Sleep And Its Bedfellows

Understanding false awakenings and beyond.

- Snigdha Jauhari

42-year-old Kuldeep was asleep. Suddenly, he woke up and saw a dog in his hotel room. "How on earth did it get in here?" Baffled, he spoke aloud, his eyes flying towards the door. It was bolted.

His eyes followed the furry creature. While Kuldeep lay stiff with fear, the dog circled his bed. Then the shaggy creature sniffed his bedclothes and tugged lightly at them. Then he moved towards the table. Kuldeep saw him climb on the chair and from there onto the table. At this point, Kuldeep sat up and his hand moved towards the intercom to speak with the reception. Just then, the furry-tailed dog jumped down with a mighty noise, dragging with him all the writing materials and the table lamp!!

C..R...A..S..H.

Kuldeep sprang up, bolt upright on his bed. With his eyes wide open, he looked around. No dog! No messed-up table! Door still locked! The clock's hands proclaimed 2:44 am.

"I was awake." The next day, from his hotel room, he told his wife on the phone. "I was wide awake... really, I was not dreaming! I saw the dog with my own eyes." He paused. "But...OH! I DUNNO......"

Has it ever happened to you that you go off to sleep, see something happen, and feel sure that it happened in reality and not in your dreams?! You believe that you were fully awake!

This phenomenon is commonly known as "False Awakening." The medical term for it is "pseudonarcolepsy" or "pseudo-realistic awakenings." It occurs when a person dreams that he has woken up, but in reality, he was asleep.

Why does this happen? Let us try to understand some of these deep secrets of the mind.

Secrets Of Mind

Normally there are four stages of sleep, and each stage serves a useful purpose.

The lightest stage of sleep is Stage 1, where you start to drift off.