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Treatment For Hypnagogic Hallucinations Without Narcolepsy?

by Patricia Diaz-Verson
(Fortson, GA, USA)

I am a 59 year old Caucasian female in relatively good health. Approximately 20 years ago, after a sleep lab evaluation, I was diagnosed with Hypnagogic Hallucinations and Restless Leg Syndrome and subsequently prescribed Klonopin. I never agreed with the RLS diagnosis and discontinued the Klonopin, since it did not have any effect on the hallucinations.

My episodes do not seem to have a specific cause - I have them when under stress or when I am not under stress. I do not have the Narcolepsy component which often accompanies this disorder.

Are there any new treatments or medications? I have lived a long time with this disorder and seem to go long periods without an episode, but they have not subsided completely. I have not sought medical treatment since the initial diagnosis as most physicians seem to know very little about it.

I will be interested to hear about your experience with this particular disorder.

From Kevin

Hi Patricia! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and questions with us. While I don't have much experience with having much hypnagogic imagery myself, I've heard stories of people who experience frequent hypnagogic or hypnapompic hallucinations that have proven quite disruptive. I'm thankful that you are not having episodes as frequently anymore, but hope you'll be able to put a complete rest to the experiences soon.


To add onto what you said about narcolepsy commonly accompanying hypnagogic hallucinations, from what I know, I think a better way to think about it is the other way around: that hypnagogic hallucinations commonly accompany narcolepsy. In fact, the hallucinations themselves can independently turn up quite frequently in individuals without any other sleep disorders. It's cases like yours of very prolonged or consistent episodes that are less mainstream and more commonly associated with narcolepsy or other disorders involving abnormal REM sleep processes, such as REM sleep behavior disorder.

As far as new medication goes, I'll have to check with our advisers and Dr. Dement on that one. I don't know enough about the pharmaceutical side of the condition stay in the loop of that one, but as soon as I find out anything I'll be sure to let you know here.

Best wishes!
Kevin

P.S. Sleep related imagery always is really interesting to me. I wonder if you wouldn't mind walking me through what a typical episode may look or feel like to you to give myself and any other visitors a better/more specific perspective on how it all operates? If you'd like to, feel free to do so using the "Post Comments" link below!

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Treatment For Hypnagogic Hallucinations Without Narcolepsy?

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Aug 27, 2010
 Hynagogic Hallucinations
by: PDV

Thank you, Kevin, for your reply. I will be glad to share some of my hallucinations. I often see spiders on the ceiling (or bed canopy). They are usually large, at least the size of my hand or larger. When I was pregnant with my son, I also saw snakes in my bed. THAT will wake you up!

I had a fireplace in my bedroom, and I frequently thought I saw little people (leprechauns or similar) on the hearth. They were just standing there watching me sleep. Recently, I thought there was a bird in my bedroom.

Before we separated, I used to wake my husband up asking him who he was and why was he in my bed. That made for interesting breakfast conversation.

Often I think there is someone in my bedroom, and I think they have gone into the bathroom. I have gotten up, turned on the lights and searched the bathroom and my closet looking for them, before I can finally wake enough to realize there is no one there. These hallucinations are very vivid, so much so, that even turning on the light does not relieve my anxiety. It may take several minutes to become fully awake and realize it is just a hallucination.

My best friend has experienced many of these episodes (we often travel and vacation together), and she has managed to find the humor in my situation. One night she woke up to find me standing by her side of the bed, asking her if she had thrown up. I also asked her why she had a coat rack in the bed with us. As you can imagine, she loves to tell these stories :-)

Aug 28, 2010
 Such A Bright Tone
by: Kevin

Thanks for that Patricia! You write with such optimism and good humor that's really a pleasure to hear. I imagine it's wonderful too to have a travel partner who can relate to your stories by nature of being a part of some of them.

The humor you ended your post with actually reminded me of a site I was shown last year by the Head Teaching Assistant of Sleep and Dreams, Alex Carney. The site is called Sleep Talkin' Man (you might have seen it before, it's gotten a bit of press) and it was put up by an American woman documenting her husband's sleep talking adventures through the night. Of course, his episodes aren't exactly the same but the nonsensical dialogue you mentioned at the end reminded me of it ;-) Plus it's an absolute riot! Give it a browse if you like:

http://sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com
Sep 26, 2010
 partner has similar experiences
by: Anonymous

Hi
My partner has similar experiences on a frequent basis since he was in his ealry 20s. He is now 40. I had not heard of hynagogic states until I searched the internet trying to work out what he was experiencing. He also is very good at fantasy and often experiences highway hypnosis. He also is able to dissociate. His hypnagogy is disturbing and he spends much time trying to cope with the results of what he sees or hears, so much so that he withdraws from our relationship in order to isolate himself and process his disturbing experiences. Does any one know of how to manage these symptoms? Would visiting a sleep lab help? Much thanks.
Oct 09, 2010
 hypnagogic hallucinations
by: Anonymoubrendans

Iam 77 years old and in general good health.For the past few months i have regularly imagined during the night [only] that i see a person or animal in the bedroomit is vey vivid and vey frightening .last night i saw a cat running across the room .other times it could be a child or adult standing alongside the bed.aT FIRST I THOUGHT THE ROOM WAS HAUNTED OR THAT I WAS BEING VISITED BY ALIENS .tHE WHOLE SITUATION WAS VERY FRIGHTENING.Itold my doctor about it but he had no help to offer and didnt seem to know anything about this condition.Ihave just discovered on the internet that it comes under the heading of hupnagogic hallucinations and that it is not uncommon.THIS INFORMATION MAKES IT LESS FRIGHTENING .dOES ANYONE KNOW if there is any cure for this condition? ....brendan
Oct 11, 2010
 hypnagogic hallucinations are disrupting my and my husbands sleep
by: sarah g

I am a 32 year old female who has been suffering from what I think are hypnagogic hallucinations as long as I can remember. In addition to the hallucinations, I have vivid dreams and nightmares on a regular basis. My Mother and Grandmother both had similar issues. I usually have an episode several times per week with an increase around my menstral cycle. (I have insomnia that tends to increase around this time as well). This week I have had two episodes that I remember (usually remember some of it later). The first I thought there was a boy with a long coat on standing next to my baby's bed whispering to her and the second I sleep walked, talked, and crawled around in the bed looking for the rats (that I "saw" in the room). This is becoming very disruptive to my husbands sleep and I need to do something about it before we end up in different bedrooms!
Dec 22, 2010
 misdiagnosed frequently
by: anon

This disorder seems so real to many that it disrupts there life and is misdiagnosed as a mental disorder alot of times, especially when the person is scared to talk about what they have experienced and are fearing there life.They are often diagnosed as schizophrenia, sometimes people who are misdiagnosed if they will see an sleep disorder clinic they can be properly diagnosed with this and it is accompanied by RlS many times, or periodic leg movement.
Dec 23, 2010
 Help... I need perspective
by: Anonymous

I am a very concerned mother of a 7 year old who experiences hypnagogic hallucinations. He first experience with hallucinations was when he was an infant.. he would hallucinate with temps of 100+
Then at the age of 5yrs had a series of hallucinations from sleep state. It's so hard for him to describe but usually involves the sensation of have to have to go to the bathroom, pee or poop or throw-up, and something in his mouth... he would try to stuff anything in his mouth. This occurred about 18 times over a month period. Didn't happen again until 2 months ago. He has had about 8 episodes but this time they include visual hallucinations and leg sensations... he can not or is unwilling to describe.
How do I help him????? :-(
Dec 23, 2010
 Help... I need perspective
by: Anonymous

I am a very concerned mother of a 7 year old who experiences hypnagogic hallucinations. He first experience with hallucinations was when he was an infant.. he would hallucinate with temps of 100+
Then at the age of 5yrs had a series of hallucinations from sleep state. It's so hard for him to describe but usually involves the sensation of have to have to go to the bathroom, pee or poop or throw-up, and something in his mouth... he would try to stuff anything in his mouth. This occurred about 18 times over a month period. Didn't happen again until 2 months ago. He has had about 8 episodes but this time they include visual hallucinations and leg sensations... he can not or is unwilling to describe.
How do I help him????? :-(
Dec 23, 2010
 Help... I need perspective
by: Patty

