In the 1980s, doctors in the United States noticed a bizarre phenomenon happening amongst Southeast Asian refugees. Many of them were having terrifying nightmares that seemed to kill them in their sleep. To this day, dedicated scientists and researchers have been unable to find a distinct cause which has led some to wonder – could Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome – also known as SUNDS – be caused by some supernatural force?
Episode Source Material
BROADCAST NEWS & TELEVISION
WEB/SOCIAL MEDIA/MESSAGE BOARDS
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- Flick Direct: A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984.
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Wes Craven.
- Medline Plus: Brugada Syndrome.
- Hmong American Experience: Unexplained Deaths Inspired a Nightmare on Elm Street.
- AFI Catalog: The Nightmare on Elm Street.
- The Org: Bruce Bliatout.
- ABC Science: Asian genetic killer found in Polynesian men.
- Responsible Statecraft: I’m part of the shameful landmine legacy in Laos. When is Biden going to fix it?
- Organization of American Historians: “The New Way:” How American Refugee Policies Changed Hmong Religious Life.
ACADEMIC PAPERS
- Journal of the American Heart Association (Volume 7, Number 5): Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome: The Hundred Years’ Enigma.
- Medicine (Baltimore) (Volume 95, Issue 9) Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome in Central China (Hubei).
BOOKS
- Sleep Paralysis: Night-Mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection by Shelley R. Adler. 2011. Rutgers University Press.
- Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome: A Cultural Study by Bruce Thowpaou Bliatout. 1982. Sparkle Publishing Enterprises.
PRINT NEWS
- The New York Times: Nightmares suspected in bed deaths of 18 Laotians by Wayne King.
- The Los Angeles Times: Refugees’ Medical Mystery: Men of Hmong Dogged by Death by Evan Maxwell.
- The Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, Ontario): Mysterious Killer Stalking Laotians via newspapers.com.
- The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon): Search Turns up Link in Mysterious Deaths by Alan K. Ota via newspapers.com.
- The Salisbury Post (Salisbury, North Carolina): Mystery deaths trigger search for Hmong tribesman via newspapers.com.
- The Longview Daily News (Longview, Washington): 13 Hmong die in sleep and Portland doctor says it’s a mystery via newspapers.com.