Parasomnia is a term used to describe a group of sleep disorders that involve unusual movements, behaviours, emotions, perceptions, and dreams. These occurrences happen while you're falling asleep, during sleep, or waking up. These experiences often result in people reporting ghostly sightings, strange noises, or sensations of being touched during the night.

Parasomnia includes conditions like sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep paralysis, and acting out vivid, sometimes violent dreams. During these episodes, a person might talk, walk, or perform other complex behaviours while not fully awake. Through the lens of parapsychology, it's easy to see how parasomnia can be mistaken for paranormal encounters.

Sleepwalking

Perhaps the best known type of parasomnia is sleepwalking, where a person gets up and walks around while still asleep. They may appear to be in a trance-like state, moving through the house without reacting to their surroundings, often with no memory of the event. It usually occurs during the...