N is for Night Mare

Most-Wanted Monsters is thrilled to be one of more than a thousand blogs taking part in the 2012 A -Z Blogging Challenge - 26 opportunities to help you survive a paranormal apocalypse. Don't let our epic monster limericks fool you - the lore we share about the beasties featured in each daily post could literally save your life. Know them before they GET you!

NIGHT MARE

This dark horse runs through your dreams

Feasting on nocturnal screams

Crouches heavy upon your chest

Tucks you in for eternal rest

The night mare is similar to its soul-sucking cousins, the succubus and incubus, both of which haunt the dreams of men and women while syphoning away their lives. Victims experience insomnia, stress, weakness, difficulty breathing and - if plagued by persistent visits - even death.

Believed to be a demon, spirit, or goblin, night mares exist in many cultures and may be referred to as the night woman, night creature, or nightwalker. A visitation known as - a nightmare, a mare-ride, or being mare-ridden. The horse / riding connection comes from the victim's recollections upon wakening - that a presence invaded their bedroom and a weight pressed down upon their chest, making it impossible to move. Today scientists dismiss the Night Mare, citing sleep paralysis as the cause of these sensations. But what of the accompanying, horrifying dreams?

SURVIVAL TIP: The Night Mare has power only if you sleep, a time when we are at our most vulnerable. So don't. Although the average person can only function without sleep for 8 days - then paranoia, hallucinations and physical side affects set in. You could try sleeping with a light on, or making the sign of the cross before drifting off into the dream realm.

Come on, give us your best shot - what "N" beast haunts your dreams?

Now, saddle-up and ride over to some of the other blogs on the A-Z Blogging Challenge.