# Does anyone ever sit "bolt upright in bed" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206 "2009-06-09T14:30:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/1 "2009-06-09T14:30:33Z")
It happens in movies and it happens in literature, but it’s never happened to me. Does anyone wake to an alarm, nightmare, obscene sexual act, whatever, and automatically throw themselves into an upright seated position? If so, often, or just rarely? (This came up when trying to arrange furniture in my new apartment. Had to figure out how much headspace the bed really needs 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/2 "2009-06-09T14:32:15Z")
I never have, but my grandmother has. I’ve seen it. I had to share a bed with her once when I was young (crowded house, Christmas visiters), and she had a nightmare, sat bolt up in bed, and screamed. That was a memorable night. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/3 "2009-06-09T14:37:39Z")
Did this just the other night. I had seen a small spider in the living room just before going to bed, but decided, meh, it’s late, live and let live. Just as I had drifted off to sleep, something, probably my hair, triggered the “It’s a SPIDER ON MY HEAD!!!” reflex. I was startled awake, screamed, sat up, and beat madly at my head. God bless my husband for his bemused tolerance :). ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/4 "2009-06-09T14:40:09Z")
My wife does, and I have no idea why. No matter how gently you try to wake her, a light hand on her shoulder, a whispered, “Time to wake up, Dear,” and she sits bolt upright with a gasp. Criminy, people are going to think I’ve been abusing her or something. Luckily, her kids vouch that she’s always done this. She has no idea why she does it either. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/5 "2009-06-09T14:43:50Z")
I have had nightmares where I have done this. It shocks the living hell out of whoever I’ve been sleeping with. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/6 "2009-06-09T14:50:03Z")
Not me. When I wake up with night panics, I scrabble at my pillow or massage my throat trying to breathe. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/7 "2009-06-09T14:59:56Z")
Yeah. Typically because I’ve stopped breathing. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/8 "2009-06-09T15:03:48Z")
Occasionally if I take ibuprofen in the evening, I’ll get acid reflux while I’m sleeping, at which point I will sit bolt upright in bed in reaction. Lemme tell you, this is pretty much the suckiest way to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/9 "2009-06-09T15:28:43Z")
Just last night there was a big thunderstorm at 3 AM. I have no idea how long it was going on before the crack of thunder that made me sit straight up. I think I pulled a muscle in my side. Hurts like hell today. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/10 "2009-06-09T15:29:02Z")
I have had it happen, but only a very few times in my life. I can’t recall it happening in the past few years. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/11 "2009-06-09T15:57:07Z")
Only once. I was home alone, sleeping. Mr. Del was away on a business trip. The sound of the front door banging open woke me up, and I sat bolt upright in bed, my heart in my throat. As I was sitting there, waiting to be murdered, I thought to myself “hey, I just sat bolt upright in bed! I always thought that was just a figure of speech!” Can you imagine if that had been my last earthly thought? Of course, it _was_ Mr. Del returning home in the middle of the night, they had finished early and he took the chance of returning stand-by on the last flight out that night rather than wait until his scheduled flight the next day. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/12 "2009-06-09T16:15:32Z")
No, but only because I sleep on my stomach. I occasionally do suddenly push myself up to, well, a push-up position, if I hear a funky noise in the middle of the night and I want to get my ears off the pillow to improve my sensory perception. If I slept on my back I suspect I’d do the ‘bolt upright’ thing. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/13 "2009-06-09T16:38:24Z")
When I first started having strong nightmares about two years ago, it happened on occasion. It seemed to alternate with waking up with all of my muscles so tense I couldn’t move at all for anywhere from five minutes to an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/14 "2009-06-09T16:44:55Z")
Just once that I can recall, the last time I had a legitimate nightmare, somewhere in my teens. By _legitimate_ I mean an actual heart-racing terror-inducing dream, as opposed to one that is just sorta vaguely disturbing, which I still get once in awhile. But this one was the full on deal - not only did I sit bolt upright, I actually did so while yelling a name out loud, drenched in sweat. It was pretty classic. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/15 "2009-06-09T16:58:24Z")
Mr. Athena does. He has very vivid dreams at times that sometimes end up with him jumping right out of bed. Scared the shit out of me when we were first dating. Nowadays I just roll over and say “get back in bed, you’re dreaming.” ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/16 "2009-06-09T17:01:23Z")
I’m another in the just-once column. I dreamed the stuffed moose head mounted above my bed had come to life. Well, more accurately I dreamed that there _was_ a stuffed moose head mounted above my bed, and it had come to life. You know, you see stuff like this in sitcoms and screwball comedies and it seems pretty fun, but it’s actually kinda scary. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/17 "2009-06-09T17:02:13Z")
No, I don’t think I could even physically do that without using my arms to push me up. My version of sitting upright is to prop myself up on one side with my arm (I usually sleep on my side) or in the case of the “OHMYGODTHERE’SASPIDERONME!” dreams I usually flail about and throw myself off the bed. ---
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/18 "2009-06-09T17:20:06Z")
Interesting stories, thank you all! Hmm, so if I put my bed **there** then I better not date any tall girls… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/19 "2009-06-09T17:30:20Z")
Lilbro has done it sometimes. Doesn’t mean he’s awake, usually his part of the conversation goes something like “UH?eh?oh, mk… zzzzz” ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206/20 "2009-06-09T17:35:02Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > My wife does, and I have no idea why. No matter how gently you try to wake her, a light hand on her shoulder, a whispered, “Time to wake up, Dear,” and she sits bolt upright with a gasp. > > Criminy, people are going to think I’ve been abusing her or something. Luckily, her kids vouch that she’s always done this. She has no idea why she does it either. Are you my husband? I freak out if woken up at night. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-ever-sit-bolt-upright-in-bed/499206.md?page=2)