These hallucinations are in no way pathological or paranormal.
While most of us have felt like we’ve missed a step or fallen over when falling asleep, that’s not the only sleep-related hallucination. Having the impression of seeing or hearing something when you fall asleep or wake up actually has a very scientific explanation.
How do we explain these hallucinations?
If for some it is a feeling of falling into the void, for others the feeling that a person or animal is there and disappears instantly, most sleep-related hallucinations are visual, auditory, bodily or sometimes gustatory. When they are present during falling asleep, they are called “hypnagogic hallucinations” while those during awakening, which are rarer, are called “hypnopompic”.
In any case, they are most likely linked to a superimposition of our waking environment, of which we are aware, and the imagination of sleep. From a neurobiological point of view, it is the deactivation of the thalamus, (which regulates sleep), before the visual system that lets the latter produce a hallucination before falling asleep in turn.
What if this happens to you regularly?
While studies have shown that this type of hallucination is more common between the ages of 15 and 44, it also often affects people with sleep deprivation, in particular night workers or those subject to jet lag. However, they are far from being pathological in most cases and must be played down, especially in anxious people.
To remedy this, if they are particularly frequent, it is necessary to ensure that you have good sleep hygiene, get enough sleep, and if necessary have a night light to avoid the darkness favorable to their occurrence.
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