Hallucinations upon waking?

[Maisie]

I'm not even sure what to call it. I fall alseep, then a little while later I wake up and see a figure standing over me or my husband. It really freaks me out. It disappears once I shut my eyes (as i'm panicking) and open them again. I'm getting to the point where i'm afraid to go to sleep in case it happens again. It really makes me jump. Its happening maybe two or three times a week.

The only medication I take is for Diabetes and I don't think its connected with that.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[kenny]

Wow, that really scary.
I think you should call your doctor.

 

[Circe]

Do you maybe have sleep apnea? I've heard of something similar being responsible for the old folk-tales of succubi and night-mares that was explained as being related to a lack of oxygen ... but that usually manifested in a heaviness in the chest that made people thing that someone/thing was touching them. Somebody just standing over you sounds like it *might* be related ....

 

[icekid]

Sounds like hypnagogic hallucinations, perhaps? Try here- http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Hypnagogic-Hallucinations.htm

 

[Maisie]

I will have to get checked out if it keeps up Kenny. It is scary.

Circe, I wondered if I might have Sleep Apnea. I have this weird click that happens in my throat when I lie down to go to sleep. No doubt its another thing to blame on being fat

 

[Maisie]

Sounds like hypnagogic hallucinations, perhaps? Try here- http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Hypnagogic-Hallucinations.htm

Thanks for that! It was very helpful. I do feel very sleepy through the day. I find it hard to fall asleep too. My sister has a sleep disorder, I wonder if it runs in families...

 

[kenny]

I have sleep apnea, got a sleep study and use a CPAP machine.

SA is very serious and may lead to death.
Look into it.

 

[Enerchi]

Could it be the residual image of a dream you were experiencing as you woke?

 

[Lula]

What you are describing sound like night terrors, more common in children, but many people continue to have them into adulthood. This website has good information and a consumer forum http://www.nightterrors.org/

They could be due to sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. But many people have them without those diagnoses.

If you are at risk for sleep apnea, you should definitely be checked for that ASAP.

 

[lyra]

I agree with Lula too. My 24 y.o. daughter has night terrors. She will wake up unable to move but still experiencing the auditory part of a dream. Her doctor has suggested a sleep study. I have a very similar condition with the auditory hallucinations minus the paralysis. We both wake up mid dream and have a messed up REM cycle. Night terrors can happen at any time--middle of the night or upon waking or during an afternoon nap even. Talk to your doctor of course.

 

[VapidLapid]

That sounds quite frightening. I am plagued by the succubi Circe mentioned, have been all my life. Often with that is a free-falling sensation like my body is falling away from me then I wake or jump with a start, my heart racing.

 

[Gothgrrl]

I have. I Think Lula is right on night terrors. I call it having one foot in the dream world and the other foot in reality. In my early adult life, I would wake up dreaming something was in my room. Lots of times I would become fully awake and realize that my eyes were already opened. I have to make an appointment with my doctor, I believe I have sleep apnea. I often wake up literally snorting or snoring for air. It's the weirdest feeling.

 

[maplefemme]

Maisie, I'd talk to your physician as soon as possible about getting a sleep study done. The hallucinations could be unrelated or not but I'd still get the sleep study. Kenny is right, sleep apnea can be very dangerous and should be taken seriously.
And don't be hard on yourself, it's not always related to weight, my SO is very fit and muscular and he has severe apnea, he's got a cpap like kenny.

Take care of yourself

 

[tuffyluvr]

YES!!! I have these dreams frequently--maybe once or twice a month. One version is the 'spider dream' and the other I think someone is in the house. I have literally screamed myself and SO awake. SO ran around the house in his underwear with his 'beat stick' looking for an intruder once!

I don't think I have sleep apnea--I only snore when I'm sick or have been drinking... an entire bottle of wine

I do sleepwalk, so maybe it is some kind of sleep disorder

 

[Haven]

This happens to me every now and then.

In the last four years I've woken up four times and thought I saw a man standing just inside the doorway of our bedroom. Every time I quietly try to shake DH awake, and by the time I look back I no longer see the man.

When I lived in my parents' house I woke up and thought the ceiling and my bed were covered in roaches. This happened twice in about seven years.

They're terrifying, but DH thinks I'm not fully awake when they happen because I never successfully wake him up. He thinks I'm dreaming that I'm trying to wake him, and then when I look over and don't see the man standing there, I'm actually awake.

My sister had night terrors as a child, and they were horrible. She would sometimes be stuck in the dream for five or ten minutes after she woke up.

I never considered that I might have a sleep disorder. I used to sleepwalk as a child. Once I woke my dad by being too noisy in the kitchen. He came down and watched me fix a bowl of cereal, and then leave it sitting on the table. He ate it and went back to bed. Another time I walked right out our front door and made snow angels in the little courtyard in front of our house. My dad woke up that time, too, and found me outside. Who knows what I did when I wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up.

