Have you ever started your day, only to suddenly wake up back in bed and realize you’d been dreaming about waking up?
Perhaps you got out of bed as normal and started your morning routine, but then snapped out of an imaginary breakfast or journey to work to find yourself back in bed, probably feeling a bit confused by what just happened.
If this sounds familiar, you might have experienced what’s known as a false awakening.
What are false awakenings?
False awakenings are particularly vivid dreams in which you feel like you’ve woken up even though you’re still dreaming. It’s often only when you wake up later – for real this time – that you realize your previous waking was just a dream.
I know from personal experience how confusing it can be as I’ve had false awakenings on numerous occasions. I jokingly call them mini Groundhog days – they don’t tend to last as long as Bill Murray’s day in the movie, but do have that odd feeling of repeating the start of the day sometimes.
Thankfully, I don’t have false awakenings as regularly as some people do, but have had several during the last few years.
In this article, I’ll be discussing false awakenings and suggesting some potential ways to cope with them if you find them upsetting.
I’ll also cover some interesting techniques that you could try to help you gain awareness that you’re dreaming. That way, you might be able to use your false awakening as a stepping stone to the fascinating world of lucid dreaming.
False awakening poll
I asked 557 readers about their experience of false awakenings. 59% said they found it distressing. However, 17% said they enjoy it or find it interesting. A further 11% found it can lead to a lucid dream.
Too real to be a dream?
One of the fascinating features of a false awakening is just how lifelike it can seem. Even if you have some vague awareness that you’re dreaming, the fact that you’re dreaming about your normal routine might stop you from questioning it further.
The experience often takes the form of waking up and doing something familiar and normal. For example, you might get dressed, go to the bathroom, or sit and have breakfast.
Nested dreams
Some people experience more than one episode before they eventually wake up for real. Repeated false awakenings, a kind of Russian doll of dreams, can happen in one night. This is something that many readers have described in the comments below since first publishing this article.
This extended version of multiple false awakenings is sometimes referred to as nested dreams, or dreams within dreams.
It might sound a bit like the plot of the movie Inception, but these dreams within dreams do happen, and can leave you feeling like you’re trapped inside your dreams.
False awakenings can seem so real that perhaps even on finally waking up, you might need a while to be fully convinced that you’re actually going to eat breakfast this time.
What causes false awakenings?
There isn’t a great deal of published research on false awakenings and what might cause them. When I started investigating the causes of my own episodes, I was surprised to discover a lack of information about them in medical sources.
As if to mirror its own nature, information about false awakenings is often buried inside articles and research about dreaming in general, lucid dreaming, and other sleep disorders.
Let’s consider some ideas that might help explain why they happen.
Worry and anxiety
If you’re thinking or worried about a past or future event in your life, you might find it’s incorporated in some way in your dreams.
For example, the threat simulation theory of dreaming suggests that we sometimes rehearse events in our dreams, particularly threatening events. This can lead to dreaming about possible life events rather than having more fantastical dreams. So it would make sense that we might dream about waking up and going about our everyday life rather than flying about in a fantasy realm.
Some also argue that expectations play a key role in dreaming. If you’re feeling anxious, you might expect to sleep badly and wake up in the night, or need to wake up early for an important day. This anxiety could influence your dream and create a false awakening.
Real events and everyday life
An interesting explanation could lie in the dream protoconsciousness theory. A study in 2011 looked at false awakenings in light of this theory, suggesting that our innate schemes / daily lives feed into dream content. Since we wake up every day as part of our normal routines, waking up itself becomes a concept that we sometimes dream of.
Another fascinating study published in 2021 looked at the content of 528 dreams that people had while in a sleep lab. They found that the sleep lab itself featured in people’s dreams in 40.7% of cases, either as lucid dreams or false awakenings.
Mixed brain states
It’s argued that your brain can be in more than one state of consciousness at once. So it’s possible that the part of your brain responsible for dreaming and also for waking consciousness are both active.
This could then lead to vivid dreaming of gaining consciousness and waking up. Some sleep disorders can lead to this state, as well as environmental factors such as sudden external noise.
This shares some similarities with sleep paralysis, in which we gain some consciousness while waking up from the REM sleep stage, but there is some overlap between the two. To put it in simple terms, we are neither completely awake nor completely asleep, but a bit of both as the same time.
False awakening or sleep paralysis?
False awakenings are sometimes confused with sleep paralysis, which can occur either when waking up or falling asleep. During an episode of sleep paralysis, your body is paralyzed, but your brain is conscious and aware of your surroundings.
What some people experience is a false awakening in which they dream of waking up and being unable to move. This can also be frightening, both in the dream and when you wake up and remember what just happened.
The key difference is that physical paralysis does actually occur during sleep paralysis to protect you from injury if you act out your dreams in bed.
On the other hand, the paralysis during a false awakening takes place purely within the dream. You will usually then wake up in your bed and be able to move normally.
Treatment
If your false awakening episodes have gotten you worried, the good news is that they aren’t thought to be an indicator of mental illness. In fact, they are quite common and it’s thought that many people experience them during their lives. So in that respect, they don’t usually require treatment.
If they are frequent, distressing, or affecting your quality of sleep or daily life, it’s a good idea to speak to your primary care doctor about it. They might consider the following options:
- Practical advice to help you sleep better.
- Investigating if there is an underlying sleep disorder.
- Dream rehearsal therapy.
- Anxiety or stress management.
- Medication – in certain circumstances.
It could be that the best option is not to worry and try to accept it as a normal part of dreaming. Alternatively, there are two interesting self-help options that might help: trying to stop them from happening and using them as a tool for lucid dreaming.
Self-help for false awakenings
It’s one thing to wake up properly after a false awakening dream, and then lie in bed thinking about how strange it was. It’s an altogether different experience to become aware of it whilst the dream is still happening.
How do you gain that awareness though? If you realize that you’re still asleep and dreaming, do you then try to wake yourself up, or just ride it out and see what happens?
The answer to the second question is a personal choice, but it will also be dictated by whatever level of awareness you manage to achieve.
Let’s take a look at some techniques to consider for the next time it happens.
1. How to wake up during a false awakening
If you have a false awakening, a moment of awareness within the dream just might not happen. It’s often the case that we are simply a witness to our dreams, not an active participant.
Even if you do realize you’re dreaming, it doesn’t always follow that you can simply decide to wake up.