I have a 7 year old son who had his first visual hallucination with fevers of 100+ as an infant.
When he was 5 yrs old he started having bodily sensations after sleeping a short period of time. He couldn't figure out if he had to poop, pee or throw-up, and he sometimes thought something was in his mouth. The episodes would last 10 - 35 minutes.
He had about 18 episodes in a months time and none until about 2 months ago. Now when he has these episodes he sometimes see things along with having these bodily sensations. I saw a pediatric neurologist who said he was confident that it is hypnagogic hallucinations which is part of narcolepsy and that I should go ahead with a sleep study. How do I put this in perspective?
I have other concerns because he was born with drugs in his system along with opiates at birth. Just want to make sure I am covering all my bases. He is a Great kid... please help me get what he needs.
Jan 05, 2011
 Alternative perspectives
by: Anonymous

From reading these comments there is a perspective that I wanted to add in. A lot of the more disturbing symptoms don't really sound like hypnogogia but actually threshold issues, like waking up and not knowing where you are (which means that your memory which was suspended in the dream state sometimes require a while to 'kick' back on) or confusing aspects of the dreaming with waking life, like people that feel they have rats in their room. So for some reason a person was dreaming and thinking about rats and this state carried over. Before jumping on what medicine to use stop and consider why might you be dreaming of rats? Especially around your child? This might be an issue in which your subconscious is trying very hard to tell you something, and it could be something important. So this one way to look at all of this, which is that the subconscious sometimes tries to send messages to the conscious mind. Think about it.
Another way to look at it is that these are blessings, firstly don't be scared because nothing in a dream state can hurt you and if you are having threshold issues try to consider what the 'fear' issue is and why might it exist. Also these states are controllable with a little bit of practice. Many people also see these kinds of states as coming from other worlds and containing important messages. Did you know for example that seeing spiders is very common? Some people have speculated that giant spiders are actually messengers from an alternate plane of existence.
Please take these as you feel but just know there are plenty of alternative perspectives out there and most of them will be better than fear or the belief that something is wrong with you.
Jan 05, 2011
 Hypnagogia
by: Kevin Morton

Yes, certainly nothing inherently wrong with such dream imagery, and sure there are all sorts of supernatural explanations some resort to. But to the last poster, seeing the spiders and the rats and any kind of other dream imagery upon wakening is exactly what hypnagogic imagery means. More specifically in this case it is called hypnopompic imagery. More info here:

http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/hypnopompic-hallucinations.html

There's nothing inherently wrong with experiencing hypnagogic imagery--it happens to all sorts of people all the time on a really normal basis--but it can sometimes be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as narcolepsy, as the original poster of this page alludes to in her title. But the imagery itself is, by definition, hypnagogic.
Jan 05, 2011
 the fine line between psyhosis and hypnagogia?
by: Anonymous

Are hypnopompic hallucinations related to psychosis, or can they be an early sign of psychosis? For example, if someone experiences hypnapompic hallucinations and develops delusions about them,such as that the hallucinations predict the future, or that the content of the hallucinations can produce actual bodily pains, then can this mean a tendency towards psychosis? I'm concered that the beliefs (delusions) about the experiences may mean something more sinister than hypnagogia/hypnapompia...where is the line between psychosis and hypnagogia? Someone I know experiences daily hypnapompic experiences that are unpleasant (frightening)and makes life decisions based on his hypnapompic experiences. He also experiences voices talking to him in these experiences, where he is the chosen one to receive infomration about the war from vrey important politicians. His mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. he tells me he only hears the voices and violent scenes as he wakes up and i'm concerned that he is not telling me everything because he doe snot want to see a doctor to be assessed. What do you all think about this?
Jan 05, 2011
 IMHO
by: Patricia Diaz-Verson

As the original poster in this thread, and a sufferer of these hallucinations for more than 30 years, I feel compelled to offer my comment. I have NEVER experienced anything remotely resembling the symptoms you are describing(voices, schizophrenia, etc). Your friend needs to be evaluated by a medical professional post-haste. The symptoms you are describing do NOT appear to be a simple sleep disorder. I am not in the medical field, but I have known several families who have dealt with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, paranoia, etc, and those problems are NOT self-correcting. One friend lost a loved one to suicide due to the "voices in his head". Please do everything you can to encourage your friend to seek help immediately.
Jan 05, 2011
 thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your comment. My friend has pushed me away and is in denial about his problems. The more people I speak to about it the more I realise he is ill. He refuses to see a doctor or counsellor/psychologist and gets very hostile and bitter if I very gently suggest he talk to someone or that there is a problem. I appreciate your comments as it helps me to decide what action to take. Best wishes to you! You have helped me be objective about the situation.
Jan 13, 2011
 Hypnagogic Hallucinations
by: Anonymous

Wow crazy, I just read the first few entries and the women that wrote about having these hallucinations could almost have been me. I experienced a bit of this as a teenager but it only lasted a few years and always involved my nightmares coming to life as I was inbetween sleep and wakefulness.

I hadn't had any new experiances until in 2005 I was in a car accident and hit my head (badly enough that there was bleeding but not badly enough that I became brain dead). Since then I had these ongoing nightly hallucinations that were always the same. Someone was either in the bed with my partner and I or someone was in the house and I had to get up and get dressed to not be rude and take care of them. Sometimes I would to see a huge spider hanging from the ceiling and would turn on the light to see where it went, or other such things. Lately things have changed and have turned more fanciful, last night I saw what looked like a black and white bluejay with rainbow tips fly out of my partners head and bounce on his head before flying around the room. It didn't disturb me at all but was beautiful.... I don't know when these will stop or if they will, but I much prefer them to be happy and fanciful then dark and strange.

Jan 23, 2011
 It's all I know
by: Anonymous

I just learned about hypnagogic halluciantions, I thought it was lucid dreaming. This is all I know when it comes to sleeping, I've always felt like it was a disorder because I've always lived with a disrupted sleep. I'm 40 years old and my first one was around the age of 8. I've learned how to deal with them though the years. I awaken immediately for no reason and I'm usually sitting up viewing many different things, most are confusing and sometimes I can get a little scared. I've woken to many bright lines being drawn across the ceiling and walls, I'm in a different room, other than my own and things are unfamilar to me, I've seen objects moving or disappearing, floating upward and I've gone so far as to search for things or family members that I thought were at my home.....etc. This happens almost everynight, is there a way to get over this? I don't have narcolepsy, I would just like to have a peaceful night sleep without waking up?
Jan 30, 2011
 I feel like I'm not going to be able to take this anymore
by: Dawn Triche

I just started having these Hypnagogia, about 6 episodes. My doctor diagnosed this for me. I do have Bipolar and am on several medications. My research has indicated that Lamictal can be associated with this disorder. The first time it happened I thought a man had broken into my apartment and was hovering over me. I thought he was going to rape me. I did everything possible to escape but was paralyzed from head to foot. I was extemely firghtened. I eventually broke free jumped out of bed and locked my bedroom doors. I was unable to fall back asleep without phenomena reoccuring. I finally was too afraid to sleep period and this has carried on for some weeks now. One time I kept checking the clock inbetween episodes and it was over two hours of drifing in and out of this disorder. I don't know what to do. I will say that now I am aware of it I can talk my way out of it. Last night I thought my nephew, 25, was in my room comforting me. I have experienced light sensations, colors, wind, touch, people present, on and on. Being that I live with Bipolar I want everyone to know herein that I take very good care of myself...including taking all my medications as prescribed.
Jan 30, 2011
 last post
by: Patricia Diaz-Verson

It sounds as if you experienced sleep paralysis also. Since you have been having these so frequently and therefore are not getting enough rest, I think you should discuss the possibility of your bipolar meds somehow contributing to the severity of these episodes. it could be that your meds need to be "tweaked" or perhaps even a different med prescribed. If you are not resting, then additional problems are bound to occur. I would discuss asap with my physician - be very specific and detailed about the sleep issues. Good luck!
Jan 30, 2011
 Also For Dawn
by: Kevin Morton

Dawn, What you describe does sound like sleep paralysis, which can often be accompanied by this type of imagery. In addition to talking to your physician about the possible contributing effects of the medication, you may also want to read up a bit on these techniques for combating sleep paralysis: http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/sleep-paralysis-treatment.html
Feb 07, 2011
 Hynagogic
by: Noel

when i am just about to head asleep or if i have woken from a sleep i often find myself not being able to move i am paralysed and cannot do anythin it feels like i am being touched,shoved i am awake and know wats goin on but cant move. sometimes i just clutch my feet a few times until finally i am released/ sometimes i hear noiss that are not there and it really upsets me. i have often told my girlfriend to keep hittin me wen im in that state and so she has but i cannot feel anything. i am hopin there is something to cure this as it is very frightning. sometimes my body just jumps as if someone has revived me. hope to hear from u soon.
Feb 07, 2011
 Curing Sleep Paralysis
by: Kevin Morton

Hey Noel, what you describe is a natural phenomenon called sleep paralysis, and while it's not something you completely "cure" like an illness there are steps you can take and be conscious of that can help you control it. The best book I know on the subject you can find here:

http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/sleep-paralysis-treatment.html
Mar 05, 2011
 I think I suffer from this condition
by: John

Here is a description of what I have experienced. Shortly after falling asleep, usually within an hour, I will feel as though I have awakened when in reality I am still asleep. During this perceived awake state I will have vivid sensory experiences. Usually it is the sense that someone is in the room and, during a recent incident, that someone placed their hand around my neck and spoke into my ear. Then I have what I call layers that I go through to wake up. I will perceive that I woke up 2-4 times before actually waking up. An indicator that I in one of those "layers" is a repetitive whooshing sound that I hear. It is weird!

