Ever sleep lightly or daydream and suddenly feel like you’ve fell down a little bit?
Well, I was going to bed yesterday. I was pretty tired and soon started dreaming swinging a rope with something heavy attached to the end around me. Don’t ask me why. Suddenly when it was right in front of me, the thing turned towards my face instead. Just as it it I felt like falling a bit, and I think I actually jumped in my bed. I found myself a bit shocked and sweaty.
All I could think was “I even failed at sleeping.”
Blech. I hate that. It can be a bit scary sometimes. Oh, and tends to involve waking up and trying the “how the heck will I get to sleep” process all over again.
It’s odd, I’ll be starting to fall asleep and nearly jump out of bed because I dreamed I tripped on a curb, but when I’m deep asleep I routinely dream of jumping off buildings or out of airplanes, plummeting thousands of feet and slamming straight into the ground, then getting up and doing it again.
Wait, is this when you are dreaming that you fall, or when you get that creepy “I just fell off the bed!” feeling. Because I get that “I just fell off the bed!” feeling a lot. Scares me.
It happens as a result of your becoming aware of sleep paralysis setting in. Normally, your brain will shut off first (as you enter a dream, or deep sleep) and then your body becomes paralysed (so you don’t act out your dreams). If for whatever reason you are still conscious when sleep paralysis sets in, you experience it as that falling or tripping sensation.
