Hag Dream

[nekosensei]

Last night, I stayed at my parents' house because doomsey had to make a business trip to Austin. When I woke up this morning, I had one of those unsettling hag dreams. I saw a man with sandy hair (that was starting to turn white) at the bottom corner of my bed. He was alternately staring at me and staring at my parents' antique clock on the mantelpiece. He looked like he was about forty years old, and he glowed a bit. He lit up the room almost like a night-light. It wasn't really menacing in any way. It was just unsettling that he was there, and well, glowing like a ghost or something. At any rate, I tried to say "get lost," but couldn't speak at all. I just came out as a mumble. I also wanted to sit up and grab my glasses to get a better look at the dude who was staring at me, but no dice. I was completely paralyzed. It felt like I spent a minute to a minute and a half like that. Then, I heard my dad's voice say, "You were doing okay yesterday. What's the matter?" That's when I freaked because I thought there was something very wrong with me (like someone was trying to wake me up and I wasn't responding). That's when I really started to struggle. Around that time, I also noticed that I was having a hard time breathing. Then, in a flash, the guy was gone and it was light outside. Weird. Needless to say, I was up for good after that.

I don't think I've ever had a hag dream that was that vivid before. At the same time, it was a "lucid dream" in that I knew what was happening to me and that there probably wasn't some creepy dude standing at the foot of my bed. This may sound paranoid, but I'm wondering if I have something neurologically wrong with me.

[Edit: Huh...apparently the falling sensation I sometimes get before drifting off to sleep is also a type of sleep paralysis. And I've been having those since I was a kid...]

Comments

[ordinary.livejournal.com]

I've been having sleep paralysis since I was 14 or so. (I remember the falling sensation long before that though) It's quite unsettling, but it's highly unlikely that you have something neurologically wrong with you. In fact, I had an instance of it during my sleep study last year, and while my brain waves aren't normal, they're not BAD.

For many years I didn't even know that I was ASLEEP when it happened, because my hallucinations were not really anything that seemed out of the realm of possibility. It's frustrating when I'm completely aware of what's going on, but know that my body is still asleep. I've learned that the quickest way to get out of it is just to relax, or actualliy take control of the dream rather than just fighting against it physically.

[lucy-burb.livejournal.com]

Creepy dream! I've had sleep paralysis before too, often when I was younger but not so much now. I've also had night terrors, which is like a panick attack with sleep paralysis, only semi-concious. It's not a nice thing. I don't think there's anything wrong with you. The mind is a powerful thing.

[pokiri.livejournal.com]

I've had hypnic jerks as long as I can remember. It's not related to a neurological disorder, iirc 70% of the population experiences them while falling asleep.