Hallucinations While Sleeping

Sleep related hallucinations is a parasomnia or sleep disorder. This type of hallucination can target any of the sensory organs, that is, it could be visual, auditory, tactile or olfactory, but for most people it is visual. Hallucinations in the night, as per the hallucination definition, are characterized by unpleasant events that are imagined and occur while sleeping or to be more precise, when the person is in a state that lies in between being awake and being in sleep. A sense of motion may also be involved along with the sensory organs. Often, hallucinations are confused with illusions and dreams or nightmares as most people do not really realize that they are actually hallucinating. Hallucinations and delusions are also often confused with each other, even though there are some major differences between the two.

Hallucinations that occur when a person is about to sleep are known as hypnogogic hallucinations or hypnagogia, and those that occur when a person is about to wake up from sleep are known as hypnopompic hallucinations or hypnopompia. Such hallucinations can also occur during the day and there are quite a few people who experience daytime episodes of hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations. There are various causes of these and they may be accompanied by a few other medical conditions.

It is common among people of all ages. Hallucinations in the elderly and in children are often observed to be of this type. Also, females are more prone to them than males. People suffering from hallucinations are often unable to distinguish between reality and what they saw which leads to them being confused most of the time. People suffering from hallucinations report of sounds that are not very clear and sights that are mostly distorted.

Causes
Hypnagogia and hypnopompia can be caused due to medical conditions like depression, sleep paralysis, narcolepsy, schizophrenia, etc. Other hallucination causes include, substance abuse, sleep deprivation or insomnia, stress, fear and anxiety, consumption of certain kind of medications like sleeping pills, consumption of hallucinogens, mental illnesses and brain damage. Hallucinations while asleep may be accompanied by sleepwalking and sleep talking as well. Sleep paralysis is common among people suffering from hypnopompic hallucinations than those suffering from hypnogogic hallucinations. They experience severe immobility along with visuals of some complex and clear images.

Treatment
There is no particular treatment for this disorder, if they are experienced less frequently. Most people experience it when they are going through a phase of mental distress and it disappears with an improvement in the mental state of the person. For people who experience hallucinations on a regular basis, consulting a doctor or a sleep specialist maybe of some help. The medical condition causing hypogogia or hypopompia needs to be treated for its cure, and medical help should be sought for the same.

Tips
It is very important to follow a few steps in curbing the onset of hallucinations as they might prove to be quite detrimental to one's health. Here are a few simple tips and methods to go about it:

• Have a regular schedule for sleeping and get enough rest and sleep.
• Keep your mind clear of any kind of thoughts before you go to bed.
• Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation regularly to prevent and cure such hallucinations.
• Tire yourself as much as possible before you finally decide to sleep. You tend to fall asleep faster when you are tired.
• Discontinue or refrain from the use of any such medication or substance that can cause hallucinations.

Hallucinations caused due to narcolepsy should not be ignored and narcolepsy should be treated without any delay to avoid other serious mental and psychological disorders.