 

[tuffyluvr]

This happens to me every now and then.

In the last four years I've woken up four times and thought I saw a man standing just inside the doorway of our bedroom. Every time I quietly try to shake DH awake, and by the time I look back I no longer see the man.

When I lived in my parents' house I woke up and thought the ceiling and my bed were covered in roaches. This happened twice in about seven years.

They're terrifying, but DH thinks I'm not fully awake when they happen because I never successfully wake him up. He thinks I'm dreaming that I'm trying to wake him, and then when I look over and don't see the man standing there, I'm actually awake.

My sister had night terrors as a child, and they were horrible. She would sometimes be stuck in the dream for five or ten minutes after she woke up.

I never considered that I might have a sleep disorder. I used to sleepwalk as a child. Once I woke my dad by being too noisy in the kitchen. He came down and watched me fix a bowl of cereal, and then leave it sitting on the table. He ate it and went back to bed. Another time I walked right out our front door and made snow angels in the little courtyard in front of our house. My dad woke up that time, too, and found me outside. Who knows what I did when I wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up.

OMG--this reminds me so much of myself!!!

When I screamed I thought a man was standing just inside the bedroom doorway. My spider dream I wake up throwing the covers off thinking my bed is covered in spiders or swatting spiders dropping from the ceiling. They seem so real!!!

I have woken up the next day having stripped my sheets off the bed, wearing different clothes, and in the shower. I have also been caught wandering the house. So I definitely sleepwalk.

I also have some really weird, vivid dreams--most notably that my teeth are falling out. I'm a bad sleeper too. I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. I never really thought of it as disordered, but my sleep is definitely not normal.

 

[Asu]

If you also feel like you can't move,scream or talk,it's hypnagogic hallucinations.Both my husband and I have those,when we are particulary stressed.I had an episode that lasted a good 15 minutes,during wich I was basically trapped in my body,I couldn't scream or call for help,despite feeling my husband's touch,as he was sleeping next to me.I was seeing my mother standing next to me,on the side of the bed,slowly oscillating,and various non identified "people" slowly moving around.That one was scary.

 

[sonnyjane]

I also have some really weird, vivid dreams--most notably that my teeth are falling out.

I have the teeth dream about once every two weeks I'd say. Sometimes it's just a few loose teeth that I can feel with my tongue are about to fall out, and sometimes it's just teeth pouring out into my hands. Either way, in my dream, I'm always devastated because I know that from now on, I won't have any teeth! It seems so real, like I can actually feel them moving around in my mouth. Then I wake up and have to check that they are still there.

My mom has the teeth dreams regularly too. She and I both have them when we're feeling particularly stressed. It's definitely my least favorite reoccurring dream. The other one that I have every few weeks is that I go back to visit my childhood home and realize that I still have fish in my fish tank, but that I haven't fed them in years. I'm always surprised that they are still there, and there are usually some that have died, but then I hurry up and try to feed the ones that are left. That's another dream I have when I'm stressed out. It's my "you're probably forgetting something important" dream. If I have it, I can pretty much instantly think of something that I've been overlooking in my personal or professional life.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I also have some really weird, vivid dreams--most notably that my teeth are falling out.

I have the teeth dream about once every two weeks I'd say. Sometimes it's just a few loose teeth that I can feel with my tongue are about to fall out, and sometimes it's just teeth pouring out into my hands. Either way, in my dream, I'm always devastated because I know that from now on, I won't have any teeth! It seems so real, like I can actually feel them moving around in my mouth. Then I wake up and have to check that they are still there.

My mom has the teeth dreams regularly too. She and I both have them when we're feeling particularly stressed. It's definitely my least favorite reoccurring dream. The other one that I have every few weeks is that I go back to visit my childhood home and realize that I still have fish in my fish tank, but that I haven't fed them in years. I'm always surprised that they are still there, and there are usually some that have died, but then I hurry up and try to feed the ones that are left. That's another dream I have when I'm stressed out. It's my "you're probably forgetting something important" dream. If I have it, I can pretty much instantly think of something that I've been overlooking in my personal or professional life.

Yes!!! I dream that I am talking or eating in front of people and I am trying to keep my teeth from falling out of my mouth. My sleep issues seem to directly correlate to how much stress I am under. Out of curiosity I looked up the meaning of loose teeth and it seems to be symbolic of loss of control--which totally makes sense.

 

[TristanC]

Sleep paralysis once in my life. It was quite literally terrifying. Eyes open and completely immobile... Saw a dark shape. Proceed to freak out. It is the most amazingly terrifying sensation for a guy. To be completely immobile and paralyzed beyond the ability to move.

