Someone please explain this insanity.

Since I am still 20 years old and living at home, it gives me a chance to study my family and their sleep patterns. So last week, I was sitting on the couch next to my mother. We were watching the office... her favorite. Anyhow, we were just talking and whatever, and then maybe 10 seconds of silence. She sort of jumps and then says "I was just dreaming!" I ask her what happened, and she tells me. Nothing too intense or anything, but she was SURE of it.

Maybe another minute later, same thing. She falls right into a dream!

Does this happen to anyone, and what is the explanation? She isn't narcoleptic or anything. From my understanding, you had to go about 90 minutes into your sleep to hit a good REM cycle. She gets usually about 6 hours of sleep a night, and even said she was feeling wide awake maybe 20 minutes before this happened. (This has happened every night since then as well)

Any thoughts, or care to explain? thanks!

It's not unusual. I have a lot of dreams during short 20 or 30 minute naps.

Yes... I've heard and experienced that before. I guess my real question was: how is it possible to go from being awake, watching tv, and talking with someone, and slip right into a dream, within 10 seconds! This is what I don't understand.

I have that happen all the time. I'm not sure they are proper dreams, but sometimes I will just be sitting and zoning out watching TV or staring into a space at work and all of a sudden I will realize I had been looking at some weird dreamlike vision for a few seconds. I'm not sure if they are real dreams exactly. It is more like I will suddenly snap out of a surreal scene or conversation only to realize I was actually falling asleep. Happens most often when I am tired.

Also, it is quite possible to fall directly into a dream especially during a nap or when one is sleeping lightly. That's basically what WILDing is all about.

Thank you.. very good to know. Perhaps they are more light visuals than full blown dreams. Most of the time she tells me what happened, and it is something very simple, like being at the grocery store or whatever. But it's still amazing to me... because I have never experienced going into a dreamlike state so quickly.

There is something called "micro-sleep" that is caused by a lack of sleep during the night. With micro-sleep, you are just going through daily life, when all of a sudden you fall asleep for about ten seconds. When this happens, though, it is just seems like a loss of awareness. Since it is micro-sleep, it is probably possible for you to dream during this time period. I have never heard of that, though, so I am just assuming it is micro-sleep by basic logic.

I hope I helped! ;)

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Originally Posted by Snowboy

There is something called "micro-sleep" that is caused by a lack of sleep during the night. With micro-sleep, you are just going through daily life, when all of a sudden you fall asleep for about ten seconds. When this happens, though, it is just seems like a loss of awareness. Since it is micro-sleep, it is probably possible for you to dream during this time period. I have never heard of that, though, so I am just assuming it is micro-sleep by basic logic.

I hope I helped! ;)

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Agreed 100%. I've had this happen to me at work a few times, and once while driving several years ago. The driving one lasted only a couple seconds because I realized that I was just doing something really important that required my immediate attention.

Yeah that happens to me alot too.