Seems this happens quite often to me, when I first start falling asleep...

Im laying in my bed on my back, and just start to doze off. Then, for some reason, I think there is something closing in on me, like spiders, or in an odd experience, telephone poles were like coming down from the ceiling, and about ready to land right on me. I jump up, and turn the light on, just getting out of the way in time. I then realize it was one of those stupid experiences I get every now and then...

Any ideas?

I think it's probably just that state of mind that happens to people between being awake and asleep. Some weird stuff can happen during that time. It's probably not anything paranormal. I think this kind of thing happens to most people to some extent.Is it kind of like that feeling you get when you're about to go to sleep, when suddenly you get the sensation of falling and you wake up really quickly?

(howdy, irken, right you are)

upon dozing off = hypnogogic (also spelled hypna-, both OK and same meaning)

spiders and telephone polls that aren't there = hallucinations

Google = profit

something to worry about = not really (unless it prevents you from sleeping)

Just as eight bits says, hypnogogic (or, for more hits, hypnagogic) hallucinations.

I get these pretty often, though more commonly hypnopompic (waking up) hallucinations.

I tend to experience them more when I'm going through some kind of stress - it's a sleep disturbance like any other.

Like you, I find myself jumping out of bed in the middle of the night and putting the light on - I usually have insects, everywhere - spiders spreading across the ceiling from the loft hatch, or suddenly realising my pillow is covered in wasps and my bed is full of ants. Quite a fright, and a rude awakening, but harmless apart from the obvious (it gives you a fright, it might make it more difficult to get back to sleep, it may accompany stress of some kind).

I quite enjoy some of the more neutral ones: sometimes the hallucinations last long enough to examine and get a good look at. It's not often one gets the opportunity to experience a proper, full-on, waking hallucination! My more enjoyable ones have been quasi-paranormal ones, such as ghosts and levitating objects - I actually look forward to those!

You people are so strange. Everyone has these human reactions to odd events.

Jump out of the way... run away... hide... turn on the lights... wake up...

Why don't you just let it play out? Fear is not something your should be afraid of.

Heres a little analogy for you....

If you pinch yourself in the same place on your arm for a month, after the month is over, when you pinch in that place it will not hurt so much.
If you don't pinch yourself and protect that place on your arm for a month with lotions and softeners... if you pinch it after a month, you will feel intense pain.

If you let these "bad" dreams play out and see what happens... it won't be bad after a while and you will have grown understanding.

It's not something that I can control. I jump out of bed while it's happening, and there's nothing I can do about it. I wouldn't be afraid of it normally...

It's not something that I can control. I jump out of bed while it's happening, and there's nothing I can do about it. I wouldn't be afraid of it normally...

Similarly for me. When I open my eyes and see wasps all over my pillow, I jump out of bed before I have a chance to wonder if it might not be a hallucination. I don't particularly want to change that; if my pillow is ever actually crawling with wasps, I don't want to open my eyes and just go "Wow, realistic!".

Llynx, what would you do if you woke up to that? Or to a telephone pole falling on top of you as in the OP?