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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Sleep Disorders > Sleep Disorders > hypnogogic hallucinations?
Expert: Karel Sleis - 11/7/2009
Question
Hi. I am 40 yrs old and have always had a problem with sleep walking and talking. In the past year or two, I have been having hypnogogic hallucinations, I think. Sometimes I will dream about spiders or bugs all over the bed and sleepwalk to brush them off the bed. I'll wake up, or my husband will wake me, not knowing I'm sleepwalking, and I realize what is going on. Lately though, I'll be asleep not aware of any dreams, I'll just open my eyes and see things. One night I kept seeing a small child. That was very frightening. I would push myself away from the image and almost knock my husband out of the bed. It happened three times that night. The image will just fade away. I thought maybe the house was haunted so I had my husband sleep on my side of the bed but that didn't help. I opened my eyes last night to see bugs flying around. My husband was still awake so I called out to him, but once again they faded away and he didn't see them. I thought I was getting a good amount of sleep but when this stuff happens I don't. Although my husband is enjoying the show, I'm almost afraid to go to sleep.
Answer
If these dreams are happening regularly and your daytime alertness is affected you may want to consult q sleep center to see if they can prescribe a low dose antidepressant which research doent, know why holds back that dreaming, however we are all programmed to dream its how our bodies refresh itself so even on meds some of those hallucinations break thru. If your datytime alertness is being affected then it could be narcolepsy. However for now just knowing its normal natural phenomneon when this happens once in awhile for many is enough . You might also try to stay away 3 hours before bedtime, caffein, tea, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, and caramel colored soda like coke,pepsi, ginger ale all this make for restless sleep and l5 minutes before bedtime take a glass of plain warm milk. Milk especially when heated contains tryptophan a natural amino acid sleep inducer for deeper sleep. Go to sleepnet. org click on disorders narcolepsy and read about the symptom of hypnanagogic hallucinations which happens often in narcolepsy, but if your alertness is not affected then its just natural phenomenon. feel free to email again karel
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