Nigeria, May 30 -- Many Nigerians who wake up unable to move, speak or call for help often describe the experience as a spiritual attack, saying "something pressed me" or "a witch held me down."

However, health experts say the frightening phenomenon, known as sleep paralysis, has a medical explanation rooted in the brain's sleep cycle and is often linked to stress, sleep deprivation and irregular sleeping patterns.

Speaking with PT Health Watch, Joshua Nnatus, a senior manager at Lagos MiND and a public health professional, explained that while the experience can feel terrifyingly real, it is a recognised sleep condition with a well-understood neurological basis.

Mr Nnatus described sleep paralysis as a temporary inability to move or s...