10 Terrifying Things That Can Happen To You Whilst Sleeping

Much like sleep paralysis, lucid dreaming occurs in a state of awareness during the sleep cycle of the person experiencing it. However, this is much less sinister.

Lucid dreaming is the act of realising you are in a dream whilst still staying in it. The effect of this is mostly innocent, as the user can therefore control their dream to how they wish and do what they want without their subconscious taking over.

People who can lucid dream regularly have noticed certain things that make them aware that they are in the dreaming state. For example, looking at the reflection of yourself in the mirror during the dream does not register within your brain, making the reflection look morphed or even invisible. The sky and floor in dreams is often unfinished and if you try to put your hands together, they will go through one another.

For many, lucid dreaming is fun, but scary experiences can also occur. When the brain becomes conscious that the user is dreaming, this can jerk the sleeper out of the dream suddenly, causing the act of sleep paralysis as the body has not fully woken up. Others have become stuck in their dreams for a long time as the brain cannot work out what to do.