By Jessica Easthope and Bill Miller
Since she was 12, Yanchen (Angela) Wang, now 17, has stressed about falling asleep.
Whether waking up or dozing, Angela, a senior at St. Francis Preparatory School, has heard odd noises, like feet stomping and people yammering in an unidentifiable language. She called these frightening episodes “auditory hallucinations.”
“I’m not hearing proper English or any other language,” she said. “It’s just some murmurs and weird sounds, like the footsteps.”
In China, where Angela was born, this condition is called the “Ghost Oppression.” Also, Italian folklore asserts that these are the misdeeds of the Pandafeche — a witch-like creature who climbs atop sleeping people’s chests to steal their breath. Her victims are unable to speak or move until they’re fully awake.
Medical researchers, meanwhile, say these are classic symptoms of the mysterious disorder “sleep paralysis.” The malady is physically harmless, Angela said, but psychologically disturbing and can continue throughout life.
Her knowledge of sleep paralysis extends beyond personal experience to actual scientific research, which the Society for Science Regeneron Science Talent Search competition recently recognized. The society announced Jan. 7 that she was one of 300 honorees in what they describe as the “nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.”
This year marks the 85th competition and the 10th time it has been held in partnership with the biotechnology firm, Regeneron, according to the Society for Science. The honorees received $2,000 prizes, and their schools received $2,000 to spend on teaching aids such as computer software.
Angela’s ongoing work is conducted through her school’s Science Research Program. Now in its 27th year, it is guided by teachers James LaRocca and Fran Jimmenez.
The program currently has about 90 students in grades 10-12 who qualified through excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
LaRocca said the program adheres to Principal Patrick McLaughlin’s commitment to find “ways of Franciscanism” for educating “the whole student.”
“Consistent with that is the caring for creation,” he said. “I see our students living that out. Angela and her peers are also students of good character. But this is also about helping others, like those suffering from something like sleep paralysis.”
LaRocca said the Regeneron competition is a good fit for the school’s research students because it challenges them to demonstrate the ability to work independently.
“There has to be novelty to their findings,” he said of the projects. “They cannot merely review others’ work like some sort of cog in a lab. They want them to have the ability to shine and demonstrate that they did this themselves.”
Angela said her current research results from surveys completed by 400 St. Francis Prep student volunteers indicate that just over 25% of them reported having symptoms of sleep paralysis. She compared that to other studies that show 28% of college students report similar symptoms.
“A possible explanation is the high stress students are experiencing,” she said. “In the general population, it’s around 7.6%.”
Angela said she plans to one day become a dentist and have her own practice, so she also wants to study business administration in college. Meanwhile, she is an accomplished saxophonist in the school’s jazz band and enjoys being part of the Korean and Filipino clubs.
Angela also hopes to continue sleep paralysis research, even while she’s in college and in her professional life, because suitable treatments and management techniques are yet to be developed.
She agreed that her Catholic education would help her get there because it encourages students to develop “academically, socially, and morally.”
“I carry this mindset into the research,” she added. “I want to know what I’m experiencing and why. The second reason is several of my friends also experienced this paralysis.”
Angela said one girl described seeing a dark figure with shining red eyes slowly approaching her.
“So, she’s basically suffering from it because she feels like she is being attacked by a demon,” she explained. “I’m pretty sure I experienced visual hallucination, too, but I was so scared that I didn’t dare to open my eyes.”
Angela said she’s concerned that sleep paralysis could lead to instances of other mental health problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It’s just going to keep happening and happening,” she said, “if we don’t find a way to manage or to treat this phenomenon, [it’s] creating a vicious cycle.”