If you do become aware that you’re still dreaming, here are some actions which might help you wake up for real:
- Tell yourself that you want to wake up now – you might as well start with a direct and simple approach!
- Try to focus your mind on moving a finger or toe. When you gain control of that, move to an arm or leg if you still haven’t woken up.
- Try blinking rapidly.
- Focus your gaze on one thing in the dream.
- If there’s a mirror, try to look at yourself.
- Try and do a complex action, like running, jumping or dancing.
All of those techniques require a certain level of awareness though. You’ll either have it or you won’t in any given dream. If you’re having regular false awakenings, it might help if you remind yourself of these possible actions just before you go to sleep to cement them in your mind.
Let’s now look at what you can do if you’re not in such a rush to wake up and like the idea of exploring your dreams a little further.
2. Turn a false awakening into a lucid dream
If you’re the adventurous type, the idea of lucid dreaming may be an exciting and fun one.
False awakenings are often reported by those with a strong interest in lucid dreaming (for example, World of Lucid Dreaming) as a potential bridge.
In some ways, it’s a fairly straightforward concept. First, check that you’re dreaming and therefore become aware that you’re still inside the dream. Then get moving and explore to your heart’s content.
How exactly do you start checking that you’re dreaming? The theory goes that you need to plant the idea in your head that you’re going to start doing ‘reality checking’ in your dreams. Then cross your fingers that it happens.
Reality checking
Here are some techniques to do what’s known as a ‘reality check’, and find out which side of the dreamworld your feet really are:
- Try and remember facts or figures. It can be difficult to recall factual information, such as your address, phone number, or someone’s date of birth. If you find it difficult, it’s a sign you may be dreaming.
- Try leaving the room in your dream. The next room or hall might change into something which shouldn’t be there.
- Try to read any writing in the dream. Reading can be difficult in dreams, so words or numbers might blur or morph.
- If in doubt, you probably are asleep. Despite the fact that your brain can create incredibly vivid scenes, if you’re not sure if you’re dreaming, it’s more likely that you are than aren’t.
- If you’re doing a complex task in your dream, perform a reality check. If you’re in the bathroom, see if you look normal or not. If you’re eating breakfast, check if the food tastes as it usually does. In bed, check if the bedding has the right texture or feel.
The theory goes that any of these reality checking behaviors can trigger awareness that you’re still asleep. If that doesn’t wake you up, then you’re free to explore a whole imaginary world of possibilities.
If you’ve never experienced the kind of awareness that doing these things would require, don’t worry about it. Perhaps reading this article and remembering the concepts might help trigger that awareness in the future.
Please keep in mind though that the various suggested methods to induce lucid dreaming still don’t have strong scientific backing.
For example, a review of the evidence for lucid dreaming techniques, conducted by researchers at Heidelberg University in 2012, found that the techniques don’t work on demand. They concluded that:
None of the induction techniques were verified to induce lucid dreams reliably and consistently, although some of them look promising.
However, lucid dreaming does happen, so there is hope. A German study in 2011 found that 51% of the 919 participants had experienced a lucid dream at least once in their life.
New research into reality checking and false awakenings / lucid dreaming
In 2019, researchers analyzed an older web survey about false awakenings and lucid dreams. They found that 62% of the 90 people who have regular lucid dreams also had false awakenings, transitioning from one to the other.
They also found that people who are regular reality checkers tended to have more false awakenings (76% of respondents who reality check).
Moreover, people who check their state with such reality checks were more likely to transition into lucid dreaming from a false awakening.
This research lends some initial support to the technique of reality checking as a way to both cope with false awakenings, and theoretically turn it to your advantage in the form of the opportunity to enjoy some dream control.
As the researchers say:
This appears to be the first empirical datum in support of the frequently self-reported ability of lucid dreamers to turn “actively” their FAs into lucid dreams.
Buzzi et al.
3. Can you prevent false awakenings?
The idea of lucid dreaming understandably won’t appeal to everyone. If you have bad dreams, stopping them in the first place might seem like a more beneficial option.
In this case, there are some techniques that might help prevent them. At the very least, perhaps you might be able to stop them from happening more than once in a night.
Please note that these ideas aren’t guaranteed to stop your false awakenings specifically. In many ways, they are suggestions that are thought to help with sleep problems in general.
- Avoid caffeine and other stimulants, especially in the evening.
- Avoid alcohol in the evening.
- Try to calm your mind before going to sleep. If you struggle with anxiety or stress at night, you might find it helpful to do some relaxation exercises in bed.
- Do regular exercise. It might also help to go for a short walk in the evening before bed.
- If you have a false awakening, get out of bed for 10 to 15 minutes before going back to sleep.
- Stick to a regular sleep pattern, and try to avoid becoming sleep deprived.
Your thoughts
Have you experienced a false awakening or a series of nested dreams? What happened and what did it feel like?
Feel free to share your story and views in the comments below. I’m sure other readers will also find your experience useful and interesting.
last night is the second time in my life experiencing dream in dream (and it was 4 layers dreaming). i think it’s fun, but scary as well. i believe this happened because of my fragmented sleeping and lack of sleep, which i had lately this week.
I had a nest dream which started with a sleep paralysis and I was really scared (and unaware that it was a dream at the moment) when the paralysis stopped i waited in my room for my parents to wake up and once one did I ran crying towards them but they didn’t reacted then I woke up again without the paralysis and the same I was waiting for one of my parents to wake up and ran to them but this time they were being hostile, they felt like evil,,?? I woke up again and ran to them but again they felt wrong, this time my brother was in the frame but this time I started screaming that they weren’t my real parents and they were worried like what do I mean and I started to think I might be crazy then I woke up again and ran towards then because i woke up and the evil family?? From before were dragging me with their hands but this time my mother was holding me but as if she couldn’t see i was being dragged and she was laughing a lot meanwhile my dad was realy grumpy then I was like why she laughs so much and my dad turned hostile and tried to hurt us?? I didnt woke up within the dream this time but this dream was longer and turned into a nightmare that finally let me wake up for real, I remember in the dream realising I was dreaming and I tried bitting my hand but my hand felt like gum so it didnt even hurt, its the first time I have woken up within a dream but the situations that takes place in the last dream have been repeated a while now and its horrible.
