Night-time noises

This has happened to me either two or three times in the past week and a half or so. It's late, so I lay down in my bed, turn off the light next to my bed, and attempt to go to sleep even though I feel wide awake. I'm the kind of person who gets knocked out very quickly when it's time for bed, so the awake feeling in itself is abnormal.

Here's where it gets weird: I start to hear small tapping/clicking noises, not in any pattern, once, maybe twice, in varying volume coming from the right side of my room by my closet/foot of the bed/dresser. They are anywhere from 10-30 seconds apart. The strange thing is that when I turn on my light again, everything ceases. I check for anything that could possibly be moving, and find nothing.

It just happened about ten minutes ago and I was convinced that it was my imagination until I decided to see if it happened when the light is on. I've had the light on for a while, and there has not been a single sound. This only happens when I have the strange super-awake feeling. Tonight, I also heard what sounded like a knuckle-on-wood noise coming from the attic. I will disregard this as just my house because I am already pretty freaked out, but it did happen when the other noises were happening. I am scared, but I'm mostly annoyed because I really do need to sleep.

Does anyone else have experiences like this? I do not want a ghost. Please give me your input.

My initial thought would be that it is a connection problem with your light. When electricity jumps it can make clicking sounds. Have you checked the plug socket, plug, light or light switch for an explanation. Is the sound coming from any of these areas?

it may be some type of vermin, like mice or rats. they'd be in the walls for floors. maybe that's why you can't see whatever it is. they then stop because of the sound you make when getting up to see what it is and stay quiet untill they feel safe again. or it could just be your house setteling. sounds like a pretty silly answer but houses can continue to settle for a very long time. i don't think it's anything to be worried about. you could try turning a fan on so you can't hear it.



optimus

I'll agree with mice/vermin. Every few years when the weather gets cold, mice inevitably find their way into my home. In my experience, they dislike light and won't move a muscle when it's on. But as soon as it was dark, they would scamper around and do whatever sneaky stuff mice like to do, making all sorts of very low taps and scrapes. Maybe that's what your problem is as well? As for the noise in the attic, my best guess is mice playing football. Although I have no photo proof (yet), I could swear that that's what they were doing the year they made their way into the drop ceiling in my basement.

Originally posted by Xeros
Is the sound coming from any of these areas?

I had thought of that being a possibility, but the socket for the light is in front of my headboard, and the lamp is right next to my head. The sound is coming from the opposite side of the room. There is an empty outlet in that area though, I will have to check it out the next time it happens again. Hopefully no fire hazards or anything like that.

Originally posted by optimus primal
it may be some type of vermin, like mice or rats. they'd be in the walls for floors. maybe that's why you can't see whatever it is. they then stop because of the sound you make when getting up to see what it is and stay quiet untill they feel safe again. or it could just be your house setteling.

Haha, believe me, if there were ANY type of vermin in the house, my Jack Russell would know about it. Not even a cricket can get past her. She about had a heart attack when a bird got stuck in between the walls. It's a pretty clear sound, not coming from a wall but the closet/dresser area.
I'm not willing to rule out the house settling but it is a brick townhouse, and I've lived here my entire life (22 years to be exact) and have never had a problem before. I am very easily spooked, but this is giving me a reason to be paranoid. I'm thinking I'm gonna try sleeping again but I'm still pretty wired.

Originally posted by greatpiino
Although I have no photo proof (yet)

You better work on that. I'd pay top dollar for some video footage.

Originally posted by airrikka
This has happened to me either two or three times in the past week and a half or so. It's late, so I lay down in my bed, turn off the light next to my bed, and attempt to go to sleep even though I feel wide awake. I'm the kind of person who gets knocked out very quickly when it's time for bed, so the awake feeling in itself is abnormal.

Here's where it gets weird: I start to hear small tapping/clicking noises, not in any pattern, once, maybe twice, in varying volume coming from the right side of my room by my closet/foot of the bed/dresser. They are anywhere from 10-30 seconds apart. The strange thing is that when I turn on my light again, everything ceases. I check for anything that could possibly be moving, and find nothing.

