Why do we always see bodies/figures during sleep deprivation?

I recently experienced sleep deprivation and when I started hallucinating and seeing bodies form in front of my eyes, it dawned upon me, why does this happen?

The way the hallucination works is that any light or shadow in your room forms into a body/figure, if you have been up for over 24 hours and are awake staring around the room, at night. In the day time during sleep deprivation you may see little black spots and feel really jittery. During my recent experience my hallucinations never formed into anything extreme or remotely dramatic because I would just re-adjust my eyes and focus.

However I wondered, why does it form into a body/figure? Isn't that interesting? Then if you let the hallucination take it's course and not try and focus your eyes, the shadows will undoubtedly form into bodies/figures, spark fear, and who knows what next.

Why does our mind hallucinate specifically bodies/figures when we have not had any sleep? Do these things exist all the time and we only experience them when we are in a state of sleep deprivation? Or is the simplest explanation that during sleep deprivation our mind always defaults to thinking it's looking at bodies/figures but really its just the light/shadow casted from, i.e. the window?


Why are bodies/figures the default hallucination during sleep deprivation?

a reply to: game over man

The way the hallucination works is that any light or shadow in your room forms into a body/figure, if you have been up for over 24 hours and are awake staring around the room

No it doesn't.

I've been awake far longer than 24 hours....never had an halluciation at all let alone one that forms into a "body/figure"

What makes you think that "We all" have these hallucinations?

a reply to: Argyll

I also have frequent periods of insomnia lasting 42 or more hours...the only body I see is my husband's standing over me with an Ambien and warm milk!

a reply to: Argyll

Are you kidding me?

Shadow People Wiki

a reply to: game over man

Why are you sleep deprived? Sound intentional...

Of course we will see things like that If we hallucinate due to lack of sleep....the human form is ingrained in us so of course we will see stuff like humanoid shape figures.
Just go to bed...problem solved.
It isn't demons or odd beings it is your brain acting on lack of sleep.
Oh and I once did 70 hours without sleep and I saw colours...things were not the colour they should have been so no it isn't the default thing we see.

a reply to: boymonkey74

I only hallucinate when I run a 104 degree fever. Thanked my hubby for the delish chicken pizza we didn't have.

I only see blobs of color myself when I don't see what I'm looking at or I have taken a certain substance causing that effect NEVER bodies.

a reply to: game over man

Am I kidding you?.......No!


From your source

Several physiological and psychological conditions can account for reported experiences of shadow people. These include sleep paralysis, illusions, or hallucinations brought on by physiological or psychological circumstances, drug use or side effects of medication, and the interaction of external agents on the human body. Another reason that could be behind the illusion is sleep deprivation, which may lead to hallucination

Regardless of the fact that WikiLinks is not a valid source of anything really..........where does it state that "We always" see figures/bodies when we haven't been asleep for 24 hours or so?.....I've worked on an office installation for around 36 hours on more that one occasion.....not hallucinated at all!

Why would you think that I was "Kidding you"?

originally posted by: game over man
I recently experienced sleep deprivation and when I started hallucinating and seeing bodies form in front of my eyes, it dawned upon me, why does this happen?

The way the hallucination works is that any light or shadow in your room forms into a body/figure, if you have been up for over 24 hours and are awake staring around the room, at night. In the day time during sleep deprivation you may see little black spots and feel really jittery. During my recent experience my hallucinations never formed into anything extreme or remotely dramatic because I would just re-adjust my eyes and focus.

However I wondered, why does it form into a body/figure? Isn't that interesting? Then if you let the hallucination take it's course and not try and focus your eyes, the shadows will undoubtedly form into bodies/figures, spark fear, and who knows what next.

Why does our mind hallucinate specifically bodies/figures when we have not had any sleep? Do these things exist all the time and we only experience them when we are in a state of sleep deprivation? Or is the simplest explanation that during sleep deprivation our mind always defaults to thinking it's looking at bodies/figures but really its just the light/shadow casted from, i.e. the window?


Why are bodies/figures the default hallucination during sleep deprivation?

As long as you continue regarding it fiction by labeling it as a 'hallucination', I suspect you won't find the answers.

