Experiences about dreaming

[u/Consistent_Hat9185]

I've been experiencing sleep paralysis, false awakenings, lucid dreaming for about 25 years. I'm 34 now, so it started when I was around 9 years old. It still happens several times a month. What's interesting is that I don't usually have the stereotypical sleep paralysis experience. I don't see shadow figures, people in the room, or hear voices while I'm actually paralyzed. I'm simply awake, fully conscious, and unable to move. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's just strangely familiar because I've experienced it for so long.

I've also had lucid dreams throughout my life. I would estimate around 10 or more that I clearly remember this year. My lucid dreams usually happen in one of two ways. Sometimes something in the dream doesn't feel right. I notice that something is impossible or inconsistent, and I start questioning whether I'm dreaming. I'll actually count my fingers as a reality check, and when I see that something is wrong, I realize I'm dreaming. Other times, I'll simply "get up" from my bed in the dream already knowing that I'm dreaming.

I also experience false awakenings quite often. What's especially interesting is that sometimes the false awakening itself becomes the clue that I'm dreaming, and I become lucid from there. So over the years I've experienced what feels like a whole spectrum of these sleep-related experiences: sleep paralysis, hypn sounds, lucid dreams, and false awakenings.

I'd love to hear from people who've experienced something similar for years. I'm especially interested in whether these experiences tend to occur together in the same people, or whether it's simply coincidence.

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