We spend a third of our lives asleep. Some of us easily drift off to our dreamlands, but for others, it's hard to get more than a few hours shut-eye at night. Some people have incredibly vivid dreams, whereas others don't dream at all. I fall into the former category. I've had dreams so realistic that I remember them years later, and it's usually because they have perturbed me in some way. But a lot more than nightmares can happen when we dance with the Sandman! Here are 11 mysterious things that you probably had no idea occur while you sleep. 1. Sleep Paralysis The first time this happened to my sister, she was genuinely terrified and began to scream. Thankfully, it's a phenomenon I've never experienced. Sleep paralysis is when a person wakes up and suddenly finds themselves unable to move. It occurs because we are essentially unconscious when we sleep. However, those who suffer from sleep paralysis have brains that wake up before their bodies do. If you're unfortunate enough to have it happen, take comfort in the knowledge that it's only temporary. 2. Hypnagogic Hallucinations Now this is a phenomenon that I've experienced quite a few times. It happens when a person is almost asleep, but not quite, and they open their eyes to see a number of strange and often frightening shapes. Yikes. This is the only type of hallucination that's not in any way related to mental health issues. It can happen to anyone at any time, but it's more common in those who are stressed and young children. It's also common in drunk people. 3. Sleep Talking I'm sure most of us are guilty of this one. When I was sharing a bed with a friend recently, I had a very bizarre dream and began to laugh out loud. I thought I was laughing in my dream, but it turns out that I was laughing in reality. Awkward. My sister who I used to live with would do it almost every night. She'd even shout at people! Apparently sleep taking is more common in men and children, and it is the result of stress. The more you know! 4. A Dream Within A Dream This phenomenon is the sleeping equivalent of inception. It happens when you think that you've woken up in a dream, but in reality, you're still fast asleep - you've just entered another layer of your dreamland. There's no scientific explanation for this, but it's said that those who experience it are predisposed to spiritual practices. Whilst the majority of these phenomenons are completely harmless, they can be frightening. Sleep talking is particularly risky if you share a room and don't want to unknowingly share certain pieces of information with your roommate! Us humans are fascinated by dreams. They offer a much-needed escape when our lives become too stressful and help us to recharge our batteries. But sometimes we can wake up after a particularly vivid dream and wish we'd never slept in the first place! 5. Sleepwalking Now this phenomenon really is dangerous. It's the complete opposite of sleep paralysis. Your body is awake, but your brain is still fast asleep, and, without your brain to control it, your body can get you into a lot of trouble. Thankfully, sleepwalking is actually pretty rare, and it only affects 4.6-10.3% of people. Its cause is completely unknown. 6. Exploding head syndrome Have you ever woken up suddenly, thinking that you've head a loud bang or a clap? Well, my friend, unless it's actually happened in reality, you've experienced what's known as exploding head syndrome, and, needless to say, it's scary. This is caused by activity in the area of the brain that processes sound whilst we sleep. It's associated with insomnia and jet lag. 7. Sleep Apnea This phenomenon is shockingly even more scary than sleep walking, or any of the other things on this list. Sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing as they sleep, and, as a result, they suddenly wake up. It's caused by the relaxation of muscles, which can block our airways. Old age, smoking and obesity increase the risk of it happening. 8. Recurring Dreams I like to think of recurring dreams as my brain's way of telling me things about my life. When I was a student, I used to frequently dream about impending exam results, but I've had recurring dreams about a lot of other important things too. According to psychologists, this phenomenon occurs to encourage us to pay attention to things that we aren't thinking about when we are awake. A dream will continue to recur until the problem causing it doesn't exist anymore. It's recommended that the average healthy adult sleeps for eight hours a day. When we don't sleep properly, we find it much more difficult to function in our day-to-day lives. Even if you're plagued by any of the above conditions, it's important that you get shut-eye anyway. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) vividly explores the consequences of no sleep, and it isn't pretty - even if a young Johnny Depp is. Thanks to modern medicine, there's now countless options available for those who struggle to get their eight hours. 9. Falling Onto The Bed I've lost count of the number of times that I've dreamt of falling. Even when I know that it's just a dream, it's still a pretty scary experience. This phenomenon is known as falling onto the bed. Shockingly, when this happens, whatever danger that has caused us to 'fall' is perceived as being 100% real by our brains, and when we wake up, it's our body's way of making sure that we are still alive! I knew I wasn't just being dramatic... 10. Out-Of-Body Experience If this phenomenon ever happened to me, I think I'd die of fright. An out-0f-body experience is, quite literally, what it says on the tin, and it happens when a person is a sleep and is able to see themselves sleeping in real life. Very little is known about this phenomenon scientifically, but many people believe it's proof of an afterlife. 11. Sudden Enlightenment During Sleep This phenomenon happened to me earlier this year. I vividly remember dreaming of swimming up from the sea when I finally thought of a solution to a problem that had been bothering me for months. This is known as sudden enlightenment during sleep. Sudden enlightenment during sleep happens because we subconsciously know the answers to many of our problems. 12. Sexomnia Now, you may think I'm making this one up, but it's 100% real and recognized by medical professionals. Sexomnia, or sleep sex, is a rare condition where an individual will engage in sexual activity whilst fully asleep. This can involve masturbation, or initiating sexual contact with a partner. Whilst most us will have probably experienced at least one or two of these phenomenon, there's some that we'll thankfully never endure. It's nice to know there's a name for falling in my dreams and that it's not simply an extension of my nightmares... Source
