Sleep paralysis demon memes are back since everyone's lonely while social distancing

Having trouble sleeping?Hit Snoozeis Mashable's deep dive into how we cope with our collective insomnia and the many ways we can achieve a more peaceful slumber.

Joking about your sleep paralysis demon just hits different right now.

Many Americans are about a week and a half into their social distancing, which means they're about a week and a half into only seeing the people they live with, if they live with anyone at all. In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, 17 states have enacted "stay at home" policies as of Wednesday. By shuttering all non-essential businesses, banning large gatherings, and mandating that residents stay inside except for daily exercise and to get supplies, we're flattening the curve and limiting the strain on our already overwhelmed healthcare system. Nearly 100 million Americans reside in states where they're urged to avoid interacting with anyone outside of their households.

It's a lonely time.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, Twitter users are bringing back the sleep paralysis demon meme, joking that they're lonely enough to consider seeking solace in their night terrors.

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Sleep paralysis occurs during between wakefulness and sleep; those who experience it feel like they're awake, but can't move. The 8 percent of the population who have sleep paralysis report sensations like being unable to breathe, feeling a pressure on their chest, and visual and auditory hallucinations. It can be a terrifying experience, especially if you're in the limbo between consciousness and slumber. Some report a ghostly or otherworldly presence, which is their brain rationalizing the mismatch in dream cycles.

The sensation became a meme in early 2019, according to Know Your Meme. When a Twitter thread encouraging artists to draw their sleep paralysis demons went viral, the phrase "sleep paralysis demon" became a catch-all for unfortunate and cursed beings that visit in the night.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

"[This] humor has been charged with making light of it by joking about spooky things," Know Your Meme editor Adam Downer told Mashable in a phone call.

Approaching a year since it was born, the sleep paralysis meme has had an unusually long lifespan for anything online. But it has three key ingredients that's made it endure so long: it's easy to replicate, it's easy to personalize, and it hasn't quite blown up to the point where people are tired of it.

The meme might have fizzled out, if not for social distancing giving it a second wind.

Social distancing can save hundreds of thousands of lives, if done correctly. An early model from the New York Timesestimated that with testing and effective social distancing, we could limit the number of COVID-19 cases from 9 million to 513,000. The number of coronavirus deaths would decrease from an estimated 982,000 to 51,000. Social distancing, at this point, is a necessity.

But it's also incredibly lonely, and estimates that this could be our reality for monthsmake it even more daunting.

And when you start feeling starved for physical affection during quarantine, cuddling up to your sleep paralysis demon starts sounding more appealing.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Of course, there are ways to get through social distancing while still staying social. You can host parties over Zoom. You can keep dating through FaceTime. You can pick up new hobbies and practice them while calling friends. You can join the hundreds of other people stocking up on sex toys to stave off the quarantine boredom.

Or you can learn to lucid dream with your sleep paralysis demon.

In an age where internet humor thrives on all that is surreal and dark, joking about getting cozy with our sleep paralysis demons makes this pandemic seem less lonely.

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