Lasted for what felt like ages, but must have been a minute. Never recurred again.

I get the damn loss of teeth dream every few months though. I HATE that. It hurts too.

 

[jeweln]

I know it sounds silly in this day and age but did you consider it might be a ghost ?

 

[Maisie]

I'm glad its not just me! And i'm glad I don't see big spiders! I wouldn't go to sleep again ever! And as for the teeth falling out dream

I don't believe its a ghost. I don't believe in them anyway, but the shape/figure changes each time I see it. I tried sleeping with my sleep mask on last night to see if it helped but it didn't. I ended up taking it off in my sleep! I did see something weird again and I noticed that my right arm had completely gone to sleep. Couldn't feel it at all. Completely numb.

Could it be that my blood flow was being affected by the way I was sleeping and my brain went funny?

 

[jeweln]

why not try sleeping in a different room for 1 or more nights to see if anything changes ?

 

[jeweln]

when my kids wake me up several times during a night ,then I sleep more deeply at the intervals and sometimes my hand will be completely numb when I wake up (due to the deep tired sleep I am sure ) .

 

[Amys Bling]

Teeth falling out, throwing up dreams happen to me alot- apparently it means there is a feeling of a loss of control or disgust at something. I always sometimes wake with my hands feeling numb.

My grandfather in law was having a lot of late night and early morning hallucinations and it turned out to be his medications...

 

[dragonfly411]

Maisie - My mom also has night terrors and has this same thing happen. Do you ever wake up screaming? Or yell in your sleep? You might ask your family members. Do get tested for Apnea.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

This happens to me every now and then.

In the last four years I've woken up four times and thought I saw a man standing just inside the doorway of our bedroom. Every time I quietly try to shake DH awake, and by the time I look back I no longer see the man.

When I lived in my parents' house I woke up and thought the ceiling and my bed were covered in roaches. This happened twice in about seven years.

They're terrifying, but DH thinks I'm not fully awake when they happen because I never successfully wake him up. He thinks I'm dreaming that I'm trying to wake him, and then when I look over and don't see the man standing there, I'm actually awake.

My sister had night terrors as a child, and they were horrible. She would sometimes be stuck in the dream for five or ten minutes after she woke up.

I never considered that I might have a sleep disorder. I used to sleepwalk as a child. Once I woke my dad by being too noisy in the kitchen. He came down and watched me fix a bowl of cereal, and then leave it sitting on the table. He ate it and went back to bed. Another time I walked right out our front door and made snow angels in the little courtyard in front of our house. My dad woke up that time, too, and found me outside. Who knows what I did when I wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up.

I've had "vists" too, but from a child (feels like a boy) and it use to freak me out and I'd wake up to see a shape of one but then hide under my covers and 'it' would be gone soon after. And, I use to wake up seeing bats in the room. I've never sleep walked and don't have sleep apnea... I think some of us may either have connections to the "other side" or just have our dreams still in our vision as we as we wake up. I've also had sleep paralysis and lucid dreams, so all these may overlap. The weird thing is we've moved A LOT of times and the degree in which these happen depends upon which house we live in!

Maisie - have you been playing around with meditation or anything along that line? I've found when I do this, I have more unusual dreams and experiences.

 

[Maisie]

When I wake up I don't actually make a sound. I can't speak. I feel like I am trying to wake my husband up but after reading some of these comments I wonder if I am still mostly asleep and stuck in a dream.

I've never meditated.

I think a visit to the doctor is a good idea just to make sure there is nothing amiss somewhere.

 

[partgypsy]

I had one of those figure dreams when I was a kid. In my childhood room my bed faced the doorway, so when I open my eyes in bed it faces the door. One night I literally saw Frankenstein walk slowly across the door way I could even see the green tint of his skin. I tried to call out to my sister but it was like Abbott and Costello, where I couldn't make my mouth work or make a sound. In retrospect I realize I was probably asleep and just dreaming I was awake, but it felt very real.

I think many of those UFO abduction reports are night terrors, because they share the feeling of a foreign presence in the room, being unable to speak or move, feeling of terror, yet it all feels very real.

 

[ericad]

This has happened to me a few times. Most recently (though it was a couple of years ago) I woke up to see a man standing on my husband's side of the bed (DH wasn't home). He was old and scraggly looking, and he started to crawl across the bed (think Samara-like from the Ring) towards me. I initially felt paralyzed, then freaked and scrambled off the bed, and "woke up" standing next to the bed and he had vanished. I thought it was a nightmare that just felt really, REALLY real.

That is until DD, who was 5 at the time, called me from her room, crying, about 15 minutes later. She said she had a dream that she woke up, looked out her window and saw an old man standing in the driveway watching her. She also said that he was a "bad man" and that she couldn't move or breathe.



I'm still quite freaked out by it!