# Falling in your sleep **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987 "2004-07-20T12:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreyWanderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@GreyWanderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreyWanderer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/1 "2004-07-20T12:57:47Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/2 "2004-07-20T13:39:52Z")
Happens to me too. However when I wake up, my thoughts are “Thank goodness! It was only a dream!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/3 "2004-07-20T13:50:18Z")
General Questions is for questions with factual answers. MPSIMS is for sharing stuff. Off to MPSIMS. **DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/4 "2004-07-21T01:36:44Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/5 "2004-07-21T04:15:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/6 "2004-07-21T04:23:10Z")
Hehe, I do this a lot, and it always causes me to lay in bed and laugh at myself for a little while. There _is_ an actual name for this, but I can’t remember what it is at the moment. I’m sure some smarter Doper will be along shortly to answer that one… ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/7 "2004-07-21T04:33:46Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/8 "2004-07-21T05:08:48Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Oh, and tends to involve waking up and trying the “how the heck will I get to sleep” process all over again. Yeah, I get things like this all the time. Fortunately, the quoted part usually involves me thinking “how the heck will I get to sZZZZzzzzzzzzz…” ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/9 "2004-07-21T05:31:28Z")
I do that all the time, usually when I’m just falling asleep. I’m sure some smarty will be along to tell us what it’s called and why it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/10 "2004-07-21T14:45:07Z")
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. I also forget the precise name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/11 "2004-07-21T14:48:15Z")
The word “paroxism” leaps to mind but I’m not sure it’s correct. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-in-your-sleep/255987/12 "2004-07-21T14:49:38Z")
Happens ocassionally. I usually think I’m falling out of bed.