Have you ever returned from an investigation and just passed out? You may not have been able to keep your thoughts straight or motivate to take a shower, let alone unpack your equipment. Upon arriving home you think, “I want food and a nap.” and then proceed to sleep for 12+ hours. You have a paranormal hangover. 

Thankfully, not all investigations are followed by such an intense desire to sleep but some can knock you down for the next couple of days. What is causing this and can you take precautions to keep it from happening? Well, let’s take a look at what may be causing the problem. 

• Altered sleep/wake patterns. When paranormal investigating, you change your daily sleep/wake pattern. Not only are you less likely to get a full night of sleep but you change your regular functional pattern of living. If you normally get up at 6am to take your vitamins, go for a walk, and start the day, your body is going to be confused when you sleep until 10am after staying up until 4am. If you do this for more than one day, you are compounding the problem.

• Your eating patterns change. Ask yourself, are you drinking enough water? Are you eating foods you normally eat? Are you ingesting more sugar or caffeine than usual? All of these things can lead to a crash.

• You may not be taking all of your regular vitamins or medicines. If you regularly give your body something positive to improve your health, do not withhold that while you are investigating. You are already messing with your health balance just by going on an investigation so make sure you continue to feed your body all the good things it needs to keep you functional

• The actual location can affect your mental and physical well being. Dark, cold, depressing, and dirty locations can have a negative effect on a person’s health. If your location is more unpleasant than usual, please plan time outside of the building. Go to lunch or dinner. Take a walk or just go sit in your car with the windows open. Sunshine and fresh air can do a lot to improve your state of mind.

• Paranormal investigation puts you in a hypervigilant frame of mind. When you set yourself up to expect something frightening to happen at any moment, then you are not going to relax. Over time, this constant state of alertness can cause fatigue and exhaustion.

• Are you an introvert? If you are not used to being around people all the time, then you are likely going to feel the effects of too much socializing. For introverts, being around others can drain their energy so spending one or more days in the close company of their paranormal team can be exhausting. It isn’t because introverts don’t like their team, it’s just that social encounters do not energize them. If you need to step away from your team, then do so. This is another instance where going for a walk or just sitting in your car can be helpful.

• If anyone on the team is having a bad time and becomes increasingly negative, this can affect your overall mood and energy level. Work together to manage any situation that is causing stress, anger, frustration, or general anxiety for the wellbeing of the entire team.

• Many people also believe that there is a component of energy depletion that occurs as a result of interacting with paranormal phenomena. You might think of it as an energy exchange. I don’t know how probable this might be but I have always stressed to team members that offering up your own energy to something you do not understand is not safe. Until we know more about what causes paranormal phenomena and it’s effect on our bodily energy, it is best to error on the side of safety and not offer this as a means of manifesting activity.

Clearly, there are a lot of potential causes for your paranormal hangover so recognize the many changes that lead to your state of exhaustion. Making small edits to your investigation can reduce some of these factors but likely not all. Giving yourself time to rest and recover after an investigation is important for your long term health and ability to continue in this field. Be nice to yourself as paranormal research is a marathon, not a sprint.

Until next time, Happy (and safe) Hunting!