My false awakenings are always the same.. I will be in my own home, walking around, talking to my husband doing the most mundane, everyday things, but then I will notice something is slightly off…tonight I was in a false awakening walking across the living room floor toward my husband and I started floating. Realized I was dreaming. The rest of the dream is me doing things trying to wake up.. Splash water on my face but can’t feel it.. Slapping myself etc.. Within the dream I “think” I have awoken many times but something again will be a little off and clue me into the fact that I am still dreaming… My cat looks different, or one of my grown children appears as a youngster. At some point it becomes terrifying and I frantically start trying to wake up. This usually ends with me waking up for real.. Screaming.. And then trying to convince myself that I am actually awake. I can feel the cold water on my face, I can feel myself scratching my arm, the coolness of the fan on my face… It takes a lot of convincing. I never want to go back to sleep afterward for fear it will happen again. Was glad to find this article after I woke up and to know I am not alone and to finally have s name for what is happening!
Hi L
Thanks for your comment. That sounds very distressing indeed. Sorry to hear you wake up in such a state. Perhaps the knowledge you have now will subconsciously make it easier to deal with. But if you do continue waking up in such a state, perhaps mention it to your doctor.
Regards
Ethan
Ok so last night I thought I woke up feeling little zaps of electricty running over my face. As I lay there in the darkness of my bedroom wondering what could cause this the began to grow, stronger and stronger and I began to feel like I couldn’t breath. I started to panic but couldn’t move. I tried really hard to move my arms in a desperate attempt to wake my partner but I couldn’t then as I managed to just about move my arms enough to wack him into waking up (I became aware that I could once again feel my arms pinned to the bed).
I’m not really sure what happened then I didn’t wake up but I think I must have been aware that I had been dreaming. Very frightening at the time but now I am intrigued as I have never experienced a dream like this before.
Hi Kelly
It sounds to me like maybe you had an episode of sleep paralysis.
Regards
Ethan
My boyfriend told me years ago that he used to have dreams where he felt lie he had woke up but me couldn’t move at all or shout for help. He found them very frightening. Well last night after never having experienced anything like this myself I had the strangest thing happen. So I was asleep but I felt like I could feel little zaps of electric all over my face. This made me think that I had woke up. It was pitch black as it usually is in my bedroom at night. As I lay there wondering what on earth was going on the zaps became more powerful and I started to panic. I felt like I couldn’t breath or move and tried desperately to move my arms to wake my partner. Eventually I could see that in my panic my arms were moving hitting my partner trying to wake him but somehow I knew they remained still at the side of me. Not really sure what happened after this. I did not wake up, but the dream or whatever it was ended. But as soon as I woke this morning I was aware that this had happened. It’s was very scary at the time but I am kind of intrigued by the whole thing and would love to learn more about this.
Hi Kelly
Thanks for your comment. Yes, false awakenings can be very interesting, or quite distressing too. If you have more of them, maybe you can learn to use them as a stepping stone for lucid dreaming. Only time will tell!
Regards
Ethan
I have reoccurring nightmares that someone is poking me or trying to wake me. When I wake up they torture me. I wake up in real life afraid to go back to sleep. This leads to insomnia. Can you help me?
Hi Luke
Thanks for your comment. That sounds very unpleasant – I can understand the fear to go back to sleep. You might find it helpful to try some of the techniques I wrote about in my article about dealing with nightmares. But if it’s on-going and affecting your daily life and well-being, perhaps you’ll benefit from professional help, either from your doctor or a therapist.
Regards
Ethan
I find myself struggling with nightmares. It will happen when im trying to go to sleep and I will be in a scary nightmare (last night was the house on fire and I couldnt get to my little boy) I know I’m dreaming but its still very real and when I wake up I cant get out of it. If i open my eyes and have a drink then i go straight back to the dream but if I walk around the house then I tend to come out of it. It’s very frequent and has been going on for a number of years. It can scare me to try and go to sleep. It just doesnt make sense how I can be awake but be in such a scary dream but not be able to get away from it.
Hi Tori
Thanks for your comment. I guess the good news is that if you’re lucid dreaming, there’s hope you can learn to control it. I haven’t really gone into lucid dreaming much on this site yet, but if you look around online you find lots of advice for developing your lucid dreams. With some practice and advice you might find you make progress and can control the dreams better.
All the best
Ethan
Thank you i had a dream where i woke up like 20 times.i think its the second reason i went to sleep because i wanted to wake up at a normal time, but i only slept for 3 hours.this was REALLY helpful.
i forgot to say that i already went to sleep and got my energy 4 or 5 hours from when i fell asleep again
Hi Gabe
Thanks for your comment – I’m glad you found the article helpful. 20 times is a lot – did it get frustrating, or did you just dream it and wake up remembering how many times it happened?
Regard
Ethan
Over the last five years or so, I’ve woken with sleep paralysis a few times, but over the last year, I’ve had several false awakenings.
This has happened again just now, but what was somewhat different was that it continued about 8&9 times. It always starts with me waking in my own room and nothing seems off the first time. I managed to make it too the landing at first, not aware I was still dreaming until I saw an outline of someone sat outside of my brothers room.
I asked who it was, but they didn’t answer and then I started to feel apprehensive when they moved towards me. I shouted and held the person by the neck before the fear left and I let go of the person, feeling as though they were a spirit, but with no intention of harming me.
I then seemingly awoke in my bed and thought just a dream! I tried to turn on my bedside lamp, but it wouldn’t turn on, but my room had a distinct White/ Blue low backlight that you might get from a TV, I didn’t think much of it and closed my eyes only to feel as though someone was tucking me in and patting my leg. My eyes shot open and I thought I’m still dreaming and tried to awake and the cycle started again, try and turn on light, doesn’t turn on and so I close my eyes again to sleep, only to have the same patting/ tucking in sensation. I tried to wake up again and realised that as much as I was trying, I wasn’t actually escaping this dream.
This happened another three of four times and a small dog appeared on the last two times that although a bit snarly seemed to back away when I tried to move to touch it.
I knew I was still dreaming, but every time my eyes would close and I would be in the same position. Until the last time when I felt the tucking/ patting and heard the dog only to look to the bottom of my bed to see a very large man, disproportionately large, stood at the bottom of my bed in a very large top hat. His features were quite distinct (bearded man- very Victorian looking). He made no move to talk or come near me, but his presence along with the dog and the small man on the hall had freaked me out a bit much causing me to scream at myself to awake properly, which I then did after checking the time on my phone (always a way for me to tell if I am finally awake).
