Aibu to be really weirded out at what just happened.

[Starsinyoureyes]

Currently co sleeping with my 3 year old DD as her room is being redecorated. I was fast asleep and all of a sudden woke up hearing her crying. I sat up quickly. Then I convinced myself she had got out the bed and walked over to near the clothing rail and I called out twice and then said ‘DDs name what you doing?’ And went to stand up and get out the bed. Convinced she was sleep walking. I then focused on the clothing rail and it was just one of her jackets hung up. I looked in the bed and she was sleeping soundly and had not moved/woke up at all. It seemed so real that I saw her climb out the bed and walk. I could have sworn it was really happening.

I feel really weirded out. Can something explain this?

Also to confirm she had not woke up crying at all. It seemed so real.

Have you taken any medication?

Are you anxious about dd sleep walking?

I sometimes imagine my one year old crying and then I wake up and she's sleeping perfectly in her cot.

@heartbroken22 I do take anxiety medication but have been on this for a while. No new medication. I’ve never thought about dd sleep walking though so it’s very strange. I was so convinced she had got out and walked over and was stood underneath the clothing rail in my half asleep state

I’m wondering wether it could have been a type of sleep paralysis? But I have never had this because and I could move as I sat straight up and moved to get out of the bed

It’s just your mind playing tricks on you because it’s dark. The weird feeling tends to be worse if you’re unwell or tired or stressed. Nothing to worry about! Hope you get back to sleep soon.

Anything creepy that happens when you've woken suddenly in the night is 100% your brain playing tricks.

heat hallucination

I have this all the time and thought it was normal!

I once woke up in a hotel facing out the bed, I was utterly convinced my handbag was possessed because it was floating in mid air infront of me. I was awake but literally paralysed with fear because why was my bag floating. I used my hand to shake dh awake and and told him without taking my eyes off it. He (sensibly) put the light on- turns out I had completely forgotten how close my bed was to the wall, and also that I'd hung my bag up on a hook. Felt like a prize turkey but shows how weird brains can be either coming or going in to sleep!

I have things like this when I'm particularly tired and anxious. Convinced I've heard the (always quiet) dogs barking in the night or a child going to the bathroom. The worst is when you wake up convinced the baby was in your bed and has disappeared, but they're safe in their crib.

I was really tired one night and it looked like a hand was coming around the door and sliding the whole door handle down the door. It was just the way my brain was interpreting the shadows and whatever my eyes were doing. It's like when we look at something still, but we 'see' movement. I hear noises in my sleep all of the time.

Hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucination. Your mind playing tricks on you! I’ve had them very occasionally.

Sounds like you dreamed she was crying and misinterpreting something like a jacket hung up for a person is really common if you’ve just woken up, it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.

Sorry you’ve had a scare, it’s easy done when you’re half asleep.

Hypnopompic hallucinations are super weird. I have these many mornings - when I wake up, I see spiders or bugs moving around the bedroom - which often sends me screaming out of bed!

It was just a dream...

It’s the heat, I always have freaky dreams when I get too hot!

Mine is always spiders too. On my pillow or dangling close to my face. I usually jump out of bed thrashing wildly.

Its scary in the moment but it is normal!

Don’t worry. If you ever read woo threads it’s remarkable how many peoples woo experiences occur when they are in bed! Dreams/extreme tiredness/sleep paralysis/ hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. All very common.

I had a minor one of my own last night: lying in bed, DH away, I was fully awake and hadn’t slept yet, but when I turned my lamp off I could feel and hear someone sitting on the bed! There was movement and a gentle creak! No one there.

Fighting cats or shagging foxes don’t help either. My DS in yr3 has almost identical tone/timbre of voice as an angry cat!

Dream.

Been there done that. Ex was not happy at being woken up when I thought someone was attacking the flat.

As others have said, it's a hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucination - basically a 'waking dream' kind of thing. They can be visual or auditory or both.

I have these pretty much every night, which isn't great to be honest, but it's nothing to worry about. It does feel extremely real.

This is why so many people's 'ghost' sightings are of 'a figure in the corner of the bedroom' or 'something crouching at the end of the bed'.

Also make sure your decorating area is well ventilated. You may be inhaling fumes.

One night when DS1 was two I heard him jump out of bed and patter into my room and felt him climb into my bed. I woke up at about 5am and he'd gone so I went to check he was back in his own bed and found it empty.

After a moment of panic I remembered that he was at his dad's house that night and I was alone in my house.

I think it's likely I heard the neighbours moving around in their house (very thin walls) and my half asleep brain interpreted it as DS1, then I must have dreamt him getting into my bed.

It's unsettling when that kind of thing happens, but don't worry it's normal and just dreams and your brain playing tricks on you.

May be a baby ghost! Or next door?
who knows
cleanse the room with sage and a candle and blow it out and ask the ghost to be friendly

I’d also say it’s a hallucination , I suffer from them occasionally along with sleep paralysis, most recently my husband turned over to hug me which woke me up and I just started screaming and shouting and tried to run out of the room, I honestly thought I saw someone in our bedroom coming towards me!