disorder and sleep. Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8848524/