Anyone else up? I'm frightened to go back to sleep, please talk

[Qcng]

I need to talk to someone.
Something really horrible just happened, I think I'm losing my mind.

Ok here's the set up, we're sleeping at dear Gran's house (my son's Gran, DH"s mum) who sadly passed, we're here bc there's a service tomorrow. I'm sleeping in the bed in his sister's old bedroom, DS is on the floor in his little blow up bed, DH is upstairs sleeping hopefully soundly in his old bedroom (usual set up, they're all small single beds so we've always done this when we've stayed and it's always been fine and dandy).

I've had a restless night because, stressed, there's a LOT going on, family fallouts etc, house moves etc...
A moment ago I'd gotten back to sleep again, I heard my son's little footsteps walking around the bed. I thought "oh no he's up and wants his cuddle" (it's not unheard of for him to get up in the night to be cuddled back to sleep, he's 4)
So I heard the footsteps come round, turned my attention to him at the side of the bed (I was awake but eyes closed) but this really really hotrid, deep, hoarse voice said angrily
"(Look at?) YOU. JUST LYING THERE" I cried out "huh?what?" then was fully awake, (I thought it had said something about a lion at first, the voice was like it had some trouble with English, like it wasn't it's first language).

I'm so shaken up. The voice was like nothing I've ever heard before, deep and had a sort of robotic/electric element to it. I'm literally terrified to shut my eyes .

I have automatically just grabbed my phone for some light, saw it was 5:45, bit early for me tbh but thought I'd just look for some funny threads in "chat" to distract my mind, but I can't take my mind off it at all!

I'm not religious at all (maybe I bloody well should be) honestly, I seriously believe I have just encountered a demon. I feel as though it "tricked me" to get my attention by sounding like my son, then scared the living crap out of me on purpose.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me, I'm losing my mind. I can't go upstairs to cuddle DH because he needs his sleep for tomorrow and he'll think I'm mad.

I don't know what I'm asking from this thread really. Help??

Ah, you poor thing. It was just a bad dream. There's no such things as demons.

Hope you’re feeling less shaky now. A bad dream when semi conscious is very scary, imagination in overdrive.

Sounds like you have just experienced an auditory hypnagogic hallucination (see here www.healthline.com/health/sleep-health/hypnagogic-hallucinations ), which happen when you are semi-conscious. Although scary, there’s a perfectly rational explanation, so please don’t worry you are losing your mind.

Hi I think that you can have disturbing dreams/ hallucinations? just as you are waking. With everything going on at the moment it’s probably all playing on your mind. I know how it feels after a nightmare and not being able to go back to sleep but as it’s 6.30 now perhaps it’s ok to get some lights on, and start the day?

It wasn't like any dream I've ever had, it felt so real, I was in this bed in this bedroom, not in a dream state.

I'm still quite shaken but probably just bc I'm on my own with nothing much else to think about.

Don't know whether to tell DH or not! He's stressed enough without me going on about demons.

I’m sure it’s a dream. Stressful time for you. Silly comment but where’s the boiler? Or hot water tank? My home from 14-18 had the hot water tank in an airing cupboard in my room. First few months or so I was hearing voices as I woke. really freaky. Then a friend stayed over and said ‘your water tank is brilliant! When it comes on it sounds like it’s talking’

Sounds really horrible..
I'm sure it was a bad dream. Can you put the bed aside light on and just rest for a bit.

Things like that happening can really frighten you. I'm sorry about your loss.

there are lovely great threads in Classics. Some proper laugh out loud ones. Have a read there to take your mind off your fright x

That sounds frightening, but I agree with the others - a horrible dream.

Thanks zen that's interesting.

I don't want to wake everyone else up just yet but it's not too long until DS will wake up normally so I'm looking forward to that!

QOD Funny!

Yes thanks, rationally I'm sure it was a dream.

I'll try distracting myself in Classics thank you

I have auditory hallucinations from time to time. They can leave me quite shaken.

