Do you ever

[Michie]

fall in your sleep? I dont mean sleepwalking, but sorta like a twilight dream

 

[lovmy2girls]

Yes, its usually when I'm half awake and half asleep kind of thing, not in the middle of the night.

 

[NewJersey]

Yes, its usually when I'm half awake and half asleep kind of thing, not in the middle of the night.

me too

 

[SwedishMeatball]

Are you talking about like doing the head bobbing thing??

 

[MeandMyBoys]

I have falling dreams, although I've never hit the ground. I also have flying dreams and strangest of all, I have dreams about riding an elephant through the halls of my old high school. I wonder what that means!!

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I have falling dreams, although I've never hit the ground. I also have flying dreams and strangest of all, I have dreams about riding an elephant through the halls of my old high school. I wonder what that means!!

 

[thewishfire]

I've had one or two major falling dreams (and feelings)... and I constantly have those little ones when I'm starting to fall asleep. You know, the "jumping back into your body" sensation ones. I get those all the time.

 

[MeandMyBoys]

I should have known that it meant that I was dreaming about Dumbo.



You never know what's going on in your subconscious mind!!

 

[BeckWhy]

When I was little, I think I was still a toddler, I fell down the stairs. And I guess it was bad (I don't remember it). Anyways, I developed a phobia of stairs. And part of it included a dream. I only remember this dream because it came back (so did the stair phobia) to me a few years ago after my sister was killed (I don't know if the two are related). Anyways, it was me chasing my sister and my cousin up the stairs and up the attic stairs. When we got to the landing on the attic stairs, I fell backwards and into a black hole. That's all I remember from the dream.

 

[MeandMyBoys]

I fell down the stairs as a toddler too. My mother grabbed me and dislocated my shoulder accidentally. I have had a fear of stairs since then. To make matters worse, I had a scary experience as a child on an escalator and am frightened of them to this day.

 

[BeckWhy]

I fell down the stairs as a toddler too. My mother grabbed me and dislocated my shoulder accidentally. I have had a fear of stairs since then. To make matters worse, I had a scary experience as a child on an escalator and am frightened of them to this day.

I feel so glad I am not the only one. So many people make fun of me because of it. We would go places, and I would be scared, I thought it was of heights. But it wasn't, every time I was scared, it was when I was on stairs. When I walk on them, I walk really slow, and grasp the handrail like it's my job.

 

[ktpool]

I read that the that twilight sensation of falling is tied to muscle relaxation as the body loses it's tensions.

For what it's worth

 

[Michie]

Are you talking about like doing the head bobbing thing??

No, I mean I fell like I am falling and wake up with a severe jerk.

 

[MeandMyBoys]

I feel so glad I am not the only one. So many people make fun of me because of it. We would go places, and I would be scared, I thought it was of heights. But it wasn't, every time I was scared, it was when I was on stairs. When I walk on them, I walk really slow, and grasp the handrail like it's my job.

A few years ago, we took our boys to the aquarium in Baltimore which has a really long escalator. I could not walk down the escalator with my sons. I froze and had to walk them down the very long staircase instead. It wasn't really much better!!

 

[SwedishMeatball]

No, I mean I fell like I am falling and wake up with a severe jerk.

Are you referring to your dh or Vort??

 

[BeckWhy]

I read that the that twilight sensation of falling is tied to muscle relaxation as the body loses it's tensions.

For what it's worth

That's interesting... It makes me wish I took Transpersonal Psych. I'm gonna try to do some research on it.

 

[BeckWhy]

No, I mean I fell like I am falling and wake up with a severe jerk.

"Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams in this stage are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body. These sudden contractions, also known as myclonic jerks. Sometimes when we have these falling dreams, we feel our whole body jerk or twitch and we awaken from this jerk. It is thought that this jerking action is part of an arousal mechanism that allows the sleeper to awaken and become quickly alert and responsive to possible threats in the environment."

 

[momrek06]

I do that often...feel like I am falling in my dream...and then my body jerks and I sort of, kind of, wake up and I REMEMBER THE WHOLE THING...isn't that weird that the "feeling of falling" sensation we remember so vividly....

Wow that is creepy....I wonder why we do that... ... muscle relaxation mode (like another poster stated) but let me tell you it is not relaxing when I am still in the asleep mode and think I am actually falling.

 

[BeckWhy]

Michie I am sorry I am going off topic.

I read that the that twilight sensation of falling is tied to muscle relaxation as the body loses it's tensions.

For what it's worth

Do you ever wake up suddenly to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch just after you have fallen asleep?

This strange falling sensation and muscle twitch is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or “Hypnic jerk” If this has happened to you on more than one occasion, don’t worry, you are not alone. Close to 70 percent of all people experience this phenomenon just after nodding off, according to a recent study at the Mayo Clinic.

Most experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurance is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this.


The general consensus among researchers is that, as your muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state just as you are falling asleep; your brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to jerk you back upright. This misinterpretation that takes place in your brain may also be responsible for the “falling” dreams that accompany the falling sensation. These “dreams” are not really normal dreams, as they are not produced from R.E.M sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body’s sensations.

While this phenomenon happens to most everyone, studies have recently begun to link occurrences of “Hypnic jerks” to sleep anxiety, fatigue, and discomfort. People who are having trouble sleeping or can’t get comfortable in bed appear to experience the sensation more often throughout the night. It is especially more common with people who are trying to fight falling asleep or have deprived themselves of sleep for more than 24 hours.

Researchers believe that the lack of sleep from sleep anxiety or sleep deprivation confuses the muscles and the brain. The muscles continually attempt to relax and shut down for rest, while your brain remains awake creating continued “misinterpretations” of falling or loss of balance.

Scientists and researchers continue to study sleep twitching and jerking in a small capacity, but state that the sensation is completely normal for our bodies and is “of little medical significance”. Our bodies go through several procedures of shutting down and preparing for an extended period of rest. “Hypnic jerking” is just one of them. It doesn’t appear to cause damage to body and poses no danger to our physical wellbeing. That may be true, but it could pose a significant danger to my bed when I mess my pants next time I wake up thinking I just fell off of a building.

 

[MeandMyBoys]

I guess I have both. I have those twitches as I'm nodding off to sleep, but I also have dreams where I'm falling. Do many of you have repetitive dreams, whether falling or something else??