Really Strange Sleep Experience

[Cool Cat]

This has happened me before but this is the first time it's involved another person.

I have occasionally woken up around 3AM in an absolute disorientated panic. Not knowing where I am, what day of the week it is, what is going on, or even the common sense as to why it is black (because it's 3AM!)

Last time it happened (I posted here) I legged it out of my room and realised that I was in my own house.

Last night there was someone walking around (My 60yo landlords partner!) and I was just calling out "who is that?" and all this stuff. I can't remember it that well. I only remembered it because at breakfast he came up and apologised for if he frightened me and said he'd been thinking about it all night. He asked me about 3-4 times about it, he said I was absolutely terrified. I'm very embarrassed about it...

I'm a quite worried about this sort of stuff happening...whats the deal with it?

 

[arfie]

Don't know what the deal with it is, but I accept it as part of my hyper-vigilance. Sleep talismans have been my most effective tool with it. A sleep talisman is any old, easily recognized object I can take to bed with me. The "easily recognized" is the only requirement in my case. It helps ground me during the disoriented state of these kinds of wake ups. I still have the hyper-alert wakings, but these days I can generally get myself back to sleep without getting out of bed. Keeping a glass of water by the bed helps, too. Just something to swish the bad taste out of my mouth.

Gentle support while you sort what works for you.

 

[scout86]

I've had something like that happen a few times. I honestly never thought it was abnormal.(Silly me!) I generally assumed that I'd been sleeping rather deeply and woke up a little slowly. It might be more that different parts of my brain woke up at slightly different times. (Once, because of the time of year, when I was working a weird shift, I really had NO idea if it was morning or evening and I had to turn the TV on to figure it out.) Waking up to the sound of someone walking around would not have gone well! I'm glad they apologized and don't think you ought to be embarrassed. Being alarmed in that situation seems kind of normal. I like @arfie's idea of the talisman.

 

[Cool Cat]

@arfie hyper-vigallance might be it, it's still worrying me though. I don't see my T till Monday but will say it to him.
talisman? whats that?

Is this something serious what is happening?

 

[arfie]

For me, a talisman is nothing more than an object I can easily recognize, even when I am groggy and disoriented from a hyper-vigilant awakening. I get hyper-vigilant awakenings from nightmares as well as the random awakenings like you describe. The point of the talisman is to ground myself in the here and now instead of scraping myself off the ceiling. The easily recognized object helps me gently identify the current realities while engaging my tactile senses. I have used books, pictures, toys articles of clothing and many other doodads. These days I have a rosary I wrap around my wrist when I am in one of these phases. Mine seem to come and go in phases.

I take mine pretty seriously, if for no other reason than they are seriously uncomfortable. Mine have disrupted sleep enough to cause sleep deprivation, but I have learned how to manage them. It has been a very long time since they have caused me serious trouble. These days they are not even much of a nuisance. Just another quirk of being me.