It has gotten to the point where I can recognize that I am in the cycle of layers and I either kick my legs or call out to my fiance to get her to wake me up and break the cycle. I can never wake myself up, only she can.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do about this?

Mar 19, 2011
 elderly
by: Jane

My 85 year old mother started experiencing primarily auditory hallucinations at the onset of sleep and upon awakening. She hears people in the house moving around, talking, etc. Later in the day she still believes these were real experiences. I would like to know how to handle this with her. Should I tell her that these are hallucinations and that it is common, especially with elderly? Or should I just let it go, because the hallucinations cause no anxiety or stress? Would any medicaiton help with these?
Mar 19, 2011
 Elderly mother
by: Anonymous

I would mention this to your mother's physician at her next regularly scheduled appointment (I assume you or someone goes with her). My mother passed away just a year ago at the age of 91. She had Alzheimer's disease for nearly 8 years, but I was fortunate in that she still recognized family and friends up to the end.

She began to hear birds chirping or people talking as she was falling asleep, eventually awakening during the night to the same. I never knew whether it was her disease or perhaps even a medication side effect - with Alzheimer's it is hard to tell since their short term memory is compromised. The only reason we knew she was experiencing this was because she would call out to her caregiver and ask why were there people in the house or birds, etc.

The elderly undergo many changes, some subtle, others more obvious which alert you to a possible stroke, or other life altering event. A conversation with her physician would probably help determine if this is an indicator or a change in her physical health, a reaction to medicine, the onset of dementia, or just a natural part of the aging process. Good luck and count your blessings every day that your mother is still with you.
Mar 31, 2011
 Sounds with Hypnagogic Hallucinations
by: Anonymous

It's so nice to hear that other people have these hallucinations as well. I've seen all the same things too - people, rats, spiders, hands reaching for me, etc.

I've dealt with the hallucinations for about 10 years now, but lately I've noticed that they are no longer just visual perceptions--sometimes I hear noises that I later realize couldn't have actually occurred.

I have been diagnosed with narcolepsy (although I question this diagnosis because it's more like excessive drowsiness-not an inability to stay awake). But when I told my doctor that I had started hearing things during my hallucinations, he told me that wasn't a component of hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. Is that correct? It seems others on this forum hear things occasionally too.
May 02, 2011
 treatment
by: Anonymous

I have been taking a very low dose of Zoloft for many years for this very problem - it has helped immensely!!! When I fell out of bed trying to escape from my husband - whom I did not recognize - I realized this was a pretty big problem. Very disruptive for that night and into the next day - confusion and a sense of dread persist.
May 07, 2011
 My experiences
by: Jo

My experiences started around aged 14 (I am currently 28). It begins as I am trying to fall off to sleep. The best way I have found to describe it is that my body has gone to sleep but my mind has not quite got there yet. I am paralysed and am aware that I am drifting into the hallucination - it's a feeling I have gotten to know very well, almost like a falling sensation. Each one is different, sometimes it's just a feeling of pure fear, other times I see things in my room, but mostly it's someone pushing me about, off the bed. The other night was a particularly bad one. I was being beaten up at the end of my bed, having my ribs punched. I was aware it was not real although the pain was tremendous. I then wondered (during the state) what being stabbed would feel like (not sure why I had this thought!) and there I was being stabbed!! To come out of the state, I always try to move a finger or toe then shake it off. Unfortunately, I then drift straight back into it again as I try to fall asleep again.

It is often triggered by over-tiredness, scary movies or stress. My advice during an episode is to put some noise on (tv or radio) just in the background. I have found this helps me as it distracts me from actually trying to fall asleep so I just drift off without realising. I have found it is a viscous cycle. I may not have an episode for ages, but then I have one and then, because it's on my mind, I'll have them for a few nights in a row.

I have also recently started 'jumping' a lot before I drift off, just during the first few minutes of getting into bed. It's like an energy builds up inside my limbs and I can suppress it but it becomes so overwhelming that I have to jump and kidder to shake it away. Not sure if this is all linked!

Anyway, that's my experience. It's always nice to find I am not alone!
May 10, 2011
 my hypnagogic encounter
by: Anonymous

I am 40 yrs old and have been suffering from this disorder since childhood. The sights I see are disturbing to down right frightening.
Just last night I woke to see a man staring at me from outside my window I looked at him for about a minute paralyzed with fear not able to take my eyes off him. It took me another minute to remind myself that i am on the second floor and still another minute to realize i was facing away from the window. Even after knowing it wasnt real I still couldnt take my eyes off the spot where he was. I had to reach behind me to turn on my lamp because I was to scared to turn around. It wasnt until the light was on that the image went away.
This encounter lasted several minutes and I was so scared I slept with the closet light on.
May 11, 2011
 I too suffer from them!
by: Anonymous

I am 37 years old and have just recently realized I am not seeing spirits in my room...they are so real! I started having them about 10 years ago repeatedly. I told my husband we had ghosts. Then we moved and I did not see anything for a. Long time, then it started again. Initially I thought they were ghost again. Often times they did not scare me once I realized they were not there to hurt me. I would lay there still as could be, scared to move because I was trying to understand WHY they were there. I would lay in bed forever and just watch them. I finally began to research on line about my visitors and realized they were hallucinations. I still have them sometimes 5-6 nights a week. My husband will find me sitting up in bed just staring down the hallway, at a wall in the room, in my bathroom ,etc. Usually I see people, once I saw a snake. I did see one person running at me with a knife. Even though when I have them now I sit and stare and tell myself it is not real it disrupts my sleep and is bothersome. I wish I knew how to make it stop. I actually have heard my name be called before and also one time I heard my husbands name be called- both times it was while sleeping and before I knew they were hallucinations. At those two separate times I saw no visual things...just the auditory. One time I saw something like a light show on my wall....that was the only time I have had things that were not living type things in a hallucination. I stated this started 10 years ago, but as a teen I use to have true night mares and wake feeling as if there was someone just outside of my door ready to kill me. I would not move as I was terrified...I guess now it makes since to believe that I had a nightmare followed by a hallucination maybe? is that what that would be called even though I did not see anything but feared there was someone there? That was a recurring dream and always woke to having that fear. Any help is appreciated. People seem to think I am crazy when I tell them...that upsets me.
May 17, 2011
 Frequent Auditory Halluncinations
by: Ian UK

I was fortunate in learning about Hypnagogia before I began to have a lot of experience of them. They are never visual, always auditory and as clear as crystal.

It always occurs when I am feeling sleepy. I may hear one, two or three words but sometimes I will hear a complete sentence.