There were times when I was dreaming and aware, where it felt like I had actually awoke once or twice not a false awakening, but after initially opening my eyes it felt like they were lead weights and because of this, I dropped back into the dreams.
I won’t be sleeping again tonight as I am afraid I will fall back into the same dream, which wasn’t entirely pleasant. I had only been asleep for around 30 minutes when this happened, so when falling asleep and not waking up. Do you have any tips on how to avoid the same dream state in any one evening after false awakenings? I have had them before and occasionally it’s taken two/ three times to wake up, but this one seemed very hard to escape despite knowing that I was dreaming after the third or fourth false awakening.
Hi Hannah
Thanks for your comment. I can understand your reluctance to sleep after you’ve had a night you found distressing. However, it’s important to try and see every night as a fresh night, and not allow the worry of a sleep incident to become a cause of insomnia.
I think if you wake up from this kind of experience, it can be helpful to get up for a while, go into another room, have a drink of water and do something familiar for 10-15 minutes like read a book or listen to some music, with soft lighting. This can help ‘reset’ your brain, so to speak.
Regards
Ethan
mine are worse i would wake up and realize it is a false awakening dream and try to wake up for real, i would feel my limbs moving but if i look at them they are just stable. when i try to move my hand it feels like moving but when i look at it, it not moving therefore i know I’m still sleeping i even feel exhaustion. At last i wake up very pissed off because of many attempts which were eventually becoming false awakenings
Hi
I feel asleep tonight and had a dream that I woke up, checked my phone and I think it should it was 22:50 so I got up and got ready to take a bath, but the weird thing is I was thinking of the sausages I had for dinner then realised I had two in my pocket and got them out and left them on my bed, then I got out of bed and walked out the room (nothing seemed different in the room) and closed the door so my dog wouldn’t eat my sausages I think that’s when I woke up in real life.
Hi Cat
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your experience!
Regards
Ethan
Hi
I feel asleep tonight and had a dream that I woke up, checked my phone and I think it should it was 22:50 so I got up and got ready to take a bath, but the weird thing is I was thinking of the sausages I had for dinner then realised I had two in my pocket and got them out and left them on my bed, then I got out of bed and walked out the room (nothing seemed different in the room) and closed the door so my dog wouldn’t eat my sausages I think that’s when I woke up in real life.
Hi, I’ve just awoken from the third false awakening loop this month.
I’ve recently been put on a muscle relaxing medication and I believe this has been the trigger, although I have had the same phenomenon in the past but not as close together.
My false awakenings are always the same and I always get stuck in a loop.
I need the toilet and attempt to wake up and go. I can’t open my eyes to have to either put a lot of effort into opening them or physically open them with my hands (in the dream). Once opened I make my way to the toilet (sometimes in my own house, other times in another house but it feels normal) but once there I can’t wee. Usually it only takes one awakening like this for me to become lucid but then I’m stuck in a loop of trying to force my eyes open, waking up, convinced I AM awake this time, going to the toilet, can’t go, realise I’m not, repeat… Often a dozen or so times. The dreams are never menacing or nightmarish. They are totally mundane but they do get distressing after a while as I wonder if I’ll ever be able to wake up, or if I will wet the bed (not yet happened thank goodness). I am painfully lucid throughout and it feels like I’m trapped. I’ve tried all sorts to wake up properly from pinching myself in the dream, trying to shout to my husband for help etc. These attempts always lead to those things being incorporated into my dream. ie my husband talks soothingly to me telling me it’s ok, I’ve had a nightmare, I’m awake, only to find out it was dream husband speaking to me in yet another false awakening. It’s infuriating.
I will spontaneously wake up for real in the end and will know I’m awake as I have a moment of sleep paralysis after, which is bizarrely reassuring as I know I’m actually awake!
Hi Angela
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it must be distressing for you if you find sleep paralysis a relief! Have you tried working with the lucid dream instead of trying to fight it? Perhaps you might have more luck if you can stay calm and gently try to change what’s happening in the dream. Just an idea for you!
Regards
Ethan
I have literally just woken up from a dream within a dream…….I had come back from holiday put my phone on charge next to me (like I would in real life) went to sleep then awoke with this foreboding, ominous sense of dread surrounding me, I went to turn my lamp on which is on my left hand side of my bed to find the lampshade had melted & the bulb was emitting a low pale cream colour on & off. I remember thinking what has my cat Cracker done now, shouted for him & he didn’t appear, I then got out of bed & the room started getting darker & I remember thinking this is not right this is not mums house I need to get out where’s Cracker ‘& next thing I know I felt this incredible real life pain & turned to find this man or thing had stabbed right through me with claws & was dragging me to the wardrobe with me impaled on them!!! The pain was unreal! i then woke up in a big double bed feeling calmer, looked to my right & saw a Buddha head & I remember thinking I’m at mums now & then I thought hold on this still isn’t right I’m at my flat not mums house & promptly woke up! Have had to turn my lamp on to double check it hadn’t melted and make sure my cat was here too!! My dream within a dream is always a scary one, the one following it tends to never be & im generally aware I’m dreaming & need to wake up. I have dreams within dreams very frequently & am fascinated to find out more about these as I’m always affected for hours afterwards by them.
Hi Caroline
Thanks for your comment. It’s interesting that you say there is a pattern there with the first being scary and the second not so. I wonder if there’s an element of you taking some control over the dream as you realize you’re dreaming. It would be interesting to see if you can develop real control and lucid dream!
Regards
Ethan
This just happened to me for the 5 th time in two weeks . Of course mine are always scary and end with me waking up multiple times before I actually wake up. They happen so frequently now that within the first dream I’m typically able realize I’m dreaming and attempt to wake up – however it takes several false tries to actually do it . I’m not sure why I panic each time – I should be used to it by now . I haven’t been able to prevent them thus far , although after I’ve awoken if I physically get out of bed and walk around I will not fall back into it .
Hi Aluse
Thanks for your comment. I think it’s a good idea to get up and reset the mind a little. Perhaps if it keeps happening you could try and plant the seed in your mind of the idea to try and lucid dream. Sometimes people can successfully turn a false awakening into a lucid dream and take control of what happens.
