Sleep & Dreams

[WhatABore]

An idea from. The 'Today I learned" thread.

Sleep can be so fascinating so a thread to talk about dreams, their meanings, sleep paralysis and all other things sleep related!

Do you think dreams have a meaning?
Have you experienced sleep paralysis?
Other weird sleep behaviours?
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I'm going to repost my comment I made in there about my own sleep!

I get 2 different things.
One being sleep paralysis where I can't move. And I can see and hear things. The worst was a really dark haired horrible looking woman on top of me pinning me down.
This time around, luckily my partner was there and woke me up, he panicked because of the way I was breathing.
Other times it's like I can see the room but cannot wake up or move, no matter how hard I try I just can't get my eyes open or keep them open and I'll be trying constantly.

Another thing I get is where I can actually move, I guess it may be similar to sleep walking, apart from I don't very often get up.
But it's apparently where your brain has half woken up so still hallucinating like a dream, but awake enough to still move about/speak.
I can see things, imagine scenarios going on ect.
I see animals/insects/snakes ect in my room, I can see my partner asleep next to me, mid trying to get them away, it's like my brain wakes up properly and I realise what I'm doing.

I remember when I was a teen and had 2 friends stay over, one who stayed over a lot.
And I was trying to open my bedroom door because I thought the dog wanted to come in. And I remember waking up mid trying to let the dog in to one friend asking what I was doing and the other replying "She does it all the time, don't worry"
I will often say random things and then realise when they reply that it's completely random.
I had another time I got up and put my bra under my pajamas because i thought there was a group of my partners friends in the living room.

I don't know if it's related, but I've always had very very high REM sleep.

Any time I've measured my sleep (although I understand not completely accurate)
My sleep is always around 50% or more REM. And on the odd occasion it isn't above 50%, it's below 5%.
Where as for anyone else, I've never really seen it above 20%. My partner's and sister's is usually 12-15%

 

[emm]

Anyone else have dreams where they are jn a known place (usually for me is a workplace) and they are looking for.a room but cannot find it anywhere and just kind of go round in circles? I have it a lot and had never thought about it but was talking to a friend the other day who had the same. It sounds mundane but is somehow kind of scary

 

[Lalalalaaaaaa85]

I get sleep paralysis fairly regularly and it’s horrible. I’ve often panicked thinking I’m genuinely paralysed. One time I had it and could hear footsteps up my stairs (this was a hallucination) my son was a baby at the time and I was really panicking as I desperately tried to break out of the paralysis before whatever was coming up the stairs could get to my son. Awful.

I dream very vividly as well and I dream a lot, even short snoozes I will usually dream and I’ve recently been able to dabble into lucid dreaming where I become aware I’m dreaming and can then mess about with the dream. One time I became aware I was dreaming so decided to jump out of a window and when I woke up I got scared that one day I might get confused whilst awake and think I’m dreaming and do myself some harm so I’ve stopped being a daredevil in my lucid dreams

 

[WhatABore]

I get sleep paralysis fairly regularly and it’s horrible. I’ve often panicked thinking I’m genuinely paralysed. One time I had it and could hear footsteps up my stairs (this was a hallucination) my son was a baby at the time and I was really panicking as I desperately tried to break out of the paralysis before whatever was coming up the stairs could get to my son. Awful.

I dream very vividly as well and I dream a lot, even short snoozes I will usually dream and I’ve recently been able to dabble into lucid dreaming where I become aware I’m dreaming and can then mess about with the dream. One time I became aware I was dreaming so decided to jump out of a window and when I woke up I got scared that one day I might get confused whilst awake and think I’m dreaming and do myself some harm so I’ve stopped being a daredevil in my lucid dreams

I have always had very vivid dreams too.
I always remember at least 1 or 2 of my dreams every night as well.
Always fascinates my family when I tell them about everything that happened

Lucid dreaming has always fascinated me though but I'm too scared to try!

 

[Tide'sout]

Great thread @WhatABore. Sleep paralysis is horrific and that's no exaggeration. For me I can see every detail of my bedroom, even clothes hanging up. A grotesque figure, normally with a mask like face, comes gliding in. Glides so close, I swear I can feel its breath on my face and there's not a damn thing I can do as completely paralysed.

I've noticed Tattlers calling them "Sleep Paralysis Demons" and having a bit of a laugh about them. Giving them a name and belittling them has really helped me. Glide off you weird gits and never return

 

[WhatABore]

Great thread @WhatABore. Sleep paralysis is horrific and that's no exaggeration. For me I can see every detail of my bedroom, even clothes hanging up. A grotesque figure, normally with a mask like face, comes gliding in. Glides so close, I swear I can feel its breath on my face and there's not a damn thing I can do as completely paralysed.

I've noticed Tattlers calling them "Sleep Paralysis Demons" and having a bit of a laugh about them. Giving them a name and belittling them has really helped me. Glide off you weird gits and never return

It freaked me out a bit when I googled sleep paralysis and the images of a woman were exactly the same as the one that was pinning me down!

 

[yankydoo]

I have a recurring nightmare where I’m driving but can’t control the pedals.

I think this is a version of sleep paralysis. I get this maybe once every few months. I’m having a nightmare (can be anything) and I know it’s a nightmare and not real but no matter what I do I can’t wake up. I keep reassuring myself but it panics me more I can’t wake up. Yuck!

 

[WhatABore]

I have a recurring nightmare where I’m driving but can’t control the pedals.

I think this is a version of sleep paralysis. I get this maybe once every few months. I’m having a nightmare (can be anything) and I know it’s a nightmare and not real but no matter what I do I can’t wake up. I keep reassuring myself but it panics me more I can’t wake up. Yuck!

I have a very similar dream with the pedals. Usually the brakes. But it's often the whole car/ pedals.

