Why do I hear whispers when I'md rifting off to sleep?

Question

When I'm drifting off to sleep, I find myself hearing whispers (or at I least I think they whisper) I can't really make out words though. Just sounds. Also I am aware of it and I try to snap myself out of it but it seems like I can't move. Though I do eventually get out of it. It's quite strange, and it keeps happening. The first time it happened I was really scare and didn't want to sleep, but now I'm used to it and I know what is happening when it does. What is causing this to happen? Can this be explained through psychology?

Answer 1

My husband has the exact same thing. He either sets the sleep timer on his radio or the TV in order to get to sleep. It may either be attributed to ADD / ADHD, or it could be due to mild tinnitus.  

Answer 2

I get the same thing. I've been told that as you are falling asleep you are in that area that is the boundary between conscious and subconscious. While they can be very strange I don't worry about them. I've had them for many years and they've done no harm.

Answer 3

Strange stuff can happen in the middle state between wakefulness and sleep.  It almost sounds like sleep paralysis at sleep onset.  Google "sleep paralysis."  There's lots on the net about it.  If that's it, there's no clear explanation other than that your mind and body are drifting off to sleep at different rates.  There is not cure, either, although there are some drugs that can help a little if you have a seriously bad case.

Answer 4

My guess is your brain is just organizing thoughts and memory from your day. The brain is still active when we are in deep sleep. More active in fact. I get this too so don't fret it is nothing to worry about. Probably your subconscious mind coming into play. Your thoughts no longer being controlled by your conscious mind when you are awake so they (the thoughts) "take a mind and will of their own".

Science and psychology still have a lot of mysteries about sleep.

Answer 5

Ok. So, I don't know if you believe in this or not but this is what I think is happening.

It MIGHT not be a "mental" thing. It might be spiritual/paranormal.

You might be hearing the voices of people who have passed over, and in your weakend state (drifting to sleep, into your subconcious mind), they are contacting you.

Sorry if this sounds weird, but anyways.

Hope I helped :D

Answer 6

It's completely normal.  I've had the same thing happen and I was freaked out too at first.  I found out that it's a normal thing that happens to some people in that strange not-quite-asleep mode.  

"hearing voices is NOT diagnostic of mental illness. Daniel makes the same point in this book, and it needs to be repeated until everyone "gets it." I have just had a discussion with some young and rather inexperienced psychiatrists who told me that if they met someone who was hearing voices, they would immediately prescribe antipsychotic medicines. There is not a shred of evidence that they should do anything of the sort unless someone is suffering or causing suffering. And even then, the "voices" should not be the focus of treatment."