

Sleep hallucinations may not need treatment, as they often occur infrequently and do not affect sleep quality. People with narcolepsy have a high rate of sleep hallucination occurrences. Sleep-related hallucinations may be a direct result of alcohol or drug use, or could be due to insomnia, anxiety, stress or other factors. Known Causes and Treatment of Sleep-Related Hallucinations Females are more likely to experience them than males. They are most commonly found in young adults and teens, and the frequency of hallucinations seems to decrease with age. Sleep-related hallucinations can occur in as many as 25 percent of people, as opposed to under 5 percent for non sleep-related hallucinations. Hallucinations may also cause fear, especially upon waking, as they may include clear and complex visual images that are distorted or make no sense. In contrast, upon waking from a dream during REM sleep, most people will clearly recognize it was a dream they were experiencing, or may immediately forget about the dream entirely upon waking. Sleep hallucinations can cause confusion, as they will often be indistinguishable from reality in your mind. Distinguishing Dreams From Sleep Hallucinations Common hypnopompic experiences include the sensation of falling and the feeling of a presence in the room. Sleep paralysis is often confused by the person experiencing it as part of a lucid dream, which accounts for the high number of recalled dreams with elements of being frozen in place or being unable to move. Sleep paralysis is much more common in hypnopompia than in hypnagogia. Hypnopompia occurs upon waking, and may also be accompanied by sleep paralysis. Hypnopompia, which is often considered as part of a dream by the subject, also involves difficulty breathing and muscle tightness. Hypnagogic hallucinations occur just before sleep, and may be accompanied by sleep paralysis, a state in which the subject is physically immobile but fully conscious.


The two forms of sleep related hallucinations are called hypnagogic (hypnagogia) and hypnopompic (hypnopompia) hallucinations. Hypnagogic Hallucinations, Hypnopompic Hallucinations, and Sleep Paralysis Hallucinations are common, most notably sleep-related hallucinations, with over 10 percent of the population experiencing one at some point in their life. Hallucinations can occur at any time, though this article will only look at hallucinations as they are connected to sleep. Hallucinations most often occur in the stages before or after sleep, explaining their connection as a sleep-related phenomenon. Illusions occur while awake and are classified as a sensory misrepresentation of an external stimulus, while hallucinations occur in the absence of any external stimuli. What’s the Difference Between Illusions and Hallucinations? This is in contrast to dreams or lucid dreams, which occur while the person is asleep. They occur in the state between waking and sleeping, although the person is considered to be technically asleep during these hallucinations. Sleep hallucinations are often confused with both illusions and dreams. Hallucinations during sleep are a phenomenon that can target any sensory perception, be it visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or other.