Regards
Ethan
Yeah am not sure if I had a false awakening! For starters,
I dreamed that I was in a place that looked from a distance like a cathedral really huge! It was like there was a birds eye view of where i was showing the scenery and place. Suddenly I was in the top floor of the sacred building looking through the window. That’s when I saw an asteroid or meteor headed towards me!! So I tried to get away from it trying ti leave the building. As I was a hurry leaving, other people as well were on the move and rushing and running. In the end I managed to find an exit through an old gate and passage, me and some few people. Now we ran and got into a car. Right there in the car I was suddenly aware this is a dream as soon as I realised that it didn’t take long and I woke up! Now here… when l woke up at first I couldn’t wake up! Then everything went black as if I closed my eyes or I blinked for a really longtime! Then I woke up again in the same position!!! So this time I was like okay time to wake up. I woke up then sat on the bed. Suddenly I was back to bed again the same position!!! so this time I gotta get for real!! I tried to put an effort into getting up and had a hard time moving my arm. With some effort i managed to wake up for real this time. I noticed the bed covers were different this time that I truly woke up… so yeah thats my experience!!
Hi Jones
Thanks for your comment. That sounds like a series of false awakenings you had. It also seems you had the start of a lucid dream where you became aware you were dreaming. Perhaps in time you’ll find a way to lucid dream and take control of what goes on in your dream.
Regards
Ethan
Hi it’s almost 4 am and about an hour or so ago I had the strangest dream and I’m left confused and a little shook up. I’ve never had sleep paralysis or have had a lucid dream. Have never tried either or been interested. But when I fell asleep I had a vivid dream that I was at my grandma’s house next door and the dream just kept getting more weird and eventually turned into almost a nightmare. Eventually I woke up. Well then I’m laying in bed with my bf and am “sleeping” and fell this like wave of a vibration across me and especially in my head. Like an overwhelming amount of pressure. Well my light was on when I woke up and I asked my bf if he felt that pressure and he said yes and I said I felt weird and almost felt scared for some reason and went to go look out In the hallway for some reason and he begged me not to. Well I opened my door and my hallway was dark and this mass of darkness, not a figure or supernatural character or anything, just a mass was there and I walked through it and ended up downstairs, then felt doomed and scared. I didn’t see anything at all and tried getting to my mom’s room and then I tried screaming for my bf, mom, dad (who doesn’t live with us) and couldn’t speak at all. I felt this overbearing need to scream. I think i may have levitated but idk. I just know I started breathing hard and that’s what woke me up but I thought I was already up. So I woke up from my nightmare, to a weird dream and then to real life where my bf was really sleeping next to me and my light was off. I felt really cold when I woke up, like from all my nerves and am now really confused as to of what happened to me.
Hi Marissa
Thanks for your comment. It seems to me like you just described a false awakening exactly! I know it can be unnerving, and stay on the mind for a time afterwards. But try not to worry about it too much – there’s nothing more happening apart from simply a strange false awakening.
Regards
Ethan
I’m pretty sure I had false awakening because I had a dream where I tried to get up and couldn’t the struggle was really difficult and scary, it felt like I was planted to the bed and it was in my room. I finally tried to get up but it was so slow and I kept being pushed back or I couldn’t just get up and so I just decided to fall and roll to get out of my room in my dream and I rolled in my sister room and everything else was fine. When I finally could wake up from the dream I was covered with sweat and so was my pillows. That was the worst dream ever, it’s 3:17 am and I’m not going back to sleep until the sun comes up.
Hi Donna
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. I can understand why that was unpleasant – dreams in which we’re stuck are very common, and it must be even scarier when it feels like it’s happening for real!
Regards
Ethan
I have these over and over again at times… Sometimes 5 to 10 times in a row! Trying to wake up over and over. It becomes very irritating.
Hi Rebecca
Thanks for your comment. I think it’s normal to find it irritating, especially if it happens so many times in a row. Perhaps in time you might find a way to take control of it, with a little luck and determination!
Regards
Ethan
Hai. I had a dream not to long ago n I’m pretty sure it was a false awaking. My Step-Father just past away not so long ago n well tonight o had a rather stressful dream. I am 14 years of age. Well I was having a pleasant dream when all of sudden it turned sick n twisted. I was awake yet not awake n i couldn’t speak neither talk. At first I was just laying there n my teddy started changing shapes. Then I had thought I moved on my Dad but I didnt n ended up on the bed again in which I picked up a hand that wanted to attack me. Well as I was doing this I kept reminding myself that this wasn’t real. What was this that I had? Did I handle it well?
Hi Alex
Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry for your recent loss. Sometimes difficult life events can have an effect on our sleep. I think you handled it very well, reminding yourself it wasn’t real. To be honest though, I think it’s hard to judge yourself for things that happen in your sleep because you’re not really in full control. So don’t worry too much about your behavior in your dreams!
Regards
Ethan
I just woke up from a false awakening and of course had to search up what it meant because I commonly have weird dreams/nightmares. I frequently had false awakening when I use to wake up early to go to school because I am not a morning person and I was dreaming I was getting ready for school, but today was different. In my dream I was going to sleep but in my subconscious I didn’t recognize the room. So in my dream I was I guess sleeping and had a false awakening as if I was getting ready for the day or something. I felt weird and started asking myself if I was dreaming due to the fact I have normally have lucid dreams. I remember that I was dreaming (in the dream though not in real life). So in the dream I woke up and got up because that is what wakes me up in real life, it gets the body moving and the blood circling etc. So in the dream I walk to my mom and I asked her if this was real life. And she grabbed my fave gently and said of course it is. With that I had a weird feeling and everything was going black. My mom looked at me as if I was going to faint. Then shortly after I woke up. Of course I went straight to my mom and told her about it. She hugged me and said its okay you are awake now. I was only 100% certain when she turned on the lights. According to your article some causes of this is anxiety, caffeine, alcohol, and sleep deprivation. I do have a lot of anxiety so I know it played a part and since I’m on vacation across the ocean from my home the time difference is screwing with my sleep schedule and I’m not getting the proper amount of sleep. I’m still stunned by the dream and debating if I want to go back to the dream world risking having another nightmare.
Hi Nicole
Thanks for your comment. It could be then that the disruption to your normal sleep routine is causing this. Try not to get too anxious about going to sleep though – you don’t want anxiety about sleep to then stop you sleeping. So my advice is to try and see every night as a fresh chance to sleep well.
