Ricolokoy, are you taking any medication? Certain meds cause these kinds of sleep disturbances.
When they warn of ‘vivid dreams’ this is what they mean.
I agree that being lucid does not necessarily give you control, but I’m not sure about the level of “awareness” that the OP has.
This sounds as if the whole time this is happening, he’s sure he’s awake, but wondering if he might be asleep because he can’t move. That’s not at all the same as knowing that he’s dreaming.
Under a medication, way back then, I used to ‘wake’ up in the night and feel that I was being pushed up in my bed to the ceiling. I would scratch my nails against the headboard and hear and feel this. I viewed it as an adventure and was not scared. Sometimes, it felt like I was spinning like a rotor around my bed. When it ended each time I realized I had not moved an inch, even though I heard and felt the nails or the spin. Once I heard a full orchestra coming from the next room.
My med dr. told me I was dreaming I was awake. Vivid dreams. That simple. You always come out of it.
Nifty! I haven’t observed this correlation myself, but it makes perfect sense.
In my case, they seem to be more likely when I’m sleeping on my tummy! Part of this is that, since my back is to the rest of the room, the evil night ninjas can sneak up on me! (If I hear a little “click” noise in the room somewhere – it’s right behind me!)
Also, I seem to sleep more deeply on my tummy.
People are different, I guess!