It was definitely a dream. A few days ago I dreamed my parents died and sobbed so hard I woke myself up. I often dream there is a spider above my head, I can SEE it and I wake up to find myself on the other side of the room with the light on. Dreams are very powerful and can feel extremely real, especially when we are stressed. They can also take a while to dissipate but it's getting light soon and you will be ok

I've had similar happen to me whilst in that weird half-sleep state, I was convinced it was real but DH was wide awake in the room with me at the time so it obviously wasn't Honestly OP it'll just have been a product of your stressed out, half asleep brain. Can you get up without disturbing everyone? That's what I'd do, make a cuppa and stick the tv on for some distraction

Click on the link that a pp posted. Things like that seem so real when you're not fully conscious but it's honestly nothing to be scared of.

I had (a much more benign) one once when I was sure that there was a cot next to my bed with a baby in it. This was years before I had my dd so completely impossible but I still had to get up and put the light on to prove that there was nothing there. I'd been sure that I was properly awake but I couldn't have been.

The mind does play tricks on us, especially when we're tired or stressed.

It sounds like sleep paralysis - the first couple of times I had it I would have bet a million pounds I was awake! But I wasn’t, I was asleep the whole time. I’ve seen people walk into my room, heard them talk, everything, and it’s terrifying when you don’t know what happening. And it happens most when you’re stressed and sleeping “weirdly” - like in a strange place or a different position.

Right, I fully believe in the paranormal etc so I'm not dismissing that possibility at all, however, I've had some really horrible auditory hallucinations at times(usually just before I get sleep paralysis). Rationally it was probably this. I once saw and heard a demon peering at me around the door! Was defo a hallucination though. I've only ever had it when stressed and over tired.

OP, it wasn't a demon., I promise you it wasn't. Demons don't exist.

FWIW, a similar thing happened to me a few years ago, except instead of a demon it was Arnold Schwarzenegger telling me off for not hanging up my coat. Obviously it wasn't Arnie - I'm sure he doesn't stomp around bedrooms in Yorkshire of an evening on some kind of quest for tidiness - but it felt very real all the same.

Stress can do some crazy things to you, you’re tired after a restless night and you probably were just in a weird type of sleep that you don’t normally experience. Really horrible though, can you get up and have a cup of tea, maybe watch something funny on TV?

I have sleep paralysis occasionally and, whilst I've never heard voices, I've experienced other hallucinations that seem so very real at the time - the last time it happened I could feel someone sitting on my bed and tugging at my duvet.
These episodes always seem to happen when I'm under a lot of stress. Sounds like you could have experienced something similar.

This happened to my cousin when our grandad was dying. Grandad was sleeping downstairs and cousin was in room grandad usually would have slept and heard right in his ear ‘I’m going to fcking kill you!’
I’m still not convinced he wasn’t asleep though
I wonder if your sil ever experienced anything in there. Maybe bring it up sometime in the future

Yes, agree, sleep paralysis / hypnagogic dreams. The first one is horrendous because it’s so different and feels so real you just can’t believe it’s a dream. I get the ones where there’s a spider hanging above me too or a person at the end of the bed. I can come out of them faster now as know it’s not real.

It’s a horrible time for you to have this happen when you’re in such a sad and stressful situation - hugs.

I'm sure it was just a dream.
On 2 occasions my exDH woke up, absolutely furious with me. Apparently both times I had been screaming at him, slapping him, calling him all the names under the sun and then I just went back to sleep.
I was so upset, I genuinely had no recollection of this happening.
The second time it happened we were staying with DSis and I mentioned it to her a few hours later (exDH was still not speaking to me). She said categorically that she hadn't heard anything (bedroom was next door) and nor had her DH and it must have been his imagination.
ExDH really didn't like being told this, but it was true - it was a dream.

Hypnogogic dreams are common. DH used to have them all the time. I think DS does sometimes as he used to say he could see people coming out of the walls when he was smaller. Always when falling asleep or waking up. DH says they are sort of a waking dream. Not like normal dreams at all. Try not to be too upset. I hope today goes as well as as possible.

Some of these other examples are really reassuring thank you.
(Arnold Schwarzenegger )

Thanks everyone for putting my mind at ease.
DS is awake now cuddling up, so we'll put the kettle on I think.

That really was horrid but it sounds quite common. Glad I'm not mad

Glad you're reassured OP. Hope your day goes well.