Regards
Ethan
Hi my name is Bee I have false waking dreams every now and then. Today I had nested waking dreams which really stressed me out. I knew that I was dreaming in the first false awakenings but then the dreams started to feel like a regular day untill I started driving and i got in the wrong car and wanted to go back home and switch cars but I couldn’t find home. That happened twice. In one dream I got on the freeway and there was a huuuuuge accident where someone died. All of their loved ones and relatives turned the freeway into a vigil so I had no choice but to get out of my car and see what was happening. So I got out and started walking around. There were a lot of people but I couldn’t recognize face. There were people looking over the edge of the freeway so I went to look and there was a huge canyon it freaked me out and I jumped back. At that point someone called my phone in real life so I woke up for real thank goodness. I was starting to feel too trapped. This was the first time I could remember so many false wakings so vividly.
Hi Bee
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your experience with false awakenings. It does sound like you had very vivid dreams indeed. It’s interesting that you knew you were dreaming at one point – perhaps in time you’ll be able to find a way to go from there to the point of actually taking control of the dream. It’s something to think about.
Regards
Ethan
The other night I had false awakenings where I was aware I am dreaming. I was in my bed on my stomach and someone was attacking me from behind but I could not move. There were like 5-6 false awakenings in the dream, always waking up and that person again attacking me. In one pf the dreams I could see that person. Was a male, but his face was constantly changing. It was kinda terrifying. This morning also had a weird dream. I knew Im asleep and which position im in the bed and someone was holding down boths my hands. Was pretty vivid. I was telling myself in the dream the wake up till it happened.
Hi Petra
Thanks for your comment. I can see why that must have been quite weird indeed. The good thing though is that you’re becoming aware that you’re dreaming. With a little practice you might be able to learn to control your dreams, which can be a lot of fun.
Regards
Ethan
Tonight I took a nap on the couch around 7p.m it was the scariest thing I ever experienced I was trying to wake up but my body was parlized , it is hard to explain I tried opening my eyes and the room was getting darker and darker . Then all of a sudden it felt like somebody grabbed me by the ribs then I slowly started waking up , I did have a very stressful day . I hope this doesn’t happen again. It’s pretty scary
Hi Colleen
Thanks for your comment. That sounds to me like sleep paralysis. Have a read of this article and you’ll probably find it helps explain what you experienced.
Regards
Ethan
Hello my name is Denzel I’m 21. In really becoming worried I’ve experienced sleep paralysis when I was about 13 and never did again so that’s not my issue but lately I’ve been getting a lot of false awakenings. It has happened about 3 times alfeady. The first time was months ago and I honestly don’t remember it. The second time happened last week when I decided to take a nap around 3 o clock in my hot ass room. A family member of mine kept reminding me to check the mail (in real life) so when I went to sleep I kept waking up to go check the mail REPEATEDLY. Each time was a little different but I always ended up walking outside to check the mail. I finally woke up in Real Life and found out that I’ve actually never checked the mail in the first place that day. Ok the third time I’ve experienced false awakening was about 1 hour ago. In real life I’m laying down next to my girlfriend ok cool so I go to sleep. When I woke up (Not in real life) I woke up next to her but when I got out of bed I was in a mall then I woke up again next to her then her whole family walked into the including our 5 month old daughter walking. I knew something was up so I tried to wake my girlfriend up and she woke up and I thought it was all over, then I woke up again ! This time I’m laying down with 2 girls and they’re both my girlfriend so guess what I woke up again. This time I was in a room with my father and all my sisters but the scenery was super weird and then I woke up again. This time I woke up to my girlfriend still sleeping, I look out the window and see a man starring in with a gun and shoots through the window and hits my girlfriend in the nose. I run out into the hallway (Which looks way different) and my phone starts to ring. I’m still running for the door then I turn around and the man who killed my girlfriend is right behind me, then I woke up in REAL LIFE. Mind you I was only sleep for 1 hour but it felt like a lifetime. It is now 5:38 in the morning and I’m scared to go back to sleep honestly. I don’t know what to do I don’t like this at all
I have false awakenings quite a lot and when I do I always wake up in a panic. Last night I “woke up” and I was looking at the window and a small bit of light was coming through the curtains and then Ioved my blanket and this snake started hissing and showing his fangs and when he lunged at me to attac I woke up in a panic, I was shaking and sweating. I fell asleep and again I had another false awakening, I “woke up” and heard someone coming down the stairs (my grandmothers house has a room in the attic) and there were two men and one said “will I go in and take her now?” And the other said “yes” and the door started to open and then I woke up again in a panic. I have lots of dreams like these, where spiders will be in my bed and I wake up jumping out if my bed in a pure panic, it’s quite unsettling because they’re never nice dreams, they’re all with me sleeping in my bed. I also have sleep paralysis and I know it’s not a dream because it happened so much that if I concentrated enough I could wake my body up and then try fall back asleep. These false awakening are horrible though, I’m not sure if anyone else has had ones like these?
Long ago I had a nightmare where I had woken up falsely lying on my stomach looking at the blinds. I screamed but couldn’t (that’s nothing new). So I made noises to wake my sister up. I felt her moving but she didn’t wake up. Then I woke up in real life (I think) in the same position as in my false awaking, looking at the same thing. I could still feel the creature on me. This time I kept quiet. I don’t remember what happened after.
Yesterday I woke up falsely from a dream I had. Then I went to write what happened down in my journal (I do that in real life all the time). I don’t know how but I ended up in bed again and something tapped my shoulder and I started screaming for help. My lucid dream started because my dream self remembered the dream I wrote above and told herself that I’m dreaming.
I’ve been having very vivid dreams since we got this new bed. Last night I dreamed I was hanging out with a lot of people I knew from the past. We were partying, having a good time etc. a few hours after the party ended I was walking down the street past some boats and for some strange reason I realized I was dreaming. I didn’t like that and I tried pinching myself and couldn’t feel anything. I was even about to jump in front of a car to feel anything. At one point, I thought I had passed away in my sleep and that life end existed of dreams upon dreams. I was terrified but somehow forced myself to wake up. Then boom! I look down and I’m in my bed, but my cat is next to me. I gave my mom that cat. I got up and ran to the porch and after several tries, I closed my eyes and actually managed to take brain out of sleeping. It was actually harder than I thought. That was really really strange. Then again, I’m wondering if this bed is at all responsible for these intense dreams because it’s so comfortable and I sleep SO well. Anyways I think with practice I could easily be a lucid dreamer. The only thing I didn’t like is that I was afraid I would never see my boyfriend or family again. At least not in the same way they are present in the real world. So strange.