On at least two occasions I have been with another person and I have answered them, thinking the hallucination was them asking me a question or making a statement. Once I was at work. It was embarrassing and I made up some story about referring to something else I had been thinking.
about! The second time a different person said "had you fallen asleep? Were you dreaming?" I admitted it was "something like that"

I am never been worried about and with the exception of the two I have just mentioned, I am usually amused or curious by these experiences.
Jun 09, 2011
 Me again and it's been getting worse
by: Anonymous

The episodes are increasing and it is effecting my and my husband's sleep significantly. I don't even want to go to bed despite the fact that I am always tired now. Lately there has been more sleep walking and talking along with the hallucinations. This week I have had two episodes in consecutive nights. Tuesday night I saw the light turn on in my closet and a man enter the closet and pull the door up behind him so that only a crack of light appeared around the door. I then "heard" what sounded like he was going up a long set of wooden steps. I sat there in bed and stared at the closet door for a while and sometimes it looked like it would crack open a little bit and let more light in the room. I finally got out of bed and went to the closet door and turned on the light (the light was not really on obviously) and looked inside. I guess the light woke me up enough to know I was "dreaming". I turned the light off and went back to bed. Sometime later in the night I felt like there was a stranger in the bed with me and my husband. I got so upset about it that I got up and put on my clothes so that he would not see me in my pajamas. I actually woke up standing beside the bed with my jeans on over my pajama bottoms. The last episode I was out of bed crawling around on the floor next to my husbands feet. I could not find the bathroom. My husband told me that I told him I was looking for the secret passageway in the wall. After all that on Tuesday, Wednesday night was just as bad. I woke up needing to go to the bathroom and I did not recognize my room at all. There were stairs near the door to the hallway (that aren't there in reality) and the bathroom door was completely gone. My husband told me to get back in bed. This morning he told me that he was worried about me that I might get hurt in my sleep or that I might try to leave the house or something. Normally I don't act out on my hallucinations... It's just something hovering over the bed or spiders on the walls or someone standing next to my baby's crib but it's really getting out of hand now. I don't know what to do. My doctor said she did not want to give me Ambien or some sort of sleep aid because she has heard it can make these episodes worse... Any ideas? I have found that a child's dose of benadryl before bed can reduce the number of episodes I have but it does not eliminate them. The only other medication I take is a beta blocker for migraine headaches (Propranalol) but I have been having the problem since before I was prescribed this medicine.
Jun 09, 2011
 sleeping medication
by: Patricia Diaz-Verson

I take Sonata, which is a sleeping pill that has a short (4 hour) half life. I would wake up in the middle of the night,unable to go back to sleep. I can take this medication as late as 4 am and still wake at my regular time 7:30 am without any "hangover" feeling often associated with other sleep medications. I am not saying that this will stop the episodes, but it might prove useful if you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep.
I also sleep with a nightlight on in both my bedroom and bathroom, which is adjacent to my bedroom. I have found that the more light in the room, the less severe the episodes.
If you are leaving your room during one of these episodes, I would be very concerned. I never leave my bedroom, so I am not worried about harming myself accidentally.
Jun 30, 2011
 Awake but still asleep?
by: Mick

My first episode was some years ago now. I awoke sat up in bed to find a fat man standing at the end of my bed. My eyes were open and he was there as clear as day. He smiled at me turned and walked straight through my bedroom door! I jumped up and went out but he was gone and I woke and wondered what was going on?
I have opened my eyes while lying in bed to find my girlfriend (now wife) standing on the bed looking down at me. Her face and head fully covered in blood! She fell motionless like a tree being felled. I screamed and jumped up trying to catch her. It woke her up (I woke at that point)and I became very confused.
I have dragged my wife out of bed screaming we have to get out of here the walls are falling in!
More recently my dreams have been about my 12month old daughter. I often think she is in bed with us and she falls off the side of the bed. Naturally I leap to catch her, the last time knocking my bedside lamp over.
The worst one ever was when I sat up and looked at my wardrobe door. I could see my daughter lying there in her cot (but the cot was vertical on my wardrobe door) and I noticed a gap open up straight down the middle of the cot from one end to the other. The gap got bigger and eventually my little girl fell slowly through the gap, which then closed up again and my girl was gone! Just an empty cot remained. I have never been so scared, I jumped out bed screaming the house down and tried to open the wardrobe door to get my daughter back. My wife woke and tried to calm me but I started to cry and kept yelling. This woke my daughter who was asleep in the next room and this episode ruined my whole families night sleep. My wife at that point asked me to do something about it but I'm not sure what?
I hope I don't have that nightmare ever again!
Jun 30, 2011
 Awake but still asleep?
by: Mick

My first episode was some years ago now. I awoke sat up in bed to find a fat man standing at the end of my bed. My eyes were open and he was there as clear as day. He smiled at me turned and walked straight through my bedroom door! I jumped up and went out but he was gone and I woke and wondered what was going on?
I have opened my eyes while lying in bed to find my girlfriend (now wife) standing on the bed looking down at me. Her face and head fully covered in blood! She fell motionless like a tree being felled. I screamed and jumped up trying to catch her. It woke her up (I woke at that point)and I became very confused.
I have dragged my wife out of bed screaming we have to get out of here the walls are falling in!
More recently my dreams have been about my 12month old daughter. I often think she is in bed with us and she falls off the side of the bed. Naturally I leap to catch her, the last time knocking my bedside lamp over.
The worst one ever was when I sat up and looked at my wardrobe door. I could see my daughter lying there in her cot (but the cot was vertical on my wardrobe door) and I noticed a gap open up straight down the middle of the cot from one end to the other. The gap got bigger and eventually my little girl fell slowly through the gap, which then closed up again and my girl was gone! Just an empty cot remained. I have never been so scared, I jumped out bed screaming the house down and tried to open the wardrobe door to get my daughter back. My wife woke and tried to calm me but I started to cry and kept yelling. This woke my daughter who was asleep in the next room and this episode ruined my whole families night sleep. My wife at that point asked me to do something about it but I'm not sure what?
I hope I don't have that nightmare ever again!
Jul 16, 2011
 I have passed on my hypnagogic hallucinations to my 3 yr old son.
by: Nikki

For as long as I could remember I have "seen" things. Once when I was 11 I saw my dead grandfather sitting on the foot of my bed, I never met him but my brain figured out a way to create him and I was given the chance to see him smile at me. I can't say my hypnagogic hallucinations are that sweet, they are almost always full of fear, spiders, ants, and satanic writing in blood on my walls. I always thought I was crazy and one day I would turn full on skitzo! What I fear most now is my son is getting these hypnagogic hallucinations and I can't tell him it's fake because we all know how real these hallucinations look. Has anyone published anything about this condition being passed on?
Jul 19, 2011
 Night Terrors & hallucinations
by: Sueeus

I frequently see spiders on the ceiling that aren't there. I don't have a fear of spiders though and seeing a litter of kittens in my bedroom at night produces the same blood curdling screams as the spiders do, yet I like kittens. One treatment I have found quite helpful though was to chuck my husband of 35 yrs out of our bed for good. No more snoring and grunting pig like noises anymore to disturb my sleep. It's amazing how quickly sleep deprivation improves when you stop sharing your bed with a farmyard animal.
Aug 03, 2011
 Getting progressively scarey
by: Jess

I started having hallucinations or illusions about two years ago. It all started off with me thinking objects were people (like my stand up mirror was my father) or I would see my brother (who doesnt live at home) in my door way. Soon I would wake up and think I see someone, usually a man or child by the foot of my bed. I immediately shot out of bed and turn my light on. It is starting to get progressively worse. Just last night I thought I saw a man outside my window trying to break in. I started to scream and bang on my window for him to leave. It wasn't until I turned on the light that I realized no one was there. I went to bed shaking and my heart pounding. I thought I was the only person who went through this but now I know that there are others like me. Is there any treatments that have proven effective?
Aug 03, 2011
 Getting progressively scarey
by: Jess

I started having hallucinations or illusions about two years ago. It all started off with me thinking objects were people (like my stand up mirror was my father) or I would see my brother (who doesnt live at home) in my door way. Soon I would wake up and think I see someone, usually a man or child by the foot of my bed. I immediately shot out of bed and turn my light on. It is starting to get progressively worse. Just last night I thought I saw a man outside my window trying to break in. I started to scream and bang on my window for him to leave. It wasn't until I turned on the light that I realized no one was there. I went to bed shaking and my heart pounding. I thought I was the only person who went through this but now I know that there are others like me. Is there any treatments that have proven effective?
Aug 15, 2011
 Imaginary intruders
by: Amy

