S08-E03 - Sleep Paralysis Experiences Part 1
Haunted UK Podcast: History, Hauntings and the Unexplained
Steven Holloway
4.5 • 652 Ratings
🗓️ 2 May 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There are moments in the dark when the body refuses to move, the voice disappears, and the room begins to feel occupied by something unseen.
For some, it is a pressure on the chest. For others, footsteps beside the bed, figures in the doorway, hands around the ankles, or the unmistakable sense that something is waiting just out of sight.
In this first part of a listener-led exploration of sleep paralysis, Haunted UK Podcast gathers real accounts from people who have experienced one of the most frightening states of the sleeping mind. Some describe the classic terror of being unable to move or cry out. Others speak of shadow figures, insect-like entities, green-tinged rooms, dragging sensations, dark masses, strange lights, and the chilling figure known by many as the Hat Man.
The episode also touches on the research of Dr Emma Barkus at Northumbria University, whose work into sleep paralysis helped prompt listeners to share their own experiences. What emerges is a deeply human collection of stories, sitting somewhere between science, folklore, trauma, stress, sleep disturbance, and the lingering question of why so many people report such similar encounters.
Calm, unsettling, and intimate, this episode explores sleep paralysis not as a simple horror story, but as a strange borderland between waking life and dream — a place where the mind may be vulnerable, the body helpless, and the dark beside the bed feels anything but empty.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the Haunted UK podcast, where paranormal stories from around the world refuse to stay buried. |
| 0:09.4 | If you want to help us keep uncovering the unseen, support us on Patreon, or leave an offering on coffee. |
| 0:17.3 | Now sit back, dim the lights, and don't look behind you. |
| 0:22.6 | Of all the night terrors, this one's the best, when the evil old woman comes and sits on your chest and her gnarly old hands |
| 0:39.8 | encircle your throat she's got plenty of time to sit there and gloat because you |
| 0:45.9 | can't ever move and you can't even scream and nothing will wake you from this terrible dream. I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm The This is episode 73 the Haunted UK podcast, |
| 1:49.5 | and in this episode we explore the concept of sleep paralysis |
| 1:53.4 | by diving into your experiences. The stories you will hear were all sent in by listeners, some of whom participated in a |
| 2:18.2 | sleep paralysis research study conducted by Dr. Emma Barkas at Northumbria University. |
| 2:25.0 | Dr. Barkas had reached out to ask if we could help spread awareness of her study as she was seeking |
| 2:31.0 | participants. |
| 2:32.9 | As you will hear, there are many parallels to draw between listeners' experiences with this |
| 2:38.0 | often misunderstood and terrifying phenomena that still holds a strong aura of mystery. |
| 2:44.0 | In some cases, there is a sensation of waking up from sleep paralysis that can lead to the false belief of having actually woken up. |
| 2:54.6 | Given this, it's hard to tell if the events that occurred directly after an episode are part of the dream, |
| 3:01.6 | or part of a startling and unsettling reality. |
| 3:05.6 | Our first submission comes to us from Glynn, |
| 3:09.3 | who describes a very disturbing brush with sleep paralysis. |
| 3:16.3 | The most significant paranormal experience occurred during a stay at our friend's farm. |
| 3:21.3 | I encountered a severe episode of sleep paralysis during which I felt |
| 3:26.5 | an intense sensation of something pulling at my ankles. Additionally, the room was extremely cold, |
| 3:33.8 | and despite my attempts, I was unable to scream. Eventually, I managed to wake up and get out of |
... |
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