I first experienced this about 6 or 7 years ago , that's make me about 24 at the time.

I was finding it hard to sleep at the time and for a while I had some really bizarre dreams. Often the dreams would begin with me still in bed trying to sleep, I'd be lying in bed and get up to go to the bathroom or get a drink and bizarre things would happen, which often terrified me. One notable experience being when I went downstars to get a drink and heard sounds from the sitting room, I opened the door and peered in and there were several people whom I did not know or recognise sitting having a drink.

They seemed merry and happy to see me, and greeted me by name...invited me to join them, I was terrified, then I woke up in bed bursting for the toilet...but kinda too scared to go.

These dreams continued and started to get weirder. Then I started to get the crunching and sensations, that's the only way I can describe it. The crunching sound is best described like someone shaking a box of matches, one single shake but at a regular frequency. The sensation occurs momentarily when I hear the crunch and seems to come from the very centre of my head, it used to scare me, I don't get it so often now but when I do, I try and relax and enjoy it, usually I'll either wake up or it'll get more intense and I'll have a very strange dream.

Sometimes I go to bed hoping it'll happen but like I say, as I got older it happened less frequently.

I was just wondering if anyone has ever experienced something like this...specifically the crunching/rattling sound and the sensations.

Thanks.

Just throwing this one out there, but I work in the medical field and that can sometimes be the symptom of a brain tumor. Just to play it safe I'd talk to my doctor and suggest an MRI. If anything just tell him your symptoms, and he'll know what to do. After you rule that out, enjoy it. It could be something completely different. The healthcare provider in me makes me curious though. Goodluck

I don't really like to talk about some of the dreams I had during this time, I've told a few people and to be perfectly honest they send chills down my spine when I recount them and my eyes water...odd to say the least.

I remember the first time I'd the crunching, it got really intense and I was conscious and scared, I knew I was in bed but my whole body was buzzing and I felt as thought I were spinning around the room...I was terrified but couldn't seem to pull myself out of it.

Then, I had a kind of vision of my kitchen, I know that sounds bizarre but that's how it was...I didn't get up in my dream and go to the kitchen, nor was I standing in it...still felt like I was spinning around my room and buzzing...but I could see my kitchen only it was stretched, elgongated as if it were a mile long...and there were two men in the distance wearing suits.pointing at me, as if they were directing the spinning sensations I was feeling. When I woke up I was quite disturbed and again really scared to get up, I remember waiting until dawn to get up that morning and was bursting for the toilet.

That was the worst one, and the one I remember most. I'd some other terrifyig dreams associated with strange feelings and sensations/sounds, I'd dream I was in bed unable to sleep and see my room door open and close by itself, I even saw huge flowers shoot out of the floor, etc,

It actually became quite pleasurable after a while because I came to a point where i knew it was a dream and focused more on how I felt during them as opposed to what I saw and heard, As I said before, I'd often go to bed hoping it would happen. It was a short period in my life of about 6 months where it'd happen quite regularly then it just kind of stopped, rarely it will happen now and it's less intense when it does, I was finding it easier to sleep after that.