I have suffered from hypnagogic hallucinations since I was a teenager. I am now in my 50s. Most often they are of "intruders" in my room but have also included burning candles near the curtains, speeding trains across my bed, spiders, dogs and, most recently, smoke filled rooms. My hallucinations ALWAYS occur exactly 30 minutes after going to sleep. I thought if I could figure out why my eyes were opening 30 minutes after falling asleep I could find a way to eliminate what I was "seeing". I bought a sleep mask thinking if I couldn't see anything when I opened my eyes, I wouldn't see a hallucination. Wrong! I still had hallucinations with the sleep mask on! I even "saw" my bedroom along with the "intruder" all while wearing the mask. I do not have any other sypmtoms of narcolepsy. I have tried sleeping pills, alcohol before bed, no alcohol before bed, ear plugs, sleep masks, eating before bed, not eating before bed etc. My hallucinations only last for about 4 or 5 seconds but they are terrifying. Imagine seeing an intruder in your bedroom in the middle of the night. I know it's not real but for those 4 or 5 seconds it is to me. I have trained myself to snap out of it quickly by looking at the clock to see if it fits in the 30 minute time frame. It still takes me a good 10 or minutes to calm my racing heart. The only other oddity with regard to sleep is when I take a cat nap, which is extremely rare and probably happens less then once every 3 months, I "hear" a really loud tone as I'm drifting off that lasts through the nap and for about 3 minutes after I awaken. It sounds like a carn horn in a tunnel and it is C sharp on the piano. My cat naps are usually 10 minutes long and I can fall asleep almost instantly. I do NOT hear this tone when I fall asleep for the night, just for naps even if the naps are in my bed. I awaken completely refreshed after a 10 minute cat nap. Again, I rarely take them so it has nothing to do with sleep deprivation. I don't know if these are related to the hypnagogic hallucinations.
Aug 22, 2011
 eh...
by: Anonymous

I have too many of these. They can be thrilling or awful. Sometimes they go at an unbearable speed, I try to control what goes on in them but usually end up losing control and awful things happen.
Aug 29, 2011
 Is it hereditary?
by: Amy

My 23 year old married daughter just informed me today that she has had her first hypnagogic hallucination. I was so hoping none of my children would inherit this tendency from me. Are there any studies that show this is common in families?
Sep 17, 2011
 IM NOT ALONE!
by: sweetdreamsnyc

I just want to say what a relief it is to hear people with my exact symptoms. I have been trying to explain thia to friends and family, off and on as it comes up, for YEARS and people atare at me like I am nuts! I am 27, female and I suffered terribly from night tremors as a kid ao i always assumed thia was an adverse effect of that. I had tried to convince myaelf I was just a weird dreamer, but these "hallucinations" are really intense. The most common for me is bugs. I will be laying in bed staring right at my wall or ceiling and see, as plain as DAY, a giant spider or cockroache or ca really long entipeed, just gross. I have seen people, kind of, usually as the seconds fade I am realizing I made thatimage out of actual shapes or objects put together. It has been secretly disturbing to me for years and I am not sure why its taken me so long to research it but I am glad I did. I dont feel ceazy anymore! Has anyone had any success with holistic treatments, I am not a fan of pills, well I used to be until they started recalling them all. Also are there any serious or life threatening causes of this?
Sep 18, 2011
 Still won't understand
by: Jeremy Anderson

I started having Hallucinations about 7 years ago. They always started off with me hearing something and seeing something in my room right next to me. Then with the feeling of something grabbing me or pressing down on my chest so I couldn't breathe. I won't ever forget my first one and I remember most of them down to the T. Way more than regular dreams. I've always had audio, visual, and touch in most of my hallucinations i have. Recently they have been just falling into that "state" and having to just wait till they are over. the worst one I've ever had was about 6 months ago. I was going to sleep and then fell into that state. Then there was something standing to my right and it was a dark figure standing upright with a dark cloud around it. Then it proceded to yell at me but I couldn't understand it. I tensed up so much I thought I was going to break a bone or something. But something started walking up the stairs to my front door. The figure stopped yelling and just stood there. The thing at my front door opened it and I watched my hallway light turn on at the crack of the bottom of the door. I heard it walk in and say "oh my god" (which was the first time I was able to understand anything). Then it walked to my bedroom door and everything faded out. When i woke up my right side was in pain and I wasn't able to go back to sleep the rest of the night. I'll never understand why they are like that but its just something I have to live with.
Sep 21, 2011
 Me too!
by: Annon

I started having hypnogogic hallucinations at the age of 19 (now 36) ... my mother has narcolepsy but I have none of the other symptoms.
The stories above are all so familiar (including the putting on of clothes over PJs and realising halfway through it's all just not real). My episodes are very frequent - at least 1 per night.

I've undergone days/nights of observation and EEG to see if I had epilepsy (but no) and they only found issues with my transition from phase 2 of sleep (sounds so easy vs what I felt as a floor stub turned into a coachroach). So far the only suggested treatment is short acting sleeping tablets (temaze) but we are looking into melatonin as another option.

These things are beyond terrifying! I'm in Australia and there doesn't seem to be any specialists who are even interested in this area (which makes sense given there are more life threatening and common problems).

I keep checking the internet to see if more research has been done in other countries. Looks like I'll be on sleeping tablets every night for the rest of my life.
Sep 21, 2011
 Doesn't hurt to try this
by: Amy

I know we're all looking for a solution to our hypnagogic hallucinations. I'll share what works best for me. My episodes are much more frequent when I am stressed and almost non existent when I am not stressed. About 20 years ago I was having episodes almost nightly. I connected them to the extra stress I was feeling from the 2 burglaries of my home within 4 days. After I made the connection I started a ritual before bed. I walked my entire house checking every window and door to make sure they were secure. After lying down in bed, I visualized my "walk" and reassured myself window by window, door by door that everything was secure. I did not have any hypanogogic hallucinations when I did this ritual. For others, I suggest figuring out what your stressors are and dealing with calming yourself with regard to them. Do it right before sleep, too. For instance, if you're stressing about your relationship, you could reassure yourself of your own good qualities. Or if you're worried about your job, you could go over in your mind why you are a good worker and valuable to your company. It works for me. The hard part is finding out what really is bothering you. Can't hurt to try this.
Sep 25, 2011
 hi
by: Anonymous

ok I'm only 13 years old and I keep seeing this cat it's this rainbow cat and I never really know what is going on but it's wicked confusing I don't know what to do....
Oct 03, 2011
 I also get the hallucinations.
by: Sarah

I am 22, female, healthy and also get these hallucinations, and it's a relief to know I am not alone. Mine seem to be the same as a lot of the people above. Most frequently I see spiders in my bed. I usually wake up with a start and think I can see the spiders (usually quite small) crawling across my sheets. I always jump out of bed really quickly, turn on the light and sometimes go out of my bedroom before gradually waking up fully and realising it is just the hallucinations. I don't usually find it too too scary, but more of an inconvenience as I don't get a full night of sleep and it really seems, from reading around, that there isn't really any treatment for it.
Although most of the time it is spiders, I have also seen a cats in my bed, sometimes a baby, quite often I think I see scribbles all over my walls, and sometimes I see people standing in my room - that is really scary and I find my heart racing.
I have been having these hallucinations for about 2 years. Like many of the other people, I don't have narcolepsy either. I get them almost every night, but only really when I am sleeping in a bed I am used to sleeping in, for example at my parents house and my uni house.
I have read elsewhere that anti-depressants can be both a cause and a cure for the hallucinations. I experienced the hallucinations whilst on anti-depressant medication and when first researching the hallucinations it seemed like this could be the cause. However, I recently stopped taking the medication and am STILL having the hallucinations, so now I am more confused.
Like others above I have tried sleeping with the light on or wearing an eye mask, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.
I also read somewhere that sometimes training yourself to move a limb or shake your head when you start having a hallucination can wake you up quicker or jolt you out of it. Has anyone tried this or got any other tips?
Oct 04, 2011
 hopefully helpful tips
by: Amy

In response to Sarah's comments, I can't emphasize how much stress plays a part in my hallucinations. The more stressed I am, the more I have and vice versa. Learning to deal with my stressors and calming myself at bedtime has been most helpful. I do not wake up with a "start" like you. My eyes just open, for what reason, I don't know. That's why I thought the sleep mask might help, but it didn't. One other thing I tried, in desperation, was to tuck my chin to my chest when I was falling asleep. For some odd reason, that worked for me. If the sleep mask didn't work, I don't have an explanation as to why directing my eyes downward did, but it did. Maybe my mind felt like I was making a conscious effort to help myself, therefore calming myself? Give it a try.
Oct 10, 2011
 Response to Amy's comment.
by: Sarah

Thanks for the advice Amy. I agree with you on the stress thing. I think that must be a factor. I will give the chin on chest thing a go. It's worth a try!
Oct 12, 2011
 Hypnagogia is a psychic portal
by: Anonymous

Have some guts people. Hypnagogia is natural psychedelia. Drugs are redundant - hypnagogia is everyone's own LSD. "Hypnagogic Hallucinations" - a disorder? Get out of here. Stop listening to doctors who don't know anything that's not in their textbooks.

