Spooked and tired

[karea]

So I ended up getting little sleep and ended up freaking myself out last night…

I went to bed at 10 with my cat, and I decided to sleep with my little lamp on (you twist a side thing to turn it on). It took me about an hour to fall asleep, but it was fine. I woke up at exactly 3am dazed and confused, having sat up straight in my bed and found myself grabbing my cat for no reason. I decided to let her out and got back in bed. As I settled in, I suddenly realized my lamp was -off-. Aaand my dad was the only other person in the house and was snoring (in the morning he said he never went in my room).

At first I thought the bulb blew out…but it turned back on easily. Um, when I fell asleep it was -on-. Weird. I prayed for awhile but I couldn’t get back to sleep so I called my fiance` and he talked to me awhile. I have never been spooked before. I usually have no problem walking through the house (including the basement) in the dark or anything, I don’t even bother turning on the lights.

Around 5am my dad got up for work so I left my door open (I was still feeling nervous). I started to drift off asleep, when it suddenly felt like my chest was super heavy, and I felt like I couldn’t move at all. I tried to yell for my dad, but I couldn’t speak, my lips wouldn’t move and my ears were ringing. After what felt like forever I finally was able to yell for my dad. He came in asking what was up and it all stopped, I think I had fallen half asleep and had like a waking nightmare or something.

It was bizarre. I couldn’t sleep at all after that. I feel better now but am still a bit anxious.

I really need some sleep, please pray I don’t have any nightmares tonight, I have to drive back up to school tomorrow which is a long drive and I need to be rested. I just needed to vent about this. Anyway, maybe reading more scripture before bed would help?

 

[VivienneJ]

Karea, many nights I’ve fallen asleep with my bedside light on and in my sleep switched it off during the night. I live alone, there is no way anyone else has switched it off. Perhaps on some level you were aware of the light being on and switched it off without waking up.

That feeling of something heavy on your chest I used to get as a young girl when falling asleep.

I live in an apartment these days but lived alone in a house for a couple of years and remember at least one night when I spooked myself out (with a little help from my dog). We had a power failure, quite common where I lived, and the dog began giving his ‘there’s someone there’ bark while looking towards the garage. I eventually let him out and he stopped the barking, but I was super freaked out, ended up locking all the internal doors and locking the dog and myself into my bedroom for the night…of course there was nothing there, but once you are creeped out it is very difficult to calm down.

Hope you do get a good night’s rest tonight, ready for your long drive.

 

[notwithout]

Around 5am my dad got up for work so I left my door open (I was still feeling nervous). I started to drift off asleep, when it suddenly felt like my chest was super heavy, and I felt like I couldn’t move at all. I tried to yell for my dad, but I couldn’t speak, my lips wouldn’t move and my ears were ringing. After what felt like forever I finally was able to yell for my dad. He came in asking what was up and it all stopped, I think I had fallen half asleep and had like a waking nightmare or something.

Not trying to offer medical advice but this sounds an awful lot like sleep paralysis. When you sleep deep enough to dream - REM sleep - your body paralyzes itself. This is like a safeguard so that if you have a particularly energetic dream - say an action adventure kind of thing - you don’t hurt yourself thrashing around as you try to act the dream out. When you are especially stressed or overtired, sometimes you get little glitches in the process. Your brain wakes up but it takes time for the paralysis to wear off, so you get that sensation of being awake but unable to move. Almost everyone has one or two of these episodes in a life time. If it starts happening over and over again and is really disrupting your sleep a quick trip to the doctor is in order.

As to the light, I agree with VivienneJ, you probably just turned it off in your sleep. When you sleep, even if you are a real “heavy sleeper,” you are very sensitive to outside sensations - so for example when you sleep through your alarm in the morning it’s not so much that you don’t “hear” it as it is that your brain perceives the sound and turns it into something else connected with the dream you’re having to preserve the sleep state. It’s entirely possible that if the light was disturbing your sleep pattern your brain directed you to turn it off without fully waking the body.

I think you should do just what you said - read a little before bed, try to relax, try not to force yourself to sleep. Try not to get yourself too worked up about, yes it is a freaky set of coincidences but that’s probably all it is. Stressing about this is only going to make it harder to sleep and that will give you more stress which will…well you get the idea. Anyway here’s hoping you sleep peacefully tonight.

 

[Liberanosamalo]

I suspect she wouldn’t have been so freaked if she hadn’t woken up at 3 am on the dot.

 

[Irishmom2]

Ah, cats are the source of many sleepless nights at our house! :whacky:
But what do they care, they sleep all day!

I would suggest not going to sleep with the light on if possible, even though you think you are going to sleep and it won’t bother you, I think that it really does affect your sleep. They advise against nightlights for kids for this same reason.

 

[Sierrah]

Ah, cats are the source of many sleepless nights at our house! :whacky:
But what do they care, they sleep all day!

I would suggest not going to sleep with the light on if possible, even though you think you are going to sleep and it won’t bother you, I think that it really does affect your sleep. They advise against nightlights for kids for this same reason.

I actually sleep better when my cat sleeps with me. It’s said cats have a calming effect on our nerves. I know my nerves have been all over the place lately and my cat has been keeping close. I think they sense when you’re upset.