It just happened about ten minutes ago and I was convinced that it was my imagination until I decided to see if it happened when the light is on. I've had the light on for a while, and there has not been a single sound. This only happens when I have the strange super-awake feeling. Tonight, I also heard what sounded like a knuckle-on-wood noise coming from the attic. I will disregard this as just my house because I am already pretty freaked out, but it did happen when the other noises were happening. I am scared, but I'm mostly annoyed because I really do need to sleep.

Does anyone else have experiences like this? I do not want a ghost. Please give me your input.

Don't worry. I have had this. my guess is that it's rats in the walls. Yeah what happened to me was I was laying in bed and all of the sudden I hear this KNOCK KNOCK like someone was banhing against the wall with a hammer. It scared me to death. I jumped out of bed and I couldn't sleep in that room. My friend then told me it was rats. I had an inspector come and he said it was definetely rats. So he got rid of em.

I have heard stories like this before.

Do you live near any military or government testing facilities, is there any animal research farms nearby. The reason I ask, it seems the vermin you are dealing with are very smart (they know when you turn out the lights). Rats and mice are commonly used in test laboratories. I hope you don't have any those mutant, genetically engineered mice running around there. Some of those little guys are genetically engineered for improved learning and memory, they probably know when your asleep.... and far more smarter than your pet.

Who knows, maybe they are military trained and communicating in Morse code or spying on you lol. Can you record the knocking noise on your computer mic and post it in a podcast?

Gotta be critters in the walls. That's the only logical explanation. Does the Jack Russell sleep with you? If so, how does it react, or does it? If it doesn't, then I wouldn't be too spooked by it.

TheBorg

So how old is this house? Has there ever been any other events to suggest a paranormal presense? Usually when one thing happens, you'll notice other things too (sometimes they're less obvious, but still there). Do you have the obvious signs of a haunting?

I'd have an electrician check out your house, an exterminator, and anyone else who can rule out all other possibilities before turning to the paranormal.

Originally posted by JBurns
So how old is this house? Has there ever been any other events to suggest a paranormal presense? Usually when one thing happens, you'll notice other things too (sometimes they're less obvious, but still there). Do you have the obvious signs of a haunting?

I'd have an electrician check out your house, an exterminator, and anyone else who can rule out all other possibilities before turning to the paranormal.

My house is not old by today's standards, about 25 years old. We've been the only owners of it. I told my mother about it today, but she didn't really know what to tell me. She has had one strange experience in our home on her own which is totally unrelated and happened 20 years ago. I've had one definite experience in my home where I am sure that it was a sign from my then recently passed grandfather. On a side note, I've always been quite scared of my closet, mostly because in the ceiling of it is the little hatch to the attic. I can't believe I didn't remember this until just now. Two days ago, I was walking into my kitchen when flying over my head and crashing to the floor comes several boxes of cereal, a tupperware container with cereal in it, and some baking supplies. I thought that was very odd, because nothing falls off of my fridge. Crap falls out of the freezer I put that in the back of my mind, because I was really angry for having to clean up the Lucky Charms that had exploded all over my floor.



Back to my the noises in my room. It is most definitely not coming from the walls/floor. It is not muffled, it's almost as if something is moving something in my room that happens to be 5 feet away diagonally from my head in the room.

My dogs are very aware of things in my home. They weren't with me at the time, they sleep in my mother's room.

The only reason I am bothered by this is because there seems to be a distinct pattern when it happens. 1-Me trying to sleep, while feeling wide awake. 2-Noises that seem to have no source. 3-Light on, everything stops. There's nothing yet that I can positively attribute to making the noise.

Try bringing a dog into the room for the night, or even a few nights. If something is indeed in there, the dog will react to it, and may give you a better idea of what it may be. Just a thought.

TheBorg