What you need to calmly do is assess reality from fantasy. See the hypnagogic state as a kind of psychic realm of your mind beyond your ordinary state of consciousness and beyond your ordinary unconscious dream sleep states. ENJOY IT. Enjoy the mystery, the madness.

The best advice I can give you is to take up meditation and learn how to induce hypnagogia at will. In meditation, you enter the hypnagogic state. The difference between this self-induced entry and the automatic one upon ordinary transitioning into sleep is that via the meditation technique you retain much more subjective self-awareness (self as mind-consciousness). Thus, any experience you have therein is KNOWN to be illusory, the projection of your own mind. It can be enjoyed safely for its symbolic content particular to you and only you.

Hypnagogia is not meant to hurt you. You are not crazy, you do NOT need medication for it. When you awake from disturbing hypnagogic hallucinations, simply differentiate reality from the fantasy however you can. We all deal with this all the time. There is no one fixed reality and everything else "unreal". This is the problem with diagnosing people as crazy just because their minds produce interesting thoughts. The mind is a mystery, we must enjoy it while maintaining a functional grasp on the every day reality of fixed physical laws and so on. In other words, just like with drugs, hypnagogia may show you another world, but you'll still wake up to check the mail, take a poop, eat breakfast, walk the dog. This waking state is our "outer dream" world. It's more solid and "real" seeming than the ever shifting inner dream world. But it's still basically a dream as far as we should be concerned as experients.

I urge all of you with pronounced hypnagogic activity to consider it a good thing - that your minds have natural potential beyond many people - something that you should learn to nurture and not seek to escape. Running from it may only throw you deeper into it as your fear will determine your experiences.

With much love to all travelers,

The Hypnagogic Shaman
Oct 13, 2011
 Response to the Hypnagogic Shaman
by: Amy

I take great offense to your comments. The mere fact that I have lived with hypnagogic hallucinations for the last 35 plus years proves that I "have some guts". And, to add insult to injury, you expect me to "ENJOY" them? There is NOTHING enjoyable about my hypnagogic hallucinations. Tell me what is enjoyable about waking up to an "intruder/rapist/murderer" in your bedroom in the dark of night? Yes, I know it's not real, but I don't realize that immediatley. Then there is nothing 'enjoyable' about my heart pounding so hard and fast that my chest feels like it's going to explode. Of course, it takes me about 20 minutes to stop shaking, too. I do NOT "consider" the terror of hypnagogic hallucinations to be "a good thing". What part of terrifying do you not understand? You may believe that "hypnagogia is not meant to hurt" me, but, I assure you, it does. For what it's worth, I do not think I am crazy and I have never sought out medical help for this. I have dealt with this purely on my own. I stumbled upon this site and have found it helpful to read of others' experiences and to share my own. For you to offer your patronizing comments is hurtful and borders on bullying. Shame on you, 'Shaman'!
Oct 13, 2011
 Not a malfunction
by: Anonymous

While the Shaman's comments might be extreme for some there is some truth in taking responsibility. Perhaps this is not a 'malfunction' of the brain but instead message from the deep subconscious expressing themselves in a very powerful way. Everyone all the time is in some state of either positive or negative energies. Think about this, did you have these terror visions when you went to bed in a good mood? Laying awake thinking 'please please don't let me have these nightmares' is a perfect way to get yourself into the mood to have them. If someone falls asleep in very negative space of fear and anxiety then the vision that they might have could be terrifying beyond all imagination but on exactly the opposite end if you go to sleep happy the vision that you could have might be some of the most amazing things you could ever dream, beyond your dreams. I have had both kinds. This 'problem' will allow you to visit both hell and heaven and an infinite number of realms in-between, dependent on your mood. Try it, be happy no matter what, refuse to be afraid, relax even if everything inside is telling you to clench up; then see what visions come.
Oct 13, 2011
 hes got a point that I didnt want to admit
by: nikki

I don’t think I can enjoy most of my hypnagogic hallucinations anymore than the rest of you that also suffer from them. but the more I think about it The Hypnagogic Shaman kind of has a point. Although they may be scary most of the time I have found it possible to control them sometimes and decide what comes out, if that makes any sense? and its actually pretty amazing. I often thought that maybe I wasnt crazy but rather "different" hypnagogic hallucinations are not the only "issue" I have. How many of you also can leave your own body? Or how many of you also have deja vu more than you think the average person has it?

I have done meditation, and have induced such a state of being able to leave my body. It was actually an awaking of your third eye meditation. So to say the least everything has been heighten since.
Oct 13, 2011
 "The Original"
by: Patricia Diaz-Verson

Since I began this thread, I have been gratified to see the number of responses it has generated. This is a fairly obscure problem in that it doesn't get the "press" afforded other sleep disorders. I know that whether the respondents have been helped by the information posted here or not, they have been comforted to know they are not alone and more importantly, they are not crazy.

The response from Shaman is disturbing. To insinuate that if we just try and embrace the "enlightenment" afforded us by our awesome brains is at best condescending and at worst insulting. Would you have someone who is a schizophrenic spend more time talking to the voices in their head? At least they are fortunate, if you can call it that, in that there is medication for their condition. There have been no definitive studies of the brain to determine if this purely chemical or psychological, so for you or anyone else to insinuate that we need to just go with the flow and, in essence, get over ourselves is obtuse and insensitive.

The suggestion that we need to relax and get in a better place with only "positive energy" before nodding off to sleep is such a simplistic suggestion as to be absurd. I have endured hypnagogic episodes when my life was in as good a place as I could possibly be, but also when everything seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket. My state of mind or even external or internal stresses have never been a precursor to the episodes.

I recently found out that my 24 year old daughter has been experiencing similar problems for the past couple of years. She has had sleep paralysis on several occasions - a condition I have only experienced a few times. What is interesting is that her awareness of her sleep disturbances started at almost the same age as when I first became aware of mine. I had strange sleep disturbances when I was younger but never associated them with anything other than nightmares. She had the same, but as she grew older, she has realized that she is experiencing something similar to me. Truly, it freaked her out when she came to that realization. We have joked about my sleep issues for years - it makes them less scary to treat them as a "quirk", but she was more than a little panicked to come to the recognition that this could be hereditary.

This is a place for sharing experiences, and even suggestions which may have helped others, but most of all for receiving assurances that one is not alone. If you have not endured anything remotely similar, you can't really offer counsel to those of us who have.
Oct 17, 2011
 Positivity is not simplistic
by: cjmdreamer

The idea that being in a positive space is simplistic is true, it is a very simple idea. Yet your refute is highly simplistic onto itself. You had these experiences in both good times in life and bad; this is of course true because state of being is not connected with the circumstances in your material life. Think about it, if it were then rich people would always be happy and poor people would always be sad. Life isn't that simple. and everyone has seen someone who insists on being positive despite all circumstances and someone who insists on being negative even on the most beautiful days. Your life could be great and you will still fall asleep in a negative space; it needs to be consciously recognized and controlled. Ask yourself at any given moment how happy you are, monitor your thoughts as to how negative they are, you can claim to be in a good mood but if every thought you have is criticizing something or someone or thinking about how much you hate this or are scared of that then you haven't got there yet. Try it, put on some Enya, burn a candle, take a bubble bath, read your favorite book and don't let yourself being angry, irritated, or afraid. Go to sleep happy for a week and see what happens.
Oct 25, 2011
 Hypnagogic hallucinations
by: Anonymous

I am a 21 year old and i frequently experience 'visions' when i sleep. I used to think it was nothing and i would ignore them, but i can't help but think it is a sign of my brain telling me something is wrong.
Since i can remember i have had visions of animals, people, shapes and other random objects floating over my head and body, or standing in the corner of the room. I usually feel frightened and anxious, but certain visions seem to make me feel calmer than others. Just two days ago I experienced the most intense vision i have ever had. It was as if there was a bunch of shapes hanging from my ceiling, and they were so close to my face that i got the fright of my life when i opened my eyes. As i tried to grab it, it disappeared. Last night I woke up to a piece of cloth ,or something of the sort, floating over my head, and it was falling toward my face and for some reason i thought it was going to suffocate me.
I am a third year psychology student, and find these 'hallucinations' really interesting. I would love to learn more about this condition, as it is pretty clear that I might have it =)
Nov 10, 2011
 So happy
by: Anonymous

