Strange pre-sleep light flashes..... Any other experiences?

Afternoon All... something that has been on my mind for a while now.... in fact, since I was roughly 10 years old... (I'm now 35).

For many years when I was a child I would have the same experience... and it has recently come back, so I thought I would see if anyone else has experienced the same...

I noticed that every night, when I was trying to get to sleep, (I have always been a light sleeper, and find it very hard to relax enough to sleep quickly, it is always a conscious choice on my part)... just as I was on the cusp of sleep and could feel myself drifting, (at that point where your thoughts seem to liquefy and go off on their own subconscious flight of fancy), I saw an intense flash of light, that was clearly seen through my closed eyelids, and seemed to fill the room. The flash was accompanied by a "click" sound.... It was so intense for the first few times that it happened, that I would immediately open my eyes and try to figure out what the hell was going on.... only to be met with a kind of "pulsating reality" for the 2 seconds or so immediately after opening my eyes. Very difficult to explain that bit... but the darkened room around me seemed to be vibrant and alive..... then all would return to normal... and I would be left with a strange feeling of having been somewhere else for a while.... I learnt to ignore it as I got older.... It became a part of my life I suppose...

Now, this went on for many years, every night, until I got to about 19 or so... and then stopped abruptly.... however, recently, the light flashes have become prevalent again.... not every night.. but most nights.

My initial reaction as a 10 year old child was one of confusion... I was going through a period of intense philosophical discovery at that age... and attributed it to an overactive mind before sleep.. but I could never get that feeling of having been somewhere else out of my mind.

As I got older I came to a different conclusion, (bear with me here)... however mad it may seem to me now, that I was being abducted by aliens, and that the flash was merely them returning me to my original position after doing whatever they wished to do to me.... which was a little scary, even as a teenager...

I have since dismissed this hypothesis, as there is simply no other evidence for it.... however, I still wonder what these flashes are, and if any others have had them?


Does anyone else relate to this phenomena in any way?

PA

reply to post by PerfectAnomoly


Hi there,

I have no idea what would be causing this but just to let you know i have been suffering the same thing for a long time, only i seem to have a brief build up to the flash that i explain as a sound like static. it actually just made me smile to know that i wan;t going mad and somebody else has the same thing, I have just not been able to explain it before.

I have had my fair share of seeing symbols, shadows, aliens all sorts of odd things on the cusp of sleep but this *light flash* is completely new to me and has only occurred during the past few years.
I can assure you though it doesn't even occur as I'm drifting off. Even times where I'm simply trying to get to sleep I experience the flash.
Probably some medical reason for it, usually is. I should go get my eyes checked maybe, it's overdue.

I get a sharp buzz or 'dzzing' thing in my head just before sleep. Quite unpleasant actually. Maybe it's a similar thing. I'd rather have a flash to tell truth.



Like your avatar

Had the same, for many years, even loud bangs. See a doctor to rule out epilepsy, optic neuritis or any underlying disease.

Could be that your brain is over stimulated. Been playing much games? Or maybe too much TV.

As a REAL Doctor( ) I would suggest not trying to close your eyelids too hard. Pressure on the eyeballs sometimes causes such things. When tired just close your eyes lightly and think about something that might induce a calming effect. Sleep should follow soom.

everything described above is called hypnagogic imagery/hallucinations. it is completely normal and everyone experiences it. only around 37 % of people remember seeing it, the rest generally are unconscious by then.

the buzzing/rushing feel is part of the same process, and if you stay conscious long enough you will realize you are paralyzed and cannot move.

people experience it differently, some feel like they are moving in a direction or spinning. i've actually heard singing before, but it's just audio/visual hallucinations.

reply to post by PerfectAnomoly


It sounds like you are over tiring yourself, too many late nights or not enough sleep.

Well I've had exploding head syndrome (funny name, eh?) and to me it sounded like a jet engine next to my ear. Probably not that bad but it was REALLY loud. And I've also had sleep paralysis which gave me slight hallucinations. Maybe it was one of these things?

you guys should really look into exploring the realm of Out-of-Body-Experiences. You all seem like fine candidates for the challenge.

