paralysis

I wasnt too sure about where to post this...but my parents are from an island called Western Samoa..I on the other hand was born in New Zealand.
I heard an old wifes tale/myth/urban legend about moonlight.

Now what Ive been told goes like this.

At night, they draw their curtains so no form of light is showing.
As joke I pulled them open and proceeded to pretend to sleep...but they (extended family) didnt think it too funny.
I asked why they were so weird about the curtains being open!?
They said they didnt want moonlight shining on their face.
I said "so what?"

They began to tell me that they heard stories from elders about moonlight shining on your face, and how its not a good thing.
Apparently they were saying that alot of people have said that at night when the moonlight is on their face, they wake up paralysed.
Then they see a ghost...but as they go to scream they cant...even in a room full of people..they open their mouths and nothing comes out.

Now what I want to know is...if anyone thinks that this sounds similar to an abduction?

Now what I want to know is...if anyone thinks that this sounds similar to an abduction?

Perhaps, although they do say 'moonlight' rather than some other form of light. It may also be an attempt to describe the phenomenon of sleep paralysis which, although rare, can induce both paralysis and produce feelings of fear, panic and even induce visual hallucinations of an intruder in the room.

I also note that other cultures have prohibitions against certain kinds of light. In parts of northern Europe, for example, the northern lights are viewed with great caution and folklore attests to people being 'abducted' by the lights to become one with them. For this reason, people are careful note to offend the lights by whistling or staring.

Not quite the same as moonlight, but it does illustrate how scientifically explainable phenomena (such as sleep paralysis) may be explained through folklore and myhtology by people who lack the ability or resources to explain them scientifically.

Yes it sounds like sleep paralysis. I never thought about what might cause it externally before, I thought it was all how a person's mind creates it, but I suppose it could be triggered by external factors. Since sleep paralysis is like being caught between sleep and wakefulness, I suppose light could somehow cause this. The light may mess up your body's ability to wake up fully for some reason, but I would have thought it would help you wake up more (you are sleeping and someone pulls the curtains open at noon, you will be woken up rather quickly ). If this is something, it wouldn't be caused by the moon but just light in general I would think. Perhaps only low-light somehow stops your body's sleep mechanism from turning off when you awake. I really know nothing about it though.

I have always slept with my curtains slightly open, so a little bit of light from outside comes in against the wall at the back of my room, etc. But the light never shines on me directly. Recently, I placed a new full-body mirror in my room which happens to reflect the moonlight (and streetlight right in front of my house too probably) right onto my bed. I didn't like it, and I have had to crack my curtains open another way so that it doesn't cast light on my bed like this, because I feel uncomfortable sleeping with it . There was one night that I did leave it shining on my bed, but I did not experience sleep paralysis. I have never experienced sleep paralysis.

I've certainly experienced sleep paralysis a few times but it had nought to do with the moonlight, the serious moonlight.

I've never heard of that as a Polynesian legend and I have never heard of Samoans (Angry or otherwise) being especially targeted for abduction.

There, you can learn something from a New Zealander every day, they are such out there in the world doing good things folk.