I have had clinical depression & P.T.S.D for 19yrs and the medication I've been on the last 4yrs have really helped but I was still seeing things and I thought I was loosing it completely but I've been told that I have Hypnagogic Hallucinations..for years I have thought I had spirits in my house I even saw them as a child..I see children standing at my bedside I see..cat's..dog's..my own children and grandchildren..my daughter holding my granddaughter dead in her arms..men..black figures coming at me..faces coming out of the walls..feel thing's in my room coming at me and I can't see them and spider's large, small, big round ones with thousands of legs spinning towards me..nearly every night they crawl on my body sometimes up to 5 times a night..A figure ran at me & I nearly jumped over my husband to get away..at times I have really been frightened..what I can understand is that there isn't anything that can be done and although I wished it would stop it's a relieve to know that other people experience the same kind of thing..it's a shame it's not nice things we see.
Nov 10, 2011
 confused
by: Anonymous

I'm abit confused..I have the same experiences that people have mentioned but if it's because you going into a sleep or coming out of one how can get I out of bed and walk to the hallucination and also tell my husband to put the light on & see him & what he's doing while I still see the hallucination..it disappears when I go to touch it..has anyone else experienced that?? I can point it out to my husband but he can't see it.
Nov 10, 2011
 hard to respond
by: Amy

I understand when people posting want to remain anonymous but it makes it really hard to respond to a comment when so many people list their name as 'Anonymous'. I was going to respond to an earlier post but I realized if I addressed my comments to 'Anonymous' I could be referring to quite a few people. Please consider using a 'name' so our responses can be made directly to you. You can make up a name or a nickname. I seriously doubt anyone would be able to identify you. Thanks!
Nov 12, 2011
 I have these too NEW
by: Experiencer

I too have had the hallucinatory experiences - people standing beside the bed, evil floating faces, demons, invisible dark beings, intruders. It would take a small book to describe all of them, but some of them have been so terrifying I have had to get up in the middle of the night, afraid to go back to sleep. Even knowing these things are not real, they SEEM so real it is hard, in the dark of night, to convince myself. But then if they didn't seem so real we'd call them "dreams" instead of hallucinations.

I also have a diagnosis of seizure disorder. My hallucinatory experiences started with a vengeance and went on several times a week for 3 years before I was put back on Tegretol to treat seizures. But within 2 weeks of starting Tegretol the hallucinatory experiences had all but stopped. Now they happen every few months. For me it was like a miracle drug.

I hate these experiences. I don't know anyone who likes them, and there is definitely nothing spiritual about them. It would be different if they involved angelic beings, friendly saints, fluffy bunnies - but for the most part for most of us they seem to involve spiders or demons, or vampires or aliens, false awakenings, waking up feeling you are paralyzed and can't make a sound, intruders. At best they are just neutral, like thinking you've gotten up to go to the bathroom, the light doesn't work, and then you realize you're dreaming.

I don't know if this Tegretol effect is unique to me, and I have no idea if a doctor would prescribe it for this.

The last time I had one, and possibly the worst one I have had, was after taking Ambien.

I really don't think it's related to a person's state of mind. I can fall asleep in a great mood, with these experiences the farthest thing from my mind, and have a horrible one, or I can fall asleep completely spooked from a scary movie and have nothing happen at all.

I also don't think it has to do with a person's emotional state or with any sort of repressed negativity or other psychological factors, especially having experienced such a dramatic effect from the Tegretol.

Some people claim sleeping on their back triggers these experiences, or sleeping on your front with your face angled upward, or that it's related to sleep apnea. But my most terrifying experience happened when I was lying on my stomach and I've had them happen lying on my back, and I don't have sleep apnea. So true for them, not for me.

In my case, it IS related to exhaustion sometimes. But not always. I've also heard it can be treated with antidepressants, which apparently reduce your amount of dreaming sleep.

It's hell, and I feel bad for anyone who is experiencing this on a regular basis.
Nov 12, 2011
 response to Experiencer NEW
by: Amy

Your comments were really interesting. I agree that my hallucinations are not related in any way to my mood upon falling asleep. I also agree that their frequency is related to exhaustion. The more tired I am, the more likely I am to have one. Your comments about sleeping position and head angles really caught my attention. I mentioned in an earlier post that when I was going through a particularly bad period of really frequent hallucinations, I tried tucking my chin to my chest so my eyes wouldn't be focused outward in my room upon awakening. For some reason this has worked for me. It's really something simple to try. For me, my hallucinations ALWAYS occur exactly 30 minutes after I have fallen asleep so I don't need to sleep like that all night, just at first. I would be thrilled if this simple suggestion helps anyone.

Nov 12, 2011
 response to Experiencer NEW
by: Amy

Your comments were really interesting. I agree that my hallucinations are not related in any way to my mood upon falling asleep. I also agree that their frequency is related to exhaustion. The more tired I am, the more likely I am to have one. Your comments about sleeping position and head angles really caught my attention. I mentioned in an earlier post that when I was going through a particularly bad period of really frequent hallucinations, I tried tucking my chin to my chest so my eyes wouldn't be focused outward in my room upon awakening. For some reason this has worked for me. It's really something simple to try. For me, my hallucinations ALWAYS occur exactly 30 minutes after I have fallen asleep so I don't need to sleep like that all night, just at first. I would be thrilled if this simple suggestion helps anyone.

Nov 14, 2011
 Could hypnosis help? NEW
by: Chook

I do not suffer with hypnagogic hallucinations but became interested in hypnagogia in general because I experienced hypnagogic imagery while trying to fix the insomnia I had as a child.

I came across the term hypnagogia very recently while researching how to lucid dream. Since then I've been reading everything I can on the topic and so was lead to this thread - and may I add, many other threads just like this one! it just goes to show how comon, and yet how hidden this issue is! .

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had tried hypnosis as a way to deal with hypnagogic imagery? I read that hypnosis can help people who want to become lucid dreamers. The hypnosis was used to help the person realise when they were dreaming. So it might not be such a leap to use hypnosis to realise when someone is having a hypnagogic hallucination? i just thought it would be worth a mention just in case it might help somebody.

Also, there is a book called, "Sleep paralysis - a guide to hypnagogic visions and visitors in the night" by Ryan Hurd. It is written by someone who experienced sleep paralysis and the accompanying hypnagogic hallucinations and came to figure out a way to overcome it. There may be something in there that could help? There's a copy on google books if you want to look before buying.

Nov 14, 2011
 t NEW
by: Anonymous

my last comment was on 10 November..I'm on Quetiapine and I read it supposed to help with hallucinations it has made no different's for me..I've been asked to write down what time I went to bed and what time the hallucinations are and what they are which I have been doing..last night I had something trying to push it'self in to my mouth as I tried to write it down the page had loads of word's on it although I was a clean page so I turned it over and the same thing but they started to move in all different directions and they became single letters the only way I can discribe it.. it was like something out of the Harry potter film..quite magical..wish it was always like that I cud live with that.
Nov 25, 2011
 It's all spiritual NEW
by: Penny

Hello everyone!
In my opinion, what all of you are describing is an out of body experience. I know it sounds all new age and stuff but out of body experiences go back to ancient bible days.
I am not religious but it is well documented in almost every religion.
When you sleep your mind does not and your subconscious takes over. Your astral body slips into the astral realm where everything appears to be happening in a moonlit hue. Whatever you think about is manifested. So therefore, when you experience the paralysis you become afraid and everything you fear manifests. (e.g spiders, snakes, death of loves ones)
Everyone does this every night but most people don't remember or disregard it as a nightmare. The reason you become numb is the essence of your soul splitting from your body causes your physical body to cease functioning, sort of like a mini death. The apostle Paul said, "I die daily" meaning he left his body every night while sleeping. He also mentioned that he had reached the third level of heaven, which meant he ascended past the 1st level also know as the astral plane.
There is a silver umbilical cord attached to our bodies that keeps us connected to our souls. When you think about this cord or your body when having one of these episodes, you will snap back into it. The Apostle Paul also said that when the "silver cord" is severed you go on to be with the Lord, meaning that this happens at death. I have witnessed this occurrence in other people at their time of parting. This cord protects you and gives you life sustaining energy. It snaps you back into your body and that is why you "jump" back into consciousness.
So, stop taking your medications, this actually puts you in a state of fear and magnifies the hallucinations, which are only the manifestations you create in your mind anyway. Go within and ask yourself why you are having these episodes and you will get answers. They all lie in your subconscious.
A great resource for me was reading books on the subject by William Buhlman. He is an expert on the subject.
Thanks for reading. I hope this helps someone.
Nov 29, 2011
 Interesting change NEW
by: Amy