I used to see flashes of light regularly which I Simply ignored until one day while driving there was a large flash followed by my vision going red and dark. It turned out the flashes were my retina stretching until it finally tore. I had to get laser surgery to correct it. I suggest getting an eye exam as this can lead to permanent vision loss.

reply to post by Bob Sholtz

everything described above is called hypnagogic imagery/hallucinations. it is completely normal and everyone experiences it. only around 37 % of people remember seeing it, the rest generally are unconscious by then. the buzzing/rushing feel is part of the same process, and if you stay conscious long enough you will realize you are paralyzed and cannot move. people experience it differently, some feel like they are moving in a direction or spinning. i've actually heard singing before, but it's just audio/visual hallucinations.

He's exactly right!

reply to post by bluemirage5


I get them as well. I think you were correct to place it in the metaphysical forum. I know the difference between the pre-dream/dream state and these flashes. There are times when, after a bout of chronic lack of sleep, I will enter dreams in seconds of closing my eyes.

This is like another experience altogether. I get the distinct impression that it involves some kind of contact from a different dimension or that information is transferred during the flashes that is unavailable to my conscious mind.

I don't always here a click or other sound but rather loud sounds will trigger very sudden and bright flashes as opposed to ones that i percieve as off to the side and grow from dim to bright. That is part of the strangeness. Other than this particular phenomenon, my audio processing is not tied to visual system or visa versa.

reply to post by zarp3333


you have to realize that, yes, it seems real, but it is only a hallucination. your brain stops processing things through the logical part, and that's why while dreaming you don't notice how ridiculous it is. while you dream, you don't question why you're flying a spaceship, or what you were doing before that. you don't question why you can move things with your mind like you're telepathic, or be multiple characters at once.

there really isn't anything metaphysical about it in the sense that you suggest. not all your brain is functioning regularly at that point, so you aren't a good judge of what is happening. the flashes are examples of completely normal hypnagogic hallucinations. what you experience can differ wildly from one experience to the next, but it isn't real.

lulz dont know about alien abduction but it happens to me, like the vibration post-sleep tho like when I wake up, its your pineal gland don't worry, we all have light inside us that we can emit

also from a lsd experience I notice the vibration of light more constant and higher, much longer because it was a 12 hour experience, and my experience with dmt was the vibration going extremely fast because I left my body, it was a strong vibration cause it took me to a higher plane, and the experience only lasted about 5-10 minutes, our pineal glands aka the third eye is a beautiful thing

I get these as well, I can produce them on demand by closing my eyes, focusing on a point in front of my face as if I were looking through my eyelids, and then moving that point up to above my head slowly - only when relaxed though, which atm is really only when I go to bed / wake up. A side note - I also have a history of migranes, which also produces flashing like this.

Originally posted by kalunom
I suggest getting an eye exam as this can lead to permanent vision loss.

I've not had any problems, but this is some sound advice from kalunom no matter which way you slice it.

Info on retinal tearing

reply to post by lammypie999


You are not alone my friend!!

Thanks for sharing your experiences.... helps to define mine more clearly....

Some scary suggestions below......

PA

reply to post by Suspiria


I think I will be behind you in the cue at the doctors mate... at least metophorically... Always been confusing for me.... but I would never rule out medical reasons....

Never had any other problems with my sight though.... considering the ammount of time I spend staring at computer screens, I conside rmyself lucky to still have good vision....

PA

reply to post by wigit


Sounds unpleasent mate.... I'll stick with my flashes if that's ok!!

I only get an audible "click" as the flash happens... although it always seemed to me that the click and the flash were coming from some sort of external source... not from within my own body......

Interesting question this poses.... are the flashes and clicks external phenomena.... or are they interal, within my head so to speak?

I really can't answer that... due to my reduced cognotive abilities at the time of the occurrence...... difficult to analyse something in detial, and rationally, when it happens in an almost dream state....

PA

Originally posted by wigit


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edit on 5-9-2011 by wigit because: speling

Cheers.... LEGEND!