This happened last night, and I don't believe it to be paranormal, but it was odd.
I woke up for apparently no reason at around 4:30 AM last night, and felt extremely aware of things around me. I could feel the weight of my blanket pressing on me, I could hear the air conditioner which is normally just background noise, but it sounded like a jet engine. I could hear my dog breathing and feel her chest rising and falling moving my bed. My skin was tingling and even though it was dark, I could see everything in my room as if a dull blue light was shining.
Every little move I made seem over exaggerated, and every noise, sensation, and even smell was extremely overpowering. I tried to just go back to sleep, but ended up having to lay there for a little while. I even tried to cover my ears, but then the sensation of something on my ears was overpowering, and the sound that the blanket made was like someone crinkling heavy paper right in my ear. I tried to move positions, I tried to take a deep breath and relax myself, but I was bordering on panic there for a second. (I have had panic attacks, this was not one of those)
I didn't hallucinate anything, I didn't see anything abnormal, I didn't hear anything out of the norm (except that all the normal night time noises were so magnified) and after what couldn't have been more than just a few minutes, it faded. I got up for a minute, tried to shake off the weird feeling, and then went back to bed and fell back asleep.
Please don't suggest that I am turning into a werewolf (as my younger sister suggested, she saw it in a movie lol) but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else, and maybe there is a real medical explanation.
Full Version: Extremely Heightened Senses
Some people have a sixth sense, and you may have heard stories of people who lose a sense (eg. blindness, deafness, numbness) who's other senses become heightened. What I'm saying, is that you may have a sixth sense (whether you know it or not), and you could have temporarily lost it, thus heighting your other senses.
Lol nice avatar 
QUOTE (SunDogDayze @ Feb 13 2008, 11:04 AM) 
This happened last night, and I don't believe it to be paranormal, but it was odd.
I woke up for apparently no reason at around 4:30 AM last night, and felt extremely aware of things around me. I could feel the weight of my blanket pressing on me, I could hear the air conditioner which is normally just background noise, but it sounded like a jet engine. I could hear my dog breathing and feel her chest rising and falling moving my bed. My skin was tingling and even though it was dark, I could see everything in my room as if a dull blue light was shining.
Every little move I made seem over exaggerated, and every noise, sensation, and even smell was extremely overpowering. I tried to just go back to sleep, but ended up having to lay there for a little while. I even tried to cover my ears, but then the sensation of something on my ears was overpowering, and the sound that the blanket made was like someone crinkling heavy paper right in my ear. I tried to move positions, I tried to take a deep breath and relax myself, but I was bordering on panic there for a second. (I have had panic attacks, this was not one of those)
I didn't hallucinate anything, I didn't see anything abnormal, I didn't hear anything out of the norm (except that all the normal night time noises were so magnified) and after what couldn't have been more than just a few minutes, it faded. I got up for a minute, tried to shake off the weird feeling, and then went back to bed and fell back asleep.
Please don't suggest that I am turning into a werewolf (as my younger sister suggested, she saw it in a movie lol) but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else, and maybe there is a real medical explanation.
I woke up for apparently no reason at around 4:30 AM last night, and felt extremely aware of things around me. I could feel the weight of my blanket pressing on me, I could hear the air conditioner which is normally just background noise, but it sounded like a jet engine. I could hear my dog breathing and feel her chest rising and falling moving my bed. My skin was tingling and even though it was dark, I could see everything in my room as if a dull blue light was shining.
Every little move I made seem over exaggerated, and every noise, sensation, and even smell was extremely overpowering. I tried to just go back to sleep, but ended up having to lay there for a little while. I even tried to cover my ears, but then the sensation of something on my ears was overpowering, and the sound that the blanket made was like someone crinkling heavy paper right in my ear. I tried to move positions, I tried to take a deep breath and relax myself, but I was bordering on panic there for a second. (I have had panic attacks, this was not one of those)
I didn't hallucinate anything, I didn't see anything abnormal, I didn't hear anything out of the norm (except that all the normal night time noises were so magnified) and after what couldn't have been more than just a few minutes, it faded. I got up for a minute, tried to shake off the weird feeling, and then went back to bed and fell back asleep.
