Have you ever had the experience feeling like you're in a DEEP FALL while asleep?

Question

And then awaken from sleep because you felt a big jolt as if you plunged to the ground? All sweaty?

Why do I have this feeling?
What causes this?

Answer 1

There are two types of falling here. One type is where you're dreaming that you're falling. This is essentially a type of nightmare, and one of the more common ones. I used to have them pretty frequently. They were terrifying at first, but after some time I had had them so much that they were "routine" even in my dreams, and I learned to wake myself up as soon as I realized I was dreaming. (Which kinda killed my chances of learning to lucid dream, but that's another story.) I seldom have nightmares any more, and whenever I do, they automatically trigger a "this is just a dream" impulse in me, and I wake up.

The other kind of falling happens just when you're falling asleep, or just waking up. Basically when you're asleep, your brain disengages your motor system and you are mostly paralyzed while you sleep. (In people who sleepwalk, this mechanism is not working like it should.) Usually, this is not supposed to kick in until after you've fallen asleep, and goes away before you awaken. But sometimes it can begin before you're fully asleep, and the resulting sensation is bodily detachment or weightlessness, e.g. falling. If your conscious mind detects this feeling before slipping into unconsciousness, it sends out a red alert, jerking you awake. This is the "big jolt" you feel when you have one of these experiences.

Answer 2

Strange. I've had this one on and off since I was a kid. It's a fall into a total abyss. And the suddenly waking up when I finally hit the ground(or reenter the body). Many times I don't hit the ground. I'll wake up before that happens. I don't get sweaty but when I was young my heart would be pounding and my hands would be clammy.

It used to be terrifying to me.

Not sure why you have it or what causes this.
I can only say for me that this falling
led me to investigate it and ask questions about myself
concerning it. Some insights arose and what came out of it was: this dream or waking dream was "telling" me to let go. To not hold on so tight to things in life. To actually enjoy life more and not think so much. Whether or not I was reading something into my interpretation really doesn't matter. It helped me a lot and the bottom line is always what matters.

I can't say if your dream has any meaning for you to decipher but it might be helpful to analyze it. Ask questions. Write it down when it happens and see if you can relate the dream to anything in your life that is happening now.

It also may be related to astral travel/leaving the body. I've had that and it is very similar in feeling.

good luck!

Answer 3

Yes I've experienced the DEEP FALL feeling in my sleep and awake with a big jolt as if I hit the ground, but the all sweaty is a NO. I don't know what causes it. Maybe someone will enlighten us both. IT IS FREAKY!

Answer 4

My dreams are in vivid color. Sometimes when I'm underwater, I can just cover my mouth and nose with my hand and I could breath. What ever I can think of doing , I can do. I suddenly become super human. I can leap so high I can actually sustain flight. This is how I evade my attackers. I've never experienced falling. Sometimes when I'm about to fall asleep there is a sudden click inside my head that jolts me into consciousness. But that's about it. I enjoy my dreams. I don't know how they come about, but I like becoming a super human once in while in my dreams.

Answer 5

I fell out of an airplane (dream of coarse) hit the ground hard and I could feel myself go into the dirt a few inches. Then I felt my soul (?) rise up and look around. Then I woke up. No heart attack although it was thumping around big time and I was all sweaty too.

Answer 6

Well i get the falling sensation and the jolt but no sweat action.
i was once told that it is a reaction of your nerves. But i like the idea of the soul leaving and reentering the body. I guess I'd prefer to think my soul's a wanderer than i am a nervous wreck! :)

Answer 7

Yes, All the time. I read somewhere that this when your soul is reentering your body and thats why you feel a falling sensation. Wierd, huh? I'm not sure I believe my soul leaves my body when I sleep and then reenters it, but I thought it was an interesting explanation.

Answer 8

I have had it happen to myself and have watched my son drift off to sleep to be awakened seconds later jolting himself awake. If you think it is scaring when it's happeneing to you, you should witness it happening to someone else!!!

Answer 9

Yup. Everyone gets this. Its a subconscious reaction to the feeling that something in your life is out of control and you are plummetting without hope. Fix your situation and rest easy.

Answer 10

You are dreaming that you had a fall, either from some building or some aircraft. You'll probably wake after that fall and had some inkling about it. No more snacks before bedtime!!!