Hypnagogia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. Please help recruit one or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details. Please consider using {{Expert-subject}} to associate this request with a WikiProject

Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) describes vivid dreamlike auditory, visual, or tactile sensations, which are often accompanied by sleep paralysis. Hypnagogia experiences are most commonly associated with the wakefulness-sleep transition state.

Contents 1 Definitions 2 Hypnagogic Experiences 2.1 Psychological Phenomena 2.2 Physiological Phenomena 3 Explanations 4 Artistic and cultural references 5 Further reading 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Definitions

Hypnagogic experiences and imagery are thought to occur in humans during the transition state between the phases of consciousness known as wakefulness and sleep. In contrast hypnopompic experiences and imagery are thought to occur during the transition from sleep to wakefulness.

This wakefulness-sleep transition (WST) state has been described as a no man's land which involves both features of wakefulness, NREM, and REM sleep.^[1] This WST state is sometimes referred to simply as the hypnagogic state.

[edit] Hypnagogic Experiences

[edit] Psychological Phenomena

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Experienced qualities vary, and include fear, awareness of a "presence," chest or back pressure, an inability to breathe (hence the folkloric notion of mara-like creatures tormenting sleepers) or an inability to move (paralysis), open the eyes, speak, cry out for help or scream or a falling/floating sensation or a feeling of tripping (as hypnic jerks or myclonic jerks are interpreted by the brain). Exploding head syndrome may also be experienced, or just an overwhelmingly loud sound, like an inexplicable buzzing or ringing sound. Other symptoms may include numb, heavy, tingling and/or electric sensations and vibrations as well as feeling something touching the body or ants crawling on the skin (formication)^{[citation needed]}

The hypnagogic state is sometimes proposed as an explanation for experiences such as alien abduction, apparitions, demon oppressions, or visions.^{[citation needed]}

Those who experience it and are aware (i.e. an involuntary variety of lucid dreaming) of the dream are usually - but not always - extremely terrified by the experience and are overcome with an exaggerated sense of dread and helplessness, and sometimes, the sense that if the dreamer cannot awaken soon enough to end the experience they might die of suffocation.^{[citation needed]}

Hypnogogic hallucinations are mostly experienced by those with narcolepsy although it is experienced occasionally by many others without the condition, for example, during periods of stress, sleep deprivation or drug withdrawal.^{[citation needed]}

Technically the term hypnogogic refers to the above described phenomena while falling asleep, whereas the term hypnopompic refers to the same phenomena experienced while waking up.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Physiological Phenomena

There is thought to be an increase in REM activity during the wakefulness-sleep (WST) transition state. Furthermore the WST phase' EEG has been reported as bearing more resemblance to REM sleep than to NREM Stage 2 sleep. .^[2]

Respiratory pattern changes may also be observed in addition to a lowered rate of frontalis muscle activity.^[3]

[edit] Explanations

The covert-rapid-eye-movement (REM sleep) hypothesis suggests that hidden elements of REM sleep emerge during the wakefulness-sleep transition (WST) stage. This may provide an explanation for the multitude of subjective hypnagogic psychological experiences reported during this no man's land between the states of consciousness known as wakefulness and sleep.^[4]

[edit] Artistic and cultural references

• Kitchens of Distinction recorded a song entitled "Hypnogogic" for their 1990 album Strange Free World.

• The album The Always Open Mouth, by the band Fear Before the March of Flames, features the song "Drowning the Old Hag" which describes singer David Marion's experiences with hypnagogia.

• In The Green Man by Kingsley Amis the narrator suffers from sleep paralysis and has hypnagogic hallucinations.

• In Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, the main character David Lurie refers to his own hypnagogic experience as he recalls his former lovers.

• The musician Adem refers to hypnogogic shapes in his song "You and Moon", taken from his 2006 album "Love and Other Planets".

• The electronica musician L. Pierre (Aidan Moffat formerly of Arab Strap) titled his 2005 album Hypnogogia.

• The works of authors Adam S. Leslie and Peter Tunstall contain many examples of hypnagogic speech passed off as dialogue, film titles, graffiti, etc.

• An artist named Maxwell Lewis? has entitled an album "Awake as a Hypnagog," which is based on a lucid dream he claims to have had.

• The song "A Better Son/Daughter" by Rilo Kiley begins with an account of hypnopompic sleep paralysis.

• The band Host Echo in their 2005 debut album "Be Water" featured a song titled "Hypnogogic"

• In Herman Melville's novel, Moby-Dick a hypnogogic hallucination is described in chapter 4, "The Counterpane"

[edit] Further reading

• Leaning, F.E. (1925). An introductory study of hypnagogic phenomena. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 35, 289-409.

• Mavromatis, A. (1987). Hypnagogia: the Unique State of Consciousness Between Wakefulness and Sleep. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

• Warren, Jeff (2007). "The Hypnagogic", The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness. ISBN 978-0679314080. 

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• False awakening
• Hag in folklore
• Hypnic jerk
• Lucid dream
• Nightmare
• Segmented sleep
• Sleep disorder
• Sleep paralysis
• Tetris effect
• Threshold consciousness
• Hypnopompic

[edit] External links

• "Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations: pathological phenomena?" article in the British Journal of Psychiatry
• "What causes sleep paralysis" The Straight Dope
• Gary Lachman on Hypnagogia

v • d • e Sleep Sleep stages Rapid eye movement sleep · Non-rapid eye movement sleep · Slow-wave sleep Brain waves Beta wave · Delta wave · Gamma wave · Theta wave Sleep disorders Advanced sleep phase syndrome · Automatic behavior · Circadian rhythm sleep disorder · Delayed sleep phase syndrome · Dyssomnia · Excessive daytime sleepiness · Hypersomnia · Insomnia · Narcolepsy · Night terror · Nocturia · Nocturnal myoclonus · Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome · Ondine's curse · Parasomnia · Sleep apnea · Sleep deprivation · Sleepeating · Sleeping sickness · Sleeptalking · Sleepwalking Benign phenomena Dream · Exploding head syndrome · False awakening · Hypnagogia · Hypnic jerk · Lucid dream · Nightmare · Nocturnal emission · Sleep paralysis · Somnolence Related topics Bed (Bunk bed, Four poster bed, Futon, Hammock, Mattress) · Bed bug · Bedding · Bedroom · Bedtime · Bedtime toy · Bedtime story · Chronotype · Dream journal · Jet lag · Lullaby · Nightwear · Polyphasic sleep · Power nap · Siesta · Sleep and learning · Sleep debt · Sleep inertia · Sleepover · Snoring · Sleep and creativity