I dreamt that my son, who just turned 28, was still a toddler. It was a simple dream – he had climbed up in my lap and fallen asleep with his head on my shoulder. For those of you with kids, do you remember how the little one fit you so well? How they just molded and melted into you? That hot little body sleeping so heavily against you? It was a sweet dream.
But then I clearly heard him, in his adult voice, say loudly and firmly, ‘mom!’ and it woke me up.
This happens often to me, either in the middle of the night or right before waking. I’ll hear my husband clearly say my name. Or sometimes it’s one of my sisters, including the one sister who has passed away.
I then have a hard time getting back to sleep because my imagination kicks in. Was my son just in an accident and called out to me? I have to turn the volume up on my phone just in case. Is my husband having a medical emergency? I hate it when I hear his voice and he’s not in the bed next to me. I have to go look for him. Is something wrong with a sister? One sister stays up late most nights so I can text her and make sure she’s okay. That one, in particular, makes me nervous when I hear her because she and I have shared dreams in the past.
This time I decided to go to the internet.
Hypnopompic hallucinations happen as a person is waking up, between the stages of sleep and fully awake. It happens in about 12% of people.
Hypnagogic hallucinations happen as a person is falling asleep, and happen in about 37% of people.
In both things, people will hear, see, or feel things that are not actually there. It can happen alone, or with sleep paralysis. It differs from mental illnesses because the person is aware that it isn’t real. It differs from nightmares which occur during REM sleep because it’s typically vivid, short, and straightforward, and has no storyline. Of course, if this happens along with other symptoms, such as when fully awake, or with narcolepsy, then obviously you should see a doctor.
While it’s not uncommon, has a medical name, and is straightforward, still, no one knows exactly what causes it.
The name doesn’t make it any less unsettling though, when you hear your son call you in the middle of the night, clearly and vividly, and as if he’s standing right next to you.
One time I even heard our old dog Arwen, singing her happy song that she reserved for when her favorite people came to visit. I reached out for her as I woke, fully expecting her to be next to me on the bed.
Will having a scientific name for this along with a description make a difference the next time it happens? Definitely not. I’m still going to text my sister. I’m still going to get up to see where my husband is. Because after all, they still don’t know what causes it.
Why take the chance?