Have you ever been convinced that you’d woken up from sleep, but in fact, you were still dreaming? If so you might have experienced a false awakening.
A false awakening happens when the dreamer wakes up during their dream only to realise they are still dreaming and wake up later on. While the dreamer believes they are awake, they might go through the motions of turning off an alarm, getting out of bed and eating breakfast. However, they will then suddenly find themselves waking up for real, still in bed.
False awakenings are a mix of sleeping and waking states of consciousness. Our brains are in a kind of semi-conscious state; not quite awake but not fully asleep either. Actually, many sleep disturbances happen during this mixed brain state, including lucid dreams and sleep paralysis.
During lucid dreams, the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. They can even influence the outcome of the dream. In sleep paralysis, the dreamer wakes, but their body is frozen as if paralysed. However, false awakenings are not the same as sleep paralysis or lucid dreaming. The dreamer might experience paralysis but only within the dream. Once they have actually woken up they can move as normal.
False awakenings occur during regular dreams and lucid dreaming. Sometimes, during a false awakening in a dream, the dreamer can become aware that something feels a little ‘off’ in the dream. They get a sense that all is not quite as it should be.
They can also occur several times within one dream. The dreamer can believe they have woken up many times while they are dreaming. They then wake up properly, only to discover that all the previous times they were still asleep. False awakenings that occur again and again within the same dream are ‘nested’ dreams.
There are two types of false awakening:
Type 1 is the more common kind of false awakening. Type 1 false awakenings happen once or twice a year. Here the dreamer goes about their normal business of waking up. For instance, they might get out of bed, turn on the shower, prepare breakfast, wake their children up, etc.
During this type of awakening, the dreamer may or may not notice that their surroundings are a little strange. The environment might not be realistic to them. For instance, they might wake up somewhere other than their bedroom.
A typical type 1 false awakening occurs where the dreamer believes he or she has overslept and is late for work. They ‘wake up’ in their dream but in reality, are still asleep in bed. Only when they wake up properly do they understand what has happened. It is a surprise to the dreamer but not overly worrying.
Type 2 is a rarer kind of false awakening. Type 2 false awakenings can occur several times in one night. Here the dreamer is aware of a sense of foreboding. They know something is wrong but can’t put their finger on it.
In these types of false awakenings, the dreamer wakes to an atmosphere of tension or stress. They are immediately apprehensive upon waking. They feel suspicious and uncomfortable. The environment feels weird although the dreamer can’t quite account for what’s wrong. They just know something isn’t right.
False awakenings in dreams are associated with broken or disturbed sleep patterns.
For example:
False awakening dreams are linked to mixed brain states and/or underlying anxiety. Mixed brain states are associated more with Type 1 awakenings, whereas anxiety is linked to Type 2 awakenings.
There is still much we don’t know about the brain and various levels of consciousness. In particular, the possibility that our brains can experience several states of consciousness at once.
So, in effect, we can be asleep and dreaming but also awake at the same time. It is during this mixed brain state that we become confused. Are we awake or still asleep? If our brain is in that grey area between two states of consciousness, it’s not surprising that we’re not sure whether we’re dreaming or have woken up.
Most people will experience false awakening dreams once or twice a year. In these cases, a specific event will trigger the awakening. For example, you might have an important job interview the next day and you dream that you’ve overslept and missed it.
On the other hand, some people experience recurring and frequent false awakenings in their dreams. This is linked to underlying anxiety or worry in real-life that is not being addressed.
These awakenings are associated with the Type 2 dreams where you feel uneasy upon waking. You awake to an over-riding sense of foreboding. Experts believe that your subconscious is trying to tell you that you need to face up to the problem or worry in your life. In a sense, this is your subconscious giving you a wake-up call. Your brain is literally waking you up twice.
False awakenings occur in lucid dreaming. The lucid dreamer is aware of being in a dream. As such, to some extent, they can control what happens and what they do.
There are two separate elements of control within lucid dreaming;
False awakenings appear to be linked to the lucid dreamer exerting self-control, rather than manipulating their dream environment. In fact, lucid dreamers are more likely to experience false awakenings.
In Type 1 and Type 2 false awakening dreams, there are clues that can signal you are not awake. These are usually a single thing that appears out of place. For example, a person you wouldn’t expect to see, or an object in your house that shouldn’t be there.
You will usually have a sense that something is not quite right. But there are ways you can test yourself. Look at your environment carefully; are the windows and doors straight and the right size? Does the clock face have the right numbers on it?
It is important to recognise what is out of place. This is for two reasons:
Dream analyst Kari Hohn reminds us:
“We dream about what we’re not facing during the day. If we block something out of consciousness, it can appear in our dreams.”
Dreaming allows us to process the thoughts and experiences of the day. Even subconscious ones.
Generally speaking, there is no treatment for this kind of sleep disorder. However, if you are suffering from frequent and upsetting false awakenings that are affecting you, it could be a sign of an underlying worry or general anxiety.
In this case, talking therapy might be sufficient to get to the root of your anxiety. Once the worry or stress has been dealt with, your sleep should return to normal. Only if the awakenings are causing you serious distress will you be offered some kind of sleep or dream therapy. Medication may be used to control the symptoms of disturbed sleep.
For all the regular dreamers who are not expert lucid dreamers, there are ways to wake up properly from a dream.
Establishing control allows us to feel better about ourselves and the situation we’re in. Turning false awakenings into lucid dreaming is a good way of getting back control. Try the following if you believe you are experiencing a false awakening:
It is important to remember that false awakenings, in themselves, are not harmful. However, recurrent and Type 2 awakenings do suggest that all is not well with the dreamer. It’s possible that some stress or worry is not being addressed. In this case, therapy to discover the underlying anxiety is the best way forward.
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