I literally just had multiple false awakenings in a row – approximately 6 to 8. But for some reason, I knew everytime it was false. At first I didn’t know, cos it would start with me back in bed, and opening my eyes, but each time I got out of bed, I knew it was a dream. And then again it would happen. I finally broke out them 2 minutes ago. Felt like a lifetime though!!
I can also feel the difference from the real awaking and the false one ?
Ive had these false awakenings a few times in my life. One dream i had i was following a group of people until they got faster and faster until they dissapeared into a house. These small creatures started appearing which i was afraid of and i levitated above them. Then black doberman dogs started coming after me. I usually yell at them commanding them. I ended up sitting down and this little girl walked up to me with two dobermans with her one on each side of her. She was a white girl with bright orange curly hair. I tried to ask her what do you want but couldn’t get a single word out. I have loys of dreams with dangerous or viscious animals in them. One dream i was on a farm with a group of people and out of nowhere this lion started to attack one of them. The group fought back and i think killed the lion. Then a bear came out of nowhere and these people just decided to start attacking the bear. I was shocked like were they crazy. I went to the house on the farm and knocked on the door and a man appeared i assumed was the father to these people. I tried in panic to tell him warn him of what was happening but i couldn’t get any words out. But he didn’t seem worried at all like they do this thing all the time.
I like watching horror movies even though it’s scary but later on when I go to sleep I can be tortured by whatever the thing was I watched in the movie I will try to wake it will happen a good 6 times before I can actually wake up those creatures are always hitting me but when you say you can’t get hurt I don’t believe that a very scary lady cut me in my dream this has happend twice and that same cut was there when I woke up and I do know for sure it wasn’t there before I’m 19 I’m depressed and my dreams are trapping me with nest dreams and dream paralysis I can’t move and it’s not cool no matter who I talk to or what I do nothing changes them
Hi John
Thanks for your comment. I would strongly suggest not watching horror movies if this is the result. Lots of people like things which end up being bad for them in one way or another, but sometimes we just have to stop doing something we like if it’s for our greater good.
Regards
Ethan
Hi, i’m 24 and I’ve had sleep paralysis happen to me at different times since i was a kid. But tonight, something more happened. Had sleep paralysis combined with a false awakening. I was in bed in my room and i fell asleep about 11pm. After a while, i felt myself come awake but i couldnt move. Felt the now familiar feeling of my body under huge pressure, feeling some malignant presence in the room, while i fought to get up and move my limbs. i strongly fought the feeling, and woke up in my bed, finally able to move my body. Immediately i opened my eye, i found myself staring at the chair in the centre of my room. I also could only see out of one eye. For some reason that didnt alarm me. I got out of bed and walked out of my room. Immediately i stepped out, i found myself in a dark hallway which was basically my old house as a kid. I suspected something was wrong and realized i couldnt open my right eye no matter how hard i tried. I started to panic and all of a sudden woke up for the second time, for real this time. This time around, there was no sleep paralysis or nothing, just a normal awakening. I realized i was laying in bed in the same position i was in when i had the false awakening, with my arm over my face. What scared me though was that immediately i opened my eye in real life, i was staring right at the same chair in my room that i saw when i had the false awakening earlier. That got me so freaked out, i jumped out of bed and opened my door but everything was normal. What i dont understand now is how is it possible that i woke up in the same exact position that i did in the initial false awakening, staring at the same thing i stared at when i first falsely woke. And btw, i initially fell asleep facing the other side of the room, so i wasnt staring at the chair as i fell asleep, and it was definitely not the last thing i saw before going to bed. Got any ideas? I’d really appreciate it because i’m freaked out right now.
Hi Rob
Thanks for your comment. I can understand why you were disturbed by this, but really there’s nothing to worry about. The brain is an amazing thing, and even though you’re asleep, it does retain a map of the bedroom. So it’s no surprise that you’re able to have a dream which looks just like the bedroom is. Waking up in the same position as your dream is understandable as the brain knows where it is so either it was a coincidence, or your dream was influenced by your real sleeping position. Anyway, don’t let it worry you!
Regards
Ethan
Last night inexperienced sleep paralysis…. I could not move.. N for few seconds i experienced the state whr i was conscious but cud nt see feel or smell… like senseless… I was scared bt u knew abt sleep paralysis so i tried to wake myslf up i tried to call out for ppl sleeping wid me…. N ultimately it ended… I woke up…. N den aftr an hour i actuly woke up…!! Aftr my false awakening i was actuly watchng a movi bt at tims i found myslf inside d movi n i was puzzled at tims… Bt it nvr came to my mind dat it was still a dream coz i was fully convinced dat i was awake…!!
At first, I’m dreaming about meeting an old friend, his name is Diego (we were not that close, not even somebody I thought would appear in my dream). But since it’s a long time we weren’t see each other, in dream, he called me by name while we sat across the bench. I have no option but asked how’s his life going, and we have casual chat. But then, I experienced a false awakening. I’m still in the same place but he’s gone. Instead, I met my close friend there, and then told her that I just have a dream of meeting Diego. But then, I woke up.Okay, I thought I woke up. I was in my bed and I told the dream to my father…
I, then, REALLY woke up. Checking my phone, and realize that I just had multiple false awakening. Then, I fell asleep, and dreaming again.
My next dream look so vivid, where I found myself in a place where there were several people, sitting in a circle doing discussion. There, I told enthusiastically about my false awakening I’ve just experienced before, to somebody who seems like a psychologist in there. I told that I have false awakening, for I thought telling my dream to my father is too weird. I am sure I won’t do that in real life. I was so eager in the discussion as she listened well to my story too.
But then again, in that dream, I questioned myself again. Because telling my dream in a group discussion is absurd too. “Or.. is this a dream too?”
Finally, I woke up. Really woke up and the morning was already clear. I’ve experienced false awakening and lucid dream where I became aware before. But, this is the first time I had it so vivid and I was SO aware. Also, it happened multiple time (like 4 sessions?!).
So today, I searched about the false awakening and lucid dream. And figure out this helpful blog. And actually, I found my dream experience is quite interesting, actually.