If a hallucination is s a peek into an alternate reality - what would you be seeing with this label?

a reply to: cavtrooper7

I see a lot of Bagpuss also but not due to lack of sleep.

Here is Bagpuss....UK show when I was a kid.(i know you would nopt know dear ole bagpuss).

In my early twenties i wanted to see how long i could stay awake .. 12 days was the longest . I never saw shadow people . I remember shadows would move around a little bit .

originally posted by: freedomSlave
In my early twenties i wanted to see how long i could stay awake .. 12 days was the longest . I never saw shadow people . I remember shadows would move around a little bit .

I doubt very much that you stayed awake for 12 days mate!.....If you did you should probably get in touch with the Guinness book of records, because you're not far of the world record there!.......LOL 12 days!

originally posted by: Argyll
a reply to: game over man

Am I kidding you?.......No!


From your source

Several physiological and psychological conditions can account for reported experiences of shadow people. These include sleep paralysis, illusions, or hallucinations brought on by physiological or psychological circumstances, drug use or side effects of medication, and the interaction of external agents on the human body. Another reason that could be behind the illusion is sleep deprivation, which may lead to hallucination

Regardless of the fact that WikiLinks is not a valid source of anything really..........where does it state that "We always" see figures/bodies when we haven't been asleep for 24 hours or so?.....I've worked on an office installation for around 36 hours on more that one occasion.....not hallucinated at all!

Why would you think that I was "Kidding you"?

Ok, buddy, excuse the title with "Always" so sorry, I was trying to emphasize something more mysterious going on.

Prove to me hallucinations don't happen at all during sleep deprivation. Prove to me I just made that up, back it up with scientific evidence.

a reply to: Argyll

Yeah I doubt that also.
ever heard of the Russian sleep experiment?.



Yeah get sleep dudes...

a reply to: game over man

He isn't saying they do not happen he is saying it isn't always shadow figures...we all act differently.
Yeah and I didn't start seeing different colours until after around 50 odd hours.
Heck I stay awake for 24 hours at least once a week.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: game over man

He isn't saying they do not happen he is saying it isn't always shadow figures...we all act differently.
Yeah and I didn't start seeing different colours until after around 50 odd hours.
Heck I stay awake for 24 hours at least once a week.

Does anybody here know any statistics of those who see shadow people during sleep deprivation and those that do not?

It's so simple to just say you're wrong, "I don't experience that." Well that is the whole point of the thread to discuss this.

I have seen the blobs of colors too, but if at night, and I haven't got great sleep in a few days, I will always hallucinate figures in the room.

So why is that?

a reply to: game over man

Dunno can we make sense of our brains when put under stress like lack of sleep?.
Are you saying the figures you see are real in some dimension or something?.
I think not and it is just the brain acting on the lack of sleep.

originally posted by: Argyll
a reply to: game over man

The way the hallucination works is that any light or shadow in your room forms into a body/figure, if you have been up for over 24 hours and are awake staring around the room

No it doesn't.

I've been awake far longer than 24 hours....never had an halluciation at all let alone one that forms into a "body/figure"

What makes you think that "We all" have these hallucinations?

What you are doing is arguing something isn't true while you have never experienced it. I hallucinated shadow people, and you don't just turn your head and boom there they are....it's sort of like the other poster said the blobs of colors. You start to see shadows swirl or move till they create a figure then you actually think an intelligent shadow person is in the room.

This is what happens when someone sees a shadow person, or is hallucinating one. Why does this happen?

a reply to: game over man

Ok, buddy, excuse the title with "Always" so sorry, I was trying to emphasize something more mysterious going on.
Prove to me hallucinations don't happen at all during sleep deprivation.
Prove to me I just made that up, back it up with scientific evidence.

There's nothing mysterious going on!......people don't always hallucinate about "bodies/figures" after going 24+ hours without sleep....this is your thread not mine!....I didn't say that people couldn't hallucinate after going without sleep....but you said that they always do!

How about, as it's your thread, you back your claims up with scientific evidence that we always hallucinate about "figures/bodies" due to sleep deprivation?