Please don't suggest that I am turning into a werewolf (as my younger sister suggested, she saw it in a movie lol) but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else, and maybe there is a real medical explanation.
It happened to me years ago... All my senses got sharper, especially my hearing. It's nothing to worry about in my opinion, maybe your just developing an extra sense or becoming more spiritual!
Can you remember if you were dreaming pior to waking and if so about what. The heightened sense you report sounds normal of a panic attack . I know you said it wasnt one of those but if you were dreaming of something which triggered one whilst you were asleep . you may not be aware of that . Maybe you only felt the final affects of it upon waking .
This is the only thing i can think of to be honest . maybe a trigger in your sleep . sorry cant be ore help
This is the only thing i can think of to be honest . maybe a trigger in your sleep . sorry cant be ore help
Of the many forms of "REM intrusions," the ones we read most often around here are sleep paralysis and hypnogogic or -pompic hallucinations. But heightened senses are also numbered among the inappropriate occurences of aspects of REM sleep when not asleep.
The variety of REM intrusion phenomena has gotten a lot of play in the past few years in the form of a statistical link between REM intrusion sleep disorders and "near death experiences," for example:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Gene...urology/tb/3062
Hope that helps. (Not disputing that it might be a panic attack, and your sister's idea should be taken seriously if you begin to bogart the dog biscuits.)
The variety of REM intrusion phenomena has gotten a lot of play in the past few years in the form of a statistical link between REM intrusion sleep disorders and "near death experiences," for example:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Gene...urology/tb/3062
Hope that helps. (Not disputing that it might be a panic attack, and your sister's idea should be taken seriously if you begin to bogart the dog biscuits.)
Thanks guys, and no I haven't been trying to chow down on milkbones lol.
I didn't know that they could be symptoms of REM intrusion. That does make me feel better. It was so odd.
The only reason I didn't think it was a panic attack is because I never had the racing heart, the shortness of breath, etc. I guess it's possible that it was a mild one, but I think the panic that I was feeling was a natural fear, because things seemed so off.
I don't remember if I was dreaming anything, but I do remember feeling misplaced. I know it sounds weird, so I will try to explain it like this.
You know how when you wake up, before you open your eyes, you can place yourself correctly in your mind. You know that you are on your bed, your head is towards the wall, the door is towards your feet, the closet is on your left, etc. I was directionally lost when I first woke up, I knew where I was, I knew I was in my bed in my room, but had no idea about spacial location. Until I opened my eyes. This isn't really that uncommon, I've done it before, like when I am waking from a dream that I am somewhere else, but this time it was just odd because of the events that happened afterwards.
I like the idea of a sixth sense that I am losing, but unfortunately, almost nothing has happened to me that I could claim to be psychic or anything of that nature. If I ever had a sixth sense (besides your run of the mill woman's intuition) I didn't know it.
I didn't know that they could be symptoms of REM intrusion. That does make me feel better. It was so odd.
The only reason I didn't think it was a panic attack is because I never had the racing heart, the shortness of breath, etc. I guess it's possible that it was a mild one, but I think the panic that I was feeling was a natural fear, because things seemed so off.
I don't remember if I was dreaming anything, but I do remember feeling misplaced. I know it sounds weird, so I will try to explain it like this.
You know how when you wake up, before you open your eyes, you can place yourself correctly in your mind. You know that you are on your bed, your head is towards the wall, the door is towards your feet, the closet is on your left, etc. I was directionally lost when I first woke up, I knew where I was, I knew I was in my bed in my room, but had no idea about spacial location. Until I opened my eyes. This isn't really that uncommon, I've done it before, like when I am waking from a dream that I am somewhere else, but this time it was just odd because of the events that happened afterwards.
