Today, I felt compelled to share the only “peculiar” story I’ve encountered in my 25 years of life. My English may not be perfect, so I apologize if I couldn’t articulate the details accurately.
It all began in 2017. Some college friends and I were smoking pot late at night in a friend’s house. Although I got somewhat high that night, it was nothing out of the ordinary. As it grew very late, I needed a place to stay, and one of the guys offered me a room in his rented house since his buddy was away for the weekend. Still feeling the effects of smoking, I lay down to sleep and had no trouble drifting off. In the “light sleep” phase, a sudden, loud “Shh” in front of my face jolted me awake. Terrified, perhaps heightened by the lingering effects of being a little high, I spent the entire night with the lights on, feeling the uneasy sense that someone was watching me. The next morning, I attributed the experience to the weed, and my friends agreed, dismissing it as expected. They assured me that no one had ever reported encountering ghosts or strange incidents in that house before, so I quickly brushed it off, likely on the same day.
Fast forward to 2018. I was alone, sober, and napping in my house when, once again in the same sleep phase, I was awakened by a loud “Shh” in front of my face. Instantly recalling the previous year’s incident, I felt a sense of fear. Unable to blame it on the weed this time, I was uncomfortable with the inability to explain what had occurred. I tried to convince myself that it might be part of my imagination, happening during the “light sleep” phase. Another explanation was that I unconsciously made the sound, awakening myself. These explanations provided a temporary resolution for me.
Later that year, close to the last incident, it happened again, this time at night. In the same sleep cycle phase, a loud “Shh” in front of my face left me terrified, as I imagined a face smiling at me as soon as I woke up. This face had very white teeth and eyes. Although I didn’t physically see this face, it was vividly imprinted in my mind which was very unsettling.
2018 proved to be a challenging year for me, marked by emotional challenges and difficulties falling asleep. I experienced the highest number of sleep paralysis episodes in my life during that year. In each episode, my eyes were closed as someone entered my room and sat on my chest, making it difficult for me to breathe. I would be stuck for a few seconds, fearing suffocation. The recurring “Shh” incident added to my distress, and I attributed much of what was happening to my mental health.
Fast forward to 2019, when I met my ex-girlfriend. I was more mentally stable, and my sleep patterns returned to normal. I didn’t recall any sleep troubles, let alone the “Shh” incidents. However, my ex-girlfriend and I had disagreements, particularly about me making her be quiet. This detail is crucial because one afternoon, while we were napping, she angrily woke me up, accusing me of making her shut up. I tried to explain that I didn’t do it, and the argument escalated. I felt offended by the false accusation, especially since I was sound asleep during the alleged incident. The intensity of the situation prevented me from fully considering its broader implications.
It took me a few months to connect the dots and realize what had happened. It was likely the same “Shh” that I had experienced before—a loud “Shh” in front of her face. This revelation sent shivers down my spine, and I immediately sought details from her. Without divulging the full story, I asked her about the incident, and she recounted a similar experience: not fully asleep and a loud “Shh” in front of her face. What made it even stranger was that we always slept facing the same wall, never each other.
I never experienced the “Shh” incident again and haven’t had any sleep paralysis episodes since 2018. The most plausible explanation is that I was making the sound all along. However, the lingering uncertainty makes this story worth sharing. I could never fully accept that it was me, leading me to become self-conscious about it. I even recorded myself while sleeping multiple times to check for any sounds, but found none.