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Original poster

Help me understand the disturbance last night

43 replies

Lovestonap · 14/09/2018 16:06

Last night, sleeping alone as H is away. Went to sleep as usual taking a mild sleeping tablet. Off I doze zzzzz all good.

Woken by a disturbance in the room, some pretty loud crashings and banging close to the window, rustlings - like a cat play/trashing things.

Fine, I have a new kitten - so I wake up blearily and annoyed and click on the light. Curtain by the window is still swaying and moving from the disturbance. Bloody cat. Except, when I sit up I notice said kitten is still curled up asleep next to me.

Okaaay.... a breeze from the window must have disturbed some stuff and set the curtains going. So I cautiously go over. Window is closed.

So what happened?
I can think of a couple of possibilities:

That noise dream thing where you think you're woken by a noise by there isn't one (this doesn't explain curtain still moving when I turned light on, although would explain why the kitten wasn't disturbed by the noise)

It was the cat mucking around and when I woke it quickly got on the bed curled up and faked being asleep (I'm not convinced, normally at the first sign I'm awake the bloody thing wants to play attack - do cats fake it like this?)

It was a ghost. But they don't exist. The other day a lamp in the area fell off the desk, and I remembered that and called out today 'Is anyone there?', but of course no one was there so I felt daft and went downstairs to eat a bag of skittles.

Mice? We don't have mice as far as I'm aware. Small, relatively modern (1940s) mid terrace and if we had mice I think I would have heard/seen them.

Any thoughts? The curtain was definitely moving!

I spent the next hour too scared to close my eyes and it didn't help when my son started sleep talking in the other room!!

OP posts:
tinatsarina · 14/09/2018 16:23

No idea really but like u said could be just a sleep disturbance but i wanna see what others think to

EvaHarknessRose · 14/09/2018 16:27

Was the window closed securely?

CloudCaptain · 14/09/2018 16:27

Large spider? Grin

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Spooky & paranormal
Littlechocola · 14/09/2018 16:30

Set up a camera facing that part of the room

Oakmaiden · 14/09/2018 16:35

Large spider?

Think I would prefer a ghost...

LivininaBox · 14/09/2018 16:43

Something that had been precariously balanced suddenly fell down?

I recently dreamt I heard a loud bang, woke with a start, but no-one else had heard.

allyouneedis · 14/09/2018 17:34

I hate that sleep noise thing! My own mind is going to give me a heart attack one day cause it happens to me all the time. Could you have cause the curtain to move while you went to turn on the light?

IamPickleRick · 14/09/2018 17:35

I have sleep hallucinations as part of my epilepsy so I favour your dream scenario.

Original poster
Lovestonap · 14/09/2018 18:49

No, curtain other side of room and window closed. I think I'm leaning towards it was the cat but it took me a little while to come round properly and in meantime cat jumped back on bed.

God I hope it wasn't a spider.......

OP posts:
BigStripeyBastard · 14/09/2018 19:44

Generally speaking, if there is a 'disturbance' and there is a cat within 50 yards, scenario has gone something like this......
Cat is investigating something, looking for something or pretending it is waging war with a hoard of zombie mice.
Cat inevitably causes stack of something to fall over, curtain and rail to fall down, shelving of priceless china and ornaments to fall off wall and wall its self to come crashing down.
Cat shits its self......
You wake up saying What The HELL WAS THAT...... and see evidence of carnage.
Cat feigns sleep, unconsciousness or death to avoid blame.
You assume cat is innocent and immediately start blaming large spiders, ghosts or the lack of structural integrity of your home.
Cat thinks you are a moron and assumes superiority over our species.

In short, cats are arseholes. Never underestimate a cat.

wouldHAVEshouldHAVEcouldHAVE · 14/09/2018 19:46

What’s that sleep head noise thing called? When you hear a noise but it’s only in your own head when you’re asleep.

wouldHAVEshouldHAVEcouldHAVE · 14/09/2018 19:47

It is an actual thing OP, I’ve had it before too.

BlancheM · 14/09/2018 19:49

Exploding head syndrome I get it all the time

wouldHAVEshouldHAVEcouldHAVE · 14/09/2018 19:50

That’s the one!

didyouseetheflaresinthesky · 14/09/2018 19:52

I hate to say it OP but rats are very active and night and like to climb things. I used to work night shift in a warehouse store and it was like dodge the rats from about 7pm onwards. As soon as it got quiet and a bit dark they were out and making an unholy racket.

Nothisispatrick · 14/09/2018 19:56

I reckon it was the cat, and in the time it took you to wake up cat had gone back to bed. If it was mice surely the cat would’ve reacted?

OutrageousFlavourLikeFreesias · 14/09/2018 20:10

It could well be night terrors. I've had them all my life and I routinely wake up and see things that are absolutely, 100% Not Happening. As in, I'm awake, I see it; it's just not there. Sometimes I know pretty much instantly because the thing I'm seeing is impossible (e.g. person sat on the curtain rail). Sometimes I have to deduce it from available evidence (can't have seen DS walking through the bedroom on account of him being fast asleep in his own bed).

Moving curtains is definitely the sort of thing I "see". I'm much more prone to seeing stuff when there's been a change in my sleeping environment (like DH being away or coming back). I'm a weirdo so this happens time all the time and I'm used to it, but you might just have had a one-off episode.

It's definitely not a ghost Grin

BippityBoppity87 · 14/09/2018 20:14

I have that too. Sometimes it's really loud banging. Other times it's a knock or a doorbell ringing. Sometimes it can be an actual person (which can be quite frightening) but the most bizarre I've experienced is I wake up to music blaring in my head. It could be any random song, almost waking me up like an alarm clock. It does seem very real at the time and it's mostly when I'm just about to drift off or wake up.

specialsubject · 14/09/2018 20:15

we have attic mice at times and the noise is surprisingly loud until the snap.

Original poster
Lovestonap · 14/09/2018 20:21

That curtain was definitely moving.

If it was a rat then I'M moving.......OUT!

I have had hypnopompic hallucinations before (looked up posh term), the other day I sent my husband downstairs at 1am as I was sure someone had knocked on the front door.

at least husband is back tonight. He can have stern words with the ghost if it returns .....

Thank you for all your thoughts.

OP posts:
NoTeaNoShadeNoPinkLemonade · 14/09/2018 20:23

could your son be sleepwLking?

Original poster
Lovestonap · 14/09/2018 21:28

No, he has a rickety metal cabin bed and is 5 feet up in the air. When he's getting out of bed the whole world can hear it. He sometimes comes into our room in the middle of the night and I half hoped he would last night after I woke up, but he slept on through.

OP posts:
RavenLG · 14/09/2018 21:33

*Large spider?
A spider once freaked me out playing my ukulele in the middle of the night.

Pinkyponkcustard · 14/09/2018 21:36

Post of the day right there from raven Smile

Thatstheendofmytether · 14/09/2018 21:36

@OutrageousFlavourLikeFreesias

That sounds pretty terrifying!

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