For reasons unknown to me, my hallucinations are no longer frightening. Just 2 nights ago I saw an "intruder" crouched on all fours (suspended in air) at the foot of our bed. I looked at him and was puzzled but not afraid. I am still having about 2 hallucinations every week. On rare occasions I even have 2 in one night. They are always things that have frightened me terribly for the past 35 + years but, for the life of me, I am not reacting with fear any longer. The only thing that has changed is my participation in this discussion thread. Maybe the comfort of knowing I am not alone is responsible for my new reactions. Perhaps being able to talk about my experiences has calmed my emotions. Whatever the reason...THANK YOU!!!
Nov 30, 2011
 the fear factor NEW
by: brendan

I found Amys comments about the fear factor interesting. I too dont have the same fear anymore since i now sleep with the light on and when i wake up on a visitation by an uninvited guest it is somehow not as frightening.
Dec 05, 2011
 Other conditions assoiated with hypnagogia NEW
by: Racoon

Hi there, I am 40 yo mom of 3, and have been plagued by these hallucinations since I was about 19, I think. It used to be very funny to my husband to find me swatting whatever it was that was attacking us, but since the kids its not so funny anymore as we were scared I might harm one them if they were in bed with us. I take Rivotril (clonazepam - only about quarter of a 0.5 mg tablet) and that seems to help, but I am so zonked the next morning. On the other hand I am exhausted if I had and episode the previous night, so it probably doesn't make so much of a difference. Have you found that it is related to any type of foods eaten? or more importantly any other health issues, be it psychological or physiological?
Dec 15, 2011
 Difference between psychosis NEW
by: Anonymous

I am a Mental Health Professional (MSW) and I deal with people with Schizophrenia, psychosis, etc frequently. On the other hand, I've also had hypnagogic hallucinations for many years now. And believe me, there is a big difference. Hypnagogic hallucinations only happen when you're waking or falling asleep and psychosis can happen at any time.

My own hypnagogic hallucinations started when I was around 22 although I can remember a few times when I was younger. They are only visual. They started as seeing giant spiders. The first time I screamed for my husband to come into the bedroom. Nearly all of my hallucinations have been extremely frightening. A couple times I have seen strange men in my room, which is very frightening as well. Usually takes a few minutes for me to calm down and figure out what's going on.

I went to a sleep doctor who told me that the hallucinations were "normal but not common". I have found that if I take a strong sleep aid like ambien or amitryptiline, I wont have the hallucinations because I am sleeping too soundly to hallucinate.
Dec 20, 2011
 I have had the same thing since I was a child. NEW
by: Anonymous

My first was when I was 11 it was a man with a skeleton mask on and he was walking past my window. My bedroom was on the second floor. I have also seen the Cheshire cat smiling from the foot of my bed. I have had one where it was a robot body with pinchers as hands and a balding old man's head. That one I actually screamed your not real and it faded away. Mine seem to slowly fade as I wake. I have had a creature with rolls of toilet paper for eyes and mouth sitting on me.

I have had shadows of men in the room. One had a motorcycle helmet on and when I screamed it acted scared and paced like it didn't know what to do. I have seen smoke and creatures. My ceiling fan has tried to attack me. My room has become all vines and trying to get me.

During these I see my room, my dog, my poor husband who is trying to tell me its not real. I am screaming at it that it is. I have ran out of my room and down stairs trying to get away. I am trying to control my self more when they happen. I try not to scream or run and I sit there and stare at it trying to wake. I some times will describe what I am seeing to my husband and that is the strangest. Because you know it is a hallucination.
Dec 28, 2011
 Hynagogic Hallucinations and Solutions NEW
by: Clare

I came across this site as I was looking for some info on hypnagogic hallucinations. I have experienced them since being a child, usually when under stress or if physically unwell. Like others, I tend to see spiders running across the sheets, other animals on the curtain or hanging from the lightshade, or people stood next to the bed. I have had another bout of them recently but don't really know why.
So looking at the site, there doesn't seem to be any real 'cure' for them. I guess the sleeping tablet idea could help to get a regular sleep pattern going again and trying to take control back by telling yourself before you sleep that these images are not real and can't hurt you. But it's still horrible to go through.
I like the comments that reassure people this isn't psychosis or Schizophrenia. I'm a Psychologist but when it was happening to me at Uni, I thought it was psychosis as I was at the right age etc. I was reassured by the GP that it was quite normal and often occurs through stress. I guess I just have to learn to live with it.
Jan 05, 2012
 Hello NEW
by: Paul

Just read the whole of this thread and I didn't realise what I am suffering from was to do with sleep, keeping yourself to yourself too much and stress. I lack the first, do the second and am under a lot for the third (XMas, NY etc) I've only been having these for about a two weeks now. I HAVE (foolishly now I realise) been stopping up late and missing a lot of sleep thinking I don't need it because I am off work atm. I am also on anti depressants which I am going to ask to get changed tomorrow as they are listed as being one of the worst for aggravating it.

However, mine usually start in the middle evening rather than when I am asleep. Currently I am in my front room sat on my own on the laptop listening to music and there are 5 other people (mute strangers), who, everytime I look up they disappear.

Thanks, Paul.
Jan 06, 2012
 Paul NEW
by: Patricia Diaz-Verson

Paul, Your symptoms do NOT appear to be related to Hypnagogic Hallucinations. You should check with a medical doctor or psychiatrist for a diagnosis of what you are experiencing.
Jan 14, 2012
 Hallucinations NEW
by: Anonymous

I have been reading about these hallucinations that most of you or your loved ones are having. I too have experienced similar things. I have had spiders hanging down my ceiling. It does feel like a am bordering the sleep/awake phase. I than come to realize after freaking out, that it disappears and I was seeing things. I have experienced sleep paralysis but only once or twice, that I can remember.

I was just wondering if anyone else had other hallucinations. Mine will be shapes, or brightly colored spider webs all over my room. Sometimes I see red lights in my hall. Once I saw a helicopter (small) in my room. I also will see flowers in the air, or pieces of string hanging falling towards my face. I do get scared, and these in turn cause a panic attack. I am able to settle myself down pretty quickly, since I have been having panic attacks for some time now. They have been more frequent lately, and I will wake up three times a night. Once with the images and the other two times just because I panic for some reason.

I was just wondering if anyone has similar experiences, or if they know if it is stress induced? What natural things can I do to help? No medication :) Thanks
Jan 19, 2012
 Want Help NEW
by: Kourtney

I am 28 yrs female, I think I have Hypnagogic Hallucinations. I have hallucinated things while sleeping for as long as I can remember. My hallucinations are of bugs and people being in my room. They seem so real to me and I get very freaked out when I am having one. It was something that was just funny when I was younger but since 2007 after having my daughter I get violent when I am having one. I have hit and pushed my husband. It takes a few minutes and the lights to be turned on for me to realize it was not real. My heart is always racing when it happens. I have them pretty frequently. I am always tired and it is very hard for my to go to sleep. Lately I have been having the fear of having one and can't go to sleep. I went to a sleep specialist and he told me that he didn't know what was wrong with me but If I would lose weight they would probably stop. I want help so bad and don't know where to turn. I am so afraid that I am go to hurt my family during one of these hallucinations. Please give me any advice!
Jan 23, 2012
 Sufferer NEW
by: Sarah

As a fellow sufferer I've created a Facebook page for people like us to share our experiences, thoughts and concerns. I am by no means spamming it's just easier for me to keep in touch with people with the same condition. Please join. Thank you!

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Sleep-Hypnagogia-Awareness/226782080741497
Jan 24, 2012
 facebook page NEW
by: Amy

I found the facebook page for Sleep Hypnagogia Awareness and I "liked" it but for some reason, every time I post a comment, it disappears. Am I doing something wrong?
Jan 24, 2012
 Kinds of hypnogogic hallucinations NEW
by: Anonymous

In reply to an earlier comment. I have seen all kinds of different things during my hypnagogic hallucinations. Spiders, people, objects moving. To the completely bizarre: glowing lights, a goldfish swimming in the air, a deer, a disembodied hand holding a gun. Completely random things.

I would not want to join a facebook page, because I wouldn't want my friends to see my comments, due to the stigma of these hallucinations. I do not think that most people would understand.

One thought I do have about the hallucinations is they may be related to sleep apnea. I'm not overweight or anything, but I watched a program on parasomnias and it stated that the lack of oxygen to the brain can cause you to do strange things like sleep talking/walking, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, etc. I have a history of sleep apnea as a child, although I'm not aware of having it currently. It makes sense to me.

I'm currently working on seeing another sleep dr. to find out some more answers.

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