Hi Daisy
Thanks for your comment. It’s great that you’re able to see your experience as interesting. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by experiences like this and find them quite disturbing. But actually, seeing them as interesting is one of the best ways to approach them. Maybe in the future you’ll be able to gain even more control and enjoy the potential of lucid dreaming to the full.
Regards
Ethan
I have really bad dreams with false awakenings feeling of been paralyzed and also feelings that I’m been held down ,these only seem to happen at period time. I also end up in bed for 24 plus hrs because I can’t seem to get out ..Does anyone have any ideas for me please ,Angela
Hi Angela
Thanks for your comment. Have you spoken to anyone about the time in bed? I would speak to your doctor about that as it’s really a long time to spend in bed. Perhaps they can help you work out what it might be that’s making you feel so tired. In terms of the bad dreams, maybe have a look at my article about nightmares and see if you can find some advice that helps.
Regards
Ethan
I’m realizing now that I have had false awakenings for most of my life. It’s just recently that I find I am having trouble waking up once I realize I’m dreaming. Last night I dreamt I was in a large house that belonged to someone I knew very well in my dream but whom I can’t remember now that I’m awake. Members of my church family were there, all whom I haven’t seen in a couple of months. The house was messy from the children throwing chips and such around. I was walking around trying hard to get it all cleaned up. I was also rinsing and putting some raw chicken away. I remember being face to face with one of the girls there and smiling at each other. It was at that point when I realized I was dreaming. It was hard to breath. My nose became more stuffy by the second. I walked through the house trying to find a way to wake up. I asked myself if this was real or a dream? So I pinched myself on my arm and it felt squishy. I knew then that I was dreaming. I panicked trying to wake up. I saw my daughter standing in a doorway of the house and I was able to wake up. On a different evening it felt like a person laid on top of me while i was asleep and was trying to suffocate me. I felt myself losing breath. I kept saying to myself, I have to wake up and I struggled but could not wake up, I couldn’t move! I thought to myself, if only I could move. I managed to move slightly, which woke me up. Every time i have one of these dreams and i wake up i usually do something to let me know i am alive such as take a drink of water or go to the bathroom. Im never nervous when I wake up, just very confused. I’m relieved to finally hear other’s have this similar experience. I thought I had sleep apnea or that I was going to die one of these times.
I’m 13, I have “false awakenings”every night. No matter how many times I try and sleep normally its every night and every time I sleep. Is this normal? And is it normal for somebody my age…”false awakening” is a bit alarming to me and I want to make sure it’s completely normal…
Hi Hayley
Thanks for your comment. I can understand why you’d be worried about this, but really there’s no need. There’s no age limit on when you might experience false awakenings. It does seem to happen to you a lot, but it’s not something which can cause you any harm. My advice would be to speak to your family about it, as things like this can seem worse when you keep it all in.
All the best
Ethan
For the first time tonight I have had a false awakening that was not pleasant. I have had many over the years that have been made up of a normal everyday routine. This one however was quite frightening! I awoke to a room I do not know but my wife is in the bed next to me. The room is filled with personal items I do not recognize and yet my subconscious is accepting them to be mine. So far nothing out of the ordinary. I’m not sure why but I start acting like I’m still dreaming and fall off the bed. I’m flopping around knocking things over as I repeating “I have to get out or I’m going to die!” My body feels heavy and I can not control my movement very well. My arms are heavy and my motor skills are gone. I manage to get in a upright position to reach my wife’s leg. During this whole ordeal I hear her say “your OK… Your not going to die… We are not going to let you.” She repeats this several times as I struggle to take control of my body. Just as I touch her leg I wake up in a car screaming the exact same thing I had been saying in my dream. Only this time all I see is the steering wheel, interior of a car that I’m driving and headlights just at the point of impact. Right in front of me! BOOM!!! I wake up in my bed in my room. My body hurting, muscles tired and heavy again. I jump to my feet with a few choice words and head out the bedroom door. I step outside to smoke a cigarette and think about what just happened. What does it mean? It is now 5:38 am as I write this only a few moments after I get back to my bed. But my wife is not in the bed. She is asleep in my son’s bed with him. I have no intention of going back to sleep today….. What does this mean?
Signed, The Dream Sleeper
Hi Chris
Thanks for your comment. I can understand why you were disturbed by this experience. Unfortunately, I can’t really help with the meaning of it. Even though the content was more vivid and profound than other experiences you’ve had of false awakenings, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any great meaning behind it. Sometimes people do just have more intense episodes than before. Try not to panic about it if it happens again and remind yourself that it’s just a dream. No harm will come to you or your family.
Regards
Ethan
Maybe it has something to do with reincarnation you know you die you come back as somebody else. Maybe you are having past life memories or something.
I am 26 years old and have just recently started to have vivid nightmares in which I “wake up” with my face swollen so badly that my eyes are barely visible through huge, red globs of flesh all over my face. My breathing is strained as if I’m having anaphylaxis. In this “false awakening” I can feel my legs as they carry my weight across the room to my mirror and sink. I can feel turning the water on and splashing my face, as I panic at the horror of my face, then I feel my heartbeat intensify in strength, but beat very slowly, like a slow pendulum of lead beating against my rib cage trying to escape. I call to my wife for help, to call 911 and get them ready to paddle my chest and give me an epi pen (I have no allergies). Then I wake up again back in my bed, distraught and terrified, and do the entire process over with different symptoms. This happens three or four times before I wake up for real. Even now as I type this, fresh from the last bout of nightmares, I wonder if im actually googling and commenting, or just dreaming vividly again, awaiting another wake up in my bed to start it all over again.
before going to bed last night I am distressed of my back pain and nape, and try to converse with my daughters outside of our room and I lay down the sofa. then I realized I woke up and again talk to my daughter, see my dog walking and I got up from the sofa then go inside our room. then I woke up again and this time realized that I am just dreaming awhile ago because Im out of the sofa again, and see my daughters sleeping soundly already, then I go inside our room and lie down our bed, this time I talk to myself if Im already awaken or if this is not a dream anymore,, I woke up my husband and try to tell him about it, and he said he heard me talking while asleep. Its already 3am at that time when I realized this fascinating event. But after which my body is tired. Now (10:45am) Im feeling so lazy and sleepy, I think I need to sleep more.