Feedback on Sleep Paralysis (‘dannau’)

The story on sleep paralysis popularly called ‘dannau’ in Hausa language published on 17th July 2018 generated reader reactions. We received a lot of calls, mail responses and shares on social –media.

While most people saw it as an eyeopener, that the condition is medical, a few readers still argued and insisted that it was caused by spirits and evil people and thus a spiritual problem.

Please find below a reader’s response. Dr Sola Oguntolu (the only trained sleep specialist in the country, who was also interviewed for the story on sleep paralysis) responded to the enquiry on the concept of dreams, another area many people want to know about.

Dear Health Editor,

I read your piece on sleep paralyses in the Daily Trust of Tuesday July 17, 2018. I must say it was educative and comforting to me having experienced it in the past. Indeed the common explanation was shrouded in superstitions and folklore. In the North, sleep paralyses is associated with spirits called ‘Dannau’ a Hausa word that suggests something or someone pressing or pinning someone or a thing down.

Now I understand why in such a state one could not move or cry out. I now also understand the lifestyle and habits that account for it. I do not experience sleep paralyses anymore. However, your reference to the REM and non-REM sleep cycle reminded me of the “mysteries” of dreams also. So, I will like to know the causes and scientific explanation of dreams. To what extent are dreams related to our daily activities, thoughts and heart desires as is often suggested?

Thank you once again for the enlightening article.

John Yakubu

Response:

Dreams are stories and images that our minds create while we sleep. As most have experienced, they can be entertaining, fun, romantic, disturbing, frightening, and sometimes bizarre.

Dreams are, however, an enduring source of mystery for scientists and doctors. Why and what dreams are, remain one of science’s greatest unanswered questions. They are difficult to study in a laboratory, but technology and new research techniques are helping to improve our understanding. Many theories have been propounded some discussed here, but a unified one remains a pipe dream (no pun intended).

Why do we dream?

We don’t know for certain. Are dreams merely part of the sleep cycle, or do they serve some other purpose? There are several theories:

Dreams represent unconscious desires and wishes. It is a mechanism for processing and interpreting random signals from the brain and body during sleep.