Ask Science @lemmy.world Sudo Sodium @lemdro.id 3mo ago

Any scientific explanation to what happened to me ?

A few minutes ago I suddenly woke up , I didn't sleep well

At the beginning everything was normal , then I blinked and ...

The lighting suddenly became more yellow (and unnatural) and the closet I was looking at turned into a frightening and shocking appearance (the closet itself, it was vandalized in a way that I can't even remember to describe). I remained in shock for three or four seconds, then I found myself closing my eyes tightly ( it was an involuntary reaction ), and when I opened my eyes again, everything returned to normal.

This is the first time in my life that this has happened to me

So ... any scientific explanation?

Thanks in advance

20 comments

Sounds like sleep paralysis:

During an episode, the person may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear. [...] Sleep paralysis may include hallucinations, such as an intruding presence or dark figure in the room. These are commonly known as sleep paralysis demons. It may also include suffocating or the individual feeling a sense of terror, accompanied by a feeling of pressure on one's chest and difficulty breathing.
- Pretty sure that the main symptom of sleep paralysis is, that you can't move. Hallucinations can occur, but OP has not mentioned the inability to move.
  
  Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is conscious but in a complete state of full-body paralysis. During an episode, the person may hallucinate
  
  They said they were “in shock for three or four seconds”, and they describe their only movement during the episode—closing their eyes—as involuntary.
  
  We need to consider OP’s actual physiological response, not just the vocabulary they use to describe it.
  
  Before it happened, yes I could move While it happened... I didn't notice whether I was able to move or not but in normal cases I usually have a reaction: saying " whoa " loudly or a motor reaction ,
- Concur. Especially the frightening and shocking appearance of the augmented closet.
  
  My favorite augmentation is cobwebs all over the room. Often pretty convincing, like if only I could move I could grab them. But then, POOF. Fully awake.
- Sleep paralysis may include hallucinations, such as an intruding presence or dark figure in the room.
  
  Had this happen when I was a teenager, and it was terrifying. I started to scream and woke everyone in the house up. Of course my parents decided it was caused by what I liked to read and banned my pleasure reading.
It's called hypnagogia
- Surely, by the first paragraph of that article, OP was in hypnopompia.
  
  I learned two things today.
I'd suggest reading up on parasomnia. It's a class of disorders including sleep terrors, sleepwalking, nightmare disorder, sleep-related eating disorder, sleep paralysis and others. For my own issues (Night Terrors) I have found that I can largely manage them through lifestyle choices: get enough sleep regularly, don't stay up too late, don't drink caffeine in the afternoon/evening, manage stress, keep the sleeping room cool. Finding your own triggers can be useful for managing further episode.
I've had similar things as a child (normally related to overheating in bed) and a couple of times as an adult due to anxiety. Your brain hasn't totally woken up and you're still dreaming whilst your senses are working. We all know dreams incorporate what's going on around us (Hence the joke about eating giant marshmallows in your dreams and the waking to find your pillows have gone), but rarely is sight involved.

It's really freaky, rather disturbing, but nothing to worry about. Just get better sleep.
Sounds like you had a bad dream.
- Thanks, dad.

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