Dreams within dreams and dreaming while awake. How does it work?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Inspired by another thread about dreams..

Who else wakes themselves up from a terrifying dream to find they are still dreaming even though they think they are awake? How does that even work?

I had a horrible one a couple of days ago where we were being stalked by a horrifying menacing clown. Anyway it concluded with it suddenly popping up and really biting me hard with its sharp pointy teeth. I woke myself up with a huge gasp. I could see our bedroom and could see dh, but superimposed was countless mini clown faces with bitey teeth.

I woke up dh while still seeing these clown faces, scared out of my wits, asking him if he was the clown, should I contact dd to warn her about the clown, was it in the house etc, etc...

dh said that I did wake him up by shaking him but I was clearly still asleep, asking him incomprehensible rubbish about 'it'.

So how could I see the room and the clowns at the same time. Was I awake or asleep? In terms of sleep states, where would that be? REM or something else? I've done a fair bit of sleepwalking and talking in the past, but that one was flipping confusing.

I haven't had an experience quite as you describe, but I have 'woken' from a dream, started getting ready for the day as usual and then at some point realise that I'm still dreaming and I have to face getting up and getting ready all over again.

I've woken up from a dream, only to realise I was still dreaming, lots of times. I once dreamt that I couldn't wake up at all (every time I did, I was still a dream, over and over for what felt like hours). That was terrifying.

Almost as bad was the one I used to have every morning before school, I'd wake up, get ready, get my lift, walk up to the gates.... then I'd wake up and realise it was all a dream. Again.

*stll in a dream

I haven’t had the dream within a dream, but I often open my eyes and can see my bedroom walls etc and also things from my dream at the same time. Or just random things like giant spiders walking across the ceiling, people’s faces weird lights. The other night I jumped out of my bed and was banging on all the walls as I’d dreamed my son and I was in a fully plastered room with no windows or doors. Until I flung the curtains back and realised there was a window, the hopped back into bed.

I think it’s just a period of time where you can see your surroundings but your brain is still partly dreaming.

it's horrible isn't it!
I didn't even realise I was still dreaming when I woke up dh until I was chatting it over with dh yesterday.

Yeah my dreams within dreams are so boring - like PP said I dream I have got up, and then wake up again and I haven't. I also have dreams within dreams where I "realise" the first dream wasn't actually happening to me, it was a book i was reading or a film I was watching.

I've had that - look up sleep paralysis as that's what's actually happening. For me I think I was opening my eyes while asleep but still dreaming so the dream becomes superimposed over what you can actually see.

It wasn't sleep paralysis, I get that too. I was talking (well more than talking, I was really upset, and sitting up.
I guess I went from one dream straight into sleepwalking and then gradually properly woke up from that.
I wonder which sleep stage it is.