As to the heavy feeling on you chest you might want to have your house or apt. blessed by a priest…just as a precaution. You can also get some holy water and do it yourself. It might relieve your mind. Just a suggestion.

 

[ahollars]

I woke up at exactly 3am dazed and confused,…

Are you familiar with the significance of 3am? That is not a random time of night without meaning, and it is no mere coincidence. Ask your guardian angel to protect you.

 

[Marshchild]

Are you familiar with the significance of 3am? That is not a random time of night without meaning, and it is no mere coincidence. Ask your guardian angel to protect you.

OK, my curiosity’s piqued. What is the significance of 3 AM (the time when I myself usually go to bed, interestingly enough)?

 

[LaLucia]

Karea, My advise is to get some holy water from a catholic church and bless your bedroom, bed, yourself and your cat. Wear your blessed cross to go to sleep.
When you said you were spooked…it means you felt a strange presense in your bedroom.
I have also had the experience of having that heavy feeling of waking up but not being able to move. Many years ago I had the experience of feeling a spirit of a man on top of me and he wouldn’t let me move. It was scary but I started praying and he left.

I keep holy water near my bed in case I feel the need to bless myself and my dog.
I do believe in spirits who sometimes come into our homes. So, I bless my place with incense and holy water. I call my friends to pray for me and then I feel better.

I have also had the experience of waking up at 3a.m. Some people say you are supposed to wake up and say some prayers but that is a bad habit to get into especially if you have to go to work or school in the mornings.

Try not to drink caffine after 3p.m. so you can sleep better at night. Drink some sleepytime tea made from camomille.

I think your experience was a one time thing and will not happen to you again. Stay away from the spooky Halloween movies too. We are in a time of darkness but we can keep God’s light of protection in our homes.
PEACE, Lucy

 

[VivienneJ]

Are you familiar with the significance of 3am? That is not a random time of night without meaning, and it is no mere coincidence. Ask your guardian angel to protect you.

OK, my curiosity’s piqued. What is the significance of 3 AM (the time when I myself usually go to bed, interestingly enough)?

Ja, I’d also like to know what Ahollars is alluding to here. This time Google was not my friend.

Marshchild, you go to bed at 3am? On a very bad night when I have a ton of work to do, or had a late afternoon nap I go to bed at 2am and that is bad. But I normally get up at 5am (except when I’ve gone to bed late, then it’s 6am).

 

[VivienneJ]

Karea, My advise is to get some holy water from a catholic church and bless your bedroom, bed, yourself and your cat. Wear your blessed cross to go to sleep.

Holy water is excellent stuff to have around and to use, but as a Presbyterian, Karea might find it something spooky to use?

 

[Liberanosamalo]

There was a thread on CAF a few years back that was locked. But the 3 a.m. has sometimes been alluded to as the witching hour or the devil’s hour. An inversion of the 3 pm time of the Crucifixion, and a twist of the Trinity…

who knows. But if you wake up at that hour and think you’re spooked, I’d recommend saying the prayer to St. Michael.

 

[VivienneJ]

There was a thread on CAF a few years back that was locked. But the 3 a.m. has sometimes been alluded to as the witching hour or the devil’s hour. An inversion of the 3 pm time of the Crucifixion, and a twist of the Trinity…

who knows. But if you wake up at that hour and think you’re spooked, I’d recommend saying the prayer to St. Michael.

Ah, thanks, Liberanosamalo. I’ve heard of 1am as the time that your body’s defences are at their lowest (and when many deaths occur in hospitals).

Hmmm, good advice, and I’d say that anytime you wake up spooked is a good time to pray to St. Michael.

 

[Marshchild]

Ja, I’d also like to know what Ahollars is alluding to here. This time Google was not my friend.

Marshchild, you go to bed at 3am? On a very bad night when I have a ton of work to do, or had a late afternoon nap I go to bed at 2am and that is bad. But I normally get up at 5am (except when I’ve gone to bed late, then it’s 6am).

It used to be 4 (or sometimes even later), but I’m getting on a bit, and don’t have the stamina I once did. Seriously, though, I don’t start work until the afternoon, so it’s all good. I always endeavour to get a good eight hours’ sleep every night, and funnily enough, having daylight streaming through my bedroom window for probably half the time I’m in bed (or even longer) doesn’t seem to bother me. I have found myself compelled to take the phone off the hook every night before I retire, however, for I had far too many annoying experiences of being woken prematurely by a ringing telephone - usually at a time when it was too early to get up, but too late to go back to sleep.

 

[Sierrah]

Are you familiar with the significance of 3am? That is not a random time of night without meaning, and it is no mere coincidence. Ask your guardian angel to protect you.

What is the significance of 3am. I don’t believe in strange occurances around numbers. Funny thing though my mind has been troubled lately and I’ve been waking at 3am but I’ve been going to bed at 9 or 10pm…highly unusual for me.

 

[Sierrah]

There was a thread on CAF a few years back that was locked. But the 3 a.m. has sometimes been alluded to as the witching hour or the devil’s hour. An inversion of the 3 pm time of the Crucifixion, and a twist of the Trinity…

who knows. But if you wake up at that hour and think you’re spooked, I’d recommend saying the prayer to St. Michael.

I always just pray when I wake up early like that…glad to know it’s a good thing to do.