I like the idea of a sixth sense that I am losing, but unfortunately, almost nothing has happened to me that I could claim to be psychic or anything of that nature. If I ever had a sixth sense (besides your run of the mill woman's intuition) I didn't know it.
QUOTE (SunDogDayze @ Feb 13 2008, 03:21 PM)
Thanks guys, and no I haven't been trying to chow down on milkbones lol.
I didn't know that they could be symptoms of REM intrusion. That does make me feel better. It was so odd.
The only reason I didn't think it was a panic attack is because I never had the racing heart, the shortness of breath, etc. I guess it's possible that it was a mild one, but I think the panic that I was feeling was a natural fear, because things seemed so off.
I don't remember if I was dreaming anything, but I do remember feeling misplaced. I know it sounds weird, so I will try to explain it like this.
You know how when you wake up, before you open your eyes, you can place yourself correctly in your mind. You know that you are on your bed, your head is towards the wall, the door is towards your feet, the closet is on your left, etc. I was directionally lost when I first woke up, I knew where I was, I knew I was in my bed in my room, but had no idea about spacial location. Until I opened my eyes. This isn't really that uncommon, I've done it before, like when I am waking from a dream that I am somewhere else, but this time it was just odd because of the events that happened afterwards.
I like the idea of a sixth sense that I am losing, but unfortunately, almost nothing has happened to me that I could claim to be psychic or anything of that nature. If I ever had a sixth sense (besides your run of the mill woman's intuition) I didn't know it.
I didn't know that they could be symptoms of REM intrusion. That does make me feel better. It was so odd.
The only reason I didn't think it was a panic attack is because I never had the racing heart, the shortness of breath, etc. I guess it's possible that it was a mild one, but I think the panic that I was feeling was a natural fear, because things seemed so off.
I don't remember if I was dreaming anything, but I do remember feeling misplaced. I know it sounds weird, so I will try to explain it like this.
You know how when you wake up, before you open your eyes, you can place yourself correctly in your mind. You know that you are on your bed, your head is towards the wall, the door is towards your feet, the closet is on your left, etc. I was directionally lost when I first woke up, I knew where I was, I knew I was in my bed in my room, but had no idea about spacial location. Until I opened my eyes. This isn't really that uncommon, I've done it before, like when I am waking from a dream that I am somewhere else, but this time it was just odd because of the events that happened afterwards.
I like the idea of a sixth sense that I am losing, but unfortunately, almost nothing has happened to me that I could claim to be psychic or anything of that nature. If I ever had a sixth sense (besides your run of the mill woman's intuition) I didn't know it.
I have had no experience with panic attacks or sleep disorders so I can not comment on those... I believe everyone is born with a sixth sense, but they just don't know how to use it or lost touch with it. If it happens while your not asleep or during the day I believe it could well be just your senses becoming more in tune.
Just a thought!
Females are generally more perceptive than males. They have better senses and are far better able to read body language than men (so guys, always watch out when lying to your misses). This is the reason why you see more female psychics than male, and hence explains why there are so many female cold readers out there
I'm not a doctor (from a medical family, but that still doesn't mean you should base anything substantial on my opinion), but I will venture a possible medical explanation:
Migraine. I didn't notice any real mention of pain in you post, but if the sensations were to the point of discomfort or were overburdening, it could be you were suffering from a type of migraine. There are really quite a few varieties. Some don't even have accompanying pain, only visual auras and other effects--those are called ocular migraines. Again, there are a slew of them.
I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was 21 (I am 25 now). When they are coming on, sights, sounds, sensations of touch all become overwhelmingly intense. Sometimes these signal that other symptoms may arrive, such as an icepick sensation in my head, and sometimes they exist on their own.
If you begin to encounter pain, obviously see a doctor.
