Kayla Braxton Opens Up About Scary Medical Condition

"WWE SmackDown" backstage announcer Kayla Braxton has never been phased by much in her life. From her time as a teenager taking part in public speaking competitions to her on-screen verbal volleys with "Talking Smack" co-host Paul Heyman, Braxton has never been afraid to speak her mind or embrace the spotlight like she has in her career as a WWE ring/backstage announcer.

In a recent Twitter post, however, Braxton brought up a rather scary, recurring condition of hers that has plagued her since her childhood: "I've had sleep paralysis since I was a kid. Last night, a little girl ran in front of me before plopping on my bed. She just stared at me. I could hear her footsteps and feel her move. It was so real. But I couldn't move or speak til I forced myself to sit up-then she was gone."

A National Library of Medicine (via NIH) entry refers to sleep paralysis as "the phenomenon in which resumption of consciousness occurs while muscle atonia (loss of muscle tone) of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is maintained, leading to intense fear and apprehension in the patient as the patient lies awake without the ability to use any part of their body."

This also isn't the first time that Braxton has opened up about her condition. On May 24, 2021, the WWE announcer took to Twitter to post an image of a new tattoo she had recently gotten, a human eye with a shadowed figure trapped behind the iris, and its deeper meaning meant to inspire others who have dealt with sleep paralysis to "escape their nightmares": "Favorite new tattoo to represent something I've dealt with since I was 6 – sleep paralysis. It's one of the most terrifying phenomenon, but in the last year, I've learned how to deal with it. This tattoo symbolizes escaping from those 'dreams.' Any others who deal with this?"