a state of both awakefulness and dreaming?

I am new to DV and also to lucid dreaming. But I read a lot on the forum, but didn't really find an explanation for this experience. But

Could someone explain if what I experienced was a dream or something else? :confused:

This morning I had a strange experience. Strange, because I knew I was awake, as I could hear the birds singing outside and knew that I lay on my side in bed (I just moved into that position). But simultaneously, I was in a dream or I had a vision or I don't know. I only knew that it was not real.

Here is what happened.
I woke up shortly before 8 am, and since it is sunday, I turned off the alarm (set to go off at 8 am). I then turned on my side with the intention to sleep some more. I was thinking about dreaming, recalling and lucid dreaming, - as I had no dream recall that night.
My mind just drifted while I was hearing the birds singing outside my bedroom window. Suddenly, I observed in my head that something I saw ( I don#T know what) shouldn't be left the way it was. And a hand appeared, reaching across my line of vision toward the offending area. It wasn't my hand. I didn't even expect a hand to appear. But there it was, crystal clear in front of my eyes as if belonging to a real living person. This startled me so that I felt my heart beating faster and I was in a state of alarm and excitement.
Then it was over. The whole episode probably only lasted a few seconds. But I heard the birds the entire time, and knowing that they came from the "real world" and were not part of whatever I experienced.

Hi! When we're on the border of dreaming, some senses are still active. Have you ever fallen asleep in a car, and you go in and out of that state where u can hear the sound of the car, then suddenly it disappears, but comes back again? It sounds like you had a hypgnagogic hallucination. Nothing harmful :)

Matte, thank you for the quick response. I wasn't really worried, but it was kind of strange.

I look forward to learning more about lucide dreaming and hopefully enter my very own lucid dreams soon. But first I have to work further on my dream recall. I just started with a dream journal and I keep also a waking journal... so it should get better soon :cheeky:

No problemo :) Keep the enthusiasm up and you'll get lucid in no time! Just pay attention to details and try to write down anything you remember when waking up during the night and in the morning. Good luck!