Migraine. I didn't notice any real mention of pain in you post, but if the sensations were to the point of discomfort or were overburdening, it could be you were suffering from a type of migraine. There are really quite a few varieties. Some don't even have accompanying pain, only visual auras and other effects--those are called ocular migraines. Again, there are a slew of them.
I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was 21 (I am 25 now). When they are coming on, sights, sounds, sensations of touch all become overwhelmingly intense. Sometimes these signal that other symptoms may arrive, such as an icepick sensation in my head, and sometimes they exist on their own.
If you begin to encounter pain, obviously see a doctor.
Your whole description just reminded me of an out of body experience. I've personally never had one, but I've heard and read that EVERYTHING seems super vivid and intense, especially in the visual and audible sense. Could your arms have been tingly because they were actually asleep? Since you said you felt "directionally lost", I think it seems possible.
QUOTE (Ourmoonlitsun @ Feb 13 2008, 05:19 PM)
I'm not a doctor (from a medical family, but that still doesn't mean you should base anything substantial on my opinion), but I will venture a possible medical explanation:
Migraine. I didn't notice any real mention of pain in you post, but if the sensations were to the point of discomfort or were overburdening, it could be you were suffering from a type of migraine. There are really quite a few varieties. Some don't even have accompanying pain, only visual auras and other effects--those are called ocular migraines. Again, there are a slew of them.
I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was 21 (I am 25 now). When they are coming on, sights, sounds, sensations of touch all become overwhelmingly intense. Sometimes these signal that other symptoms may arrive, such as an icepick sensation in my head, and sometimes they exist on their own.
If you begin to encounter pain, obviously see a doctor.
Migraine. I didn't notice any real mention of pain in you post, but if the sensations were to the point of discomfort or were overburdening, it could be you were suffering from a type of migraine. There are really quite a few varieties. Some don't even have accompanying pain, only visual auras and other effects--those are called ocular migraines. Again, there are a slew of them.
I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was 21 (I am 25 now). When they are coming on, sights, sounds, sensations of touch all become overwhelmingly intense. Sometimes these signal that other symptoms may arrive, such as an icepick sensation in my head, and sometimes they exist on their own.
If you begin to encounter pain, obviously see a doctor.
You know what? You may have just hit on something there...
About 5 years ago (I had forgotten about this) I was at work when all of a sudden, a bright sparkly spot appeared in my vision. I thought I had caught a glare off of something and had the residual spot in my vision, but it didn't fade, it got bigger and eventually I asked my boss to take me to the ER cause I could see almost nothing. When I got there, they gave me a shot of Imitrex (spelling?) and eventually the spot went away. I never had any pain, but the doctor seemed to think that it was a migraine with an aura. I saw an optician and a neurologist, and nothing else was wrong with me, and it never happened again. Maybe it was something like that that I had last night.
Thank you! I think I will mention it to my doc next time I go.
QUOTE (thehorrorof @ Feb 13 2008, 09:51 PM)
Your whole description just reminded me of an out of body experience. I've personally never had one, but I've heard and read that EVERYTHING seems super vivid and intense, especially in the visual and audible sense. Could your arms have been tingly because they were actually asleep? Since you said you felt "directionally lost", I think it seems possible.
As interesting as that would be, I am inclined to think it was something much more mundane. I didn't feel any odd sensation of being outside myself, and I was fully aware of my surroundings after the first few seconds.
Good idea, but I have a feeling it's just something much more boring.
I think its the way you sleep or maybe it's pressure on your brain stem that gave you the extra sense
I'm shocked no one suggested alien abduction 
,lol
Of all the things i heard here i have to side with the panic attack therie.
,lol Of all the things i heard here i have to side with the panic attack therie.
I'm familiar with what you describe when I'm aware of falling into a episode of Sleep Paralysis or an Astral type dream 
it's like your senses of your environment become amplified.
it's like your senses of your environment become amplified.
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