Along with the popular teeth falling out dreams!

 

[Tide'sout]

It freaked me out a bit when I googled sleep paralysis and the images of a woman were exactly the same as the one that was pinning me down!

You mentioned a woman with really dark hair. My is the same. If it's her, there's no way I'm googling it

 

[WhatABore]

You mentioned a woman with really dark hair. My is the same. If it's her, there's no way I'm googling it

I remember reading something about it yesrs ago!

I refuse to sleep on my back because it's much more common on your back

 

[emm]

I get sleep paralysis fairly regularly and it’s horrible. I’ve often panicked thinking I’m genuinely paralysed. One time I had it and could hear footsteps up my stairs (this was a hallucination) my son was a baby at the time and I was really panicking as I desperately tried to break out of the paralysis before whatever was coming up the stairs could get to my son. Awful.

I dream very vividly as well and I dream a lot, even short snoozes I will usually dream and I’ve recently been able to dabble into lucid dreaming where I become aware I’m dreaming and can then mess about with the dream. One time I became aware I was dreaming so decided to jump out of a window and when I woke up I got scared that one day I might get confused whilst awake and think I’m dreaming and do myself some harm so I’ve stopped being a daredevil in my lucid dreams

I started lucid dreaming in the pandemic, I haven't been able to change the dream exactly but I am aware I am dreaming and can also hear what's going on around me, it is really strange

 

[Monkeybum]

I remember reading something about it yesrs ago!

I refuse to sleep on my back because it's much more common on your back

I used to get sleep paralysis a lot (always scares me to say that in case it returns!) Always when I was asleep on my front. I would wake to feel something heavy pressing down on my back and be aware of something getting closer but being unable to move to escape.

I trained my brain to focus on one part of my body (usually my hand) and to make that move and that used to get me out of it.

I have the teeth falling out dream a lot to the point I have to feel my teeth some mornings to make sure they're all there. And needing the toilet but
not being able to find one anywhere

 

[Snippysnips]

I get sleep paralysis a lot, it's mostly the house being on fire, people screaming at me with guns an gas masks on, people breaking in etc, I've started to learn that it's sleep paralysis am going through at the time so can sometimes calm myself down to focus enough to kick my leg an wake myself fully

Am also a lucid dreamer, which can be ok at times but not something I'd recommend anyone train themselves to do, nightmares are dreams too an fear can very quickly take over an you forget it's a dream, am not sure if lucid dreaming causes your senses to still be there or if that's another thing as I can smell, touch, feel an taste in dreams, I've woken up sick because I dreamt I gorged myself on chocolate

 

[Mamacita]

I get sleep paralysis a lot, it's mostly the house being on fire, people screaming at me with guns an gas masks on, people breaking in etc, I've started to learn that it's sleep paralysis am going through at the time so can sometimes calm myself down to focus enough to kick my leg an wake myself fully

Am also a lucid dreamer, which can be ok at times but not something I'd recommend anyone train themselves to do, nightmares are dreams too an fear can very quickly take over an you forget it's a dream, am not sure if lucid dreaming causes your senses to still be there or if that's another thing as I can smell, touch, feel an taste in dreams, I've woken up sick because I dreamt I gorged myself on chocolate

I can also feel and taste in dreams! Sometimes I'm able to lucid dream too

Does anyone have certain common settings for dreams? I have dreams in random settings but there are locations that always come back like my school and a few other places. My dreams are often set in those locations but the locations can be changed slightly and it's always a different story in the dream

 

[Rosie glow]

I've always had very vivid dreams and occasionally nightmares I do remember a lot of them I used to keep a dream diary something I want to start up again. I also turn some of my dreams in to short stories as I like to write.
I have dreamed in languages I can't speak and understood every word I have dreamed about things i wouldn't normally understand irl and understood them.
I dream about lost relatives too sometimes in everyday life now and I have experienced sleep paralysis once I also sometimes have an experience where I feel like I'm free falling and I can feel the stomach drop feeling like if you're on a fairground ride I have no explanation for it.

 

[WhatIKnowIllTellYou.]

When you’re falling asleep and jolt awake what is everyone’s reason for the jolt if anybody understands what I’m on about lol. Mine is tripping over a kerb. I’ve asked a friend and they trip over a tree root!

 

[WhatABore]

I've always had very vivid dreams and occasionally nightmares I do remember a lot of them I used to keep a dream diary something I want to start up again. I also turn some of my dreams in to short stories as I like to write.
I have dreamed in languages I can't speak and understood every word I have dreamed about things i wouldn't normally understand irl and understood them.
I dream about lost relatives too sometimes in everyday life now and I have experienced sleep paralysis once I also sometimes have an experience where I feel like I'm free falling and I can feel the stomach drop feeling like if you're on a fairground ride I have no explanation for it.

I feel like the free falling thing is something a lot of people experience

 

[Snippysnips]

When you’re falling asleep and jolt awake what is everyone’s reason for the jolt if anybody understands what I’m on about lol. Mine is tripping over a kerb. I’ve asked a friend and they trip over a tree root!

Mines is usually falling down a stair or missing a step

 

[emm]

I can also feel and taste in dreams! Sometimes I'm able to lucid dream too

Does anyone have certain common settings for dreams? I have dreams in random settings but there are locations that always come back like my school and a few other places. My dreams are often set in those locations but the locations can be changed slightly and it's always a different story in the dream

Yes and in locations I have never known, I don't know where my mindncomes up with them. My dreams like that kind of continue from where they ended, again this is something that has happened since the pandemic

 

[WhatABore]

I've had it a lot where I've never been to a place and they appear in my dreams and occasionally I've driven past them and recognised the place from a dream. Even though I'd never been there before