Please tell me I'm not the only one who experiences this. As I'm drifting off to sleep, in an altered state of consciousness, I often hear chatter in my head. It's usually random words, thoughts and phrases. They seem to waft through the backdrop of my consciousness and every now and again a particular word or phrase causes my eyes to fly open in shock/wonder. Sometimes it's a man's voice, sometimes a woman, but they are not usually voices I recognize.

The other night it happened and I have not been able to banish these words from my head. I am often left wondering if this is my intuition speaking to me as I am very intuitive.

I notice that this seems to happen more when I'm over tired.

Does anyone else experience this?

When I go to sleep at night alot of times I will have thoughts racing,sometimes my interpretation of peoples voices as they make comments. I always feel like it is my brain just winding down for the day.lol I am not sure if this is exactly what is happening to you or if it is even close.

i've been doing that alot on adderall it's driving me up a wall

Wow, interesting topic as I have experienced similar strange things as well.

Are you taking Adderall or ritalin? Because I take Adderall XR time release and this sometimes happens when I am REALLY tired and haven't gotten more than like a few hours of sleep for a couple of nights.

As I am semi-unconscious, yet only seconds before i was awake, I start to hear really creepy noises and sometimes voices off in the distance. It's just kind of in the background as if your in some strange horror movie but you can't see anything.

But I can get myself to wake up from the madness. But since I'm really tired I'll fall back to sleep seconds after I close my eyes and it will start all over again. Usually I find it helps to get out of bed, turn on a light and splash some water on my face to wake up a little. I find this will usually help return you to a more awake state and after you fall asleep again it sometimes goes away.

I've woken up late at night for no apparent reason with an extremely dry mouth that seemed like it was swollen shut. I could barely open my eyes and my reaction time was EXREMELY SLOW. I actually remember telling myself to open my eyes and it wouldn't happen till seconds later! Slowly my reactions came back to normal though. Scary to say the least.

I'm pretty sure this happens because your medication is starting to wear off and your kind of in a in-between stage of your mind shifting back to normal. But this has not really happened to me since I stopped taking 2 XR's a day. Now I just take it early in the morning and deal with the fact that I won't be quite as sharp at night when it begins to wear off.

But overall I love my Adderall and cannot function properly in day to day life without it. I'll trade some of the minor side effects for being able to think clearly any day of the year.

Wow, interesting topic as I have experienced similar strange things as well.

Are you taking Adderall or ritalin? Because I take Adderall XR time release and this sometimes happens when I am REALLY tired and haven't gotten more than like a few hours of sleep for a couple of nights.

As I am semi-unconscious, yet only seconds before i was awake, I start to hear really creepy noises and sometimes voices off in the distance. It's just kind of in the background as if your in some strange horror movie but you can't see anything.

But I can get myself to wake up from the madness. But since I'm really tired I'll fall back to sleep seconds after I close my eyes and it will start all over again. Usually I find it helps to get out of bed, turn on a light and splash some water on my face to wake up a little. I find this will usually help return you to a more awake state and after you fall asleep again it sometimes goes away.

I've woken up late at night for no apparent reason with an extremely dry mouth that seemed like it was swollen shut. I could barely open my eyes and my reaction time was EXREMELY SLOW. I actually remember telling myself to open my eyes and it wouldn't happen till seconds later! Slowly my reactions came back to normal though. Scary to say the least.

I'm pretty sure this happens because your medication is starting to wear off and your kind of in a in-between stage of your mind shifting back to normal. But this has not really happened to me since I stopped taking 2 XR's a day. Now I just take it early in the morning and deal with the fact that I won't be quite as sharp at night when it begins to wear off.

But overall I love my Adderall and cannot function properly in day to day life without it. I'll trade some of the minor side effects for being able to think clearly any day of the year.

I switched from generic to the adderall time relase the time release less flighiness more even no high and no lows, where the generic it works one day great next day i'm wired next slow as a snall but it did wear off the xr is not wearing off.

Same here. Always having brain chatter before falling asleep. Always.
If I ever get ahold of whomever has that 'remote' to surfing my mind... lol !

Okay, it's happening again. It's getting worse. Seems to happen more when I'm very tired and STRESSED.

The other night I was drifting off thinking about what I thought was a job possibility. Out of nowhere, I heard "miscalculation." I was like WHAT?! :eek: Another time I was thinking of the job I have and wishing it were simpler. Out of nowhere, "You think that's a job you've got?!"

I know this sounds like "the critic" but it doesn't feel like the critic.

BTW, I'm not on ANY medication and haven't been for some time due to insurance woes.

I'm feeling more and more like I really AM losing my mind. :(

I dont hear anything, I HAVE to fall asleep with the TV on, or my brain never shuts up long enough to let me sleep. It's usually never louder then a murmur, but enoguh to keep the vioces or thoughts at bay.

wow... the way you guys describe it as eerie sounds from the distance, or a horror movie... it's SCARING ME!!!! I don't think I've ever experienced that before, alhtough I defiantley do have racing thoughts before falling asleep (sometimes for hours) and if I'm not tired enough, or stressed out, or my imagination's on overload, then I can twist just about anything into "somthing scary" and then not be able to fall asleep just at the thought of it.

I know that's defiantely different though than the brain chatter you guys are describing. But then again... I talk to myself all the time, and a lot of times it's in my head, so maybe thats' related, adn I just don't see it as that weird before bedtime since I do it all the time?? To me, talking to myself is just another form of thinking, so it doens't relaly seem the same as "random voices from nowhere". What I mean is, I always know that I'm the one saying/thinking them.

I'm defiantely going to pay more attention to my thoughts as I'm falling asleep over the next couple weeks to see if I experience this... it's fascinating.

I have what I call brain chatter, but it is more like racing thoughts. I read to fall asleep. It helps to quiet my mind.
Occasionally though I get a single word or phrase spoken by someone else. Sometimes it is my name, said in another voice. I think it is like catching someone else's thoughts... It does usually happen when I am very tired. I hadn't noticed that until you said it.

No, I usually go RIGHT to sleep, probably because I read alot and exercise pretty frequently. SOMETIMES I have racing thoughts before I get to sleep but my dreams have been pretty weired. Almost every night, I dream about being a nurse... I guess that's because I'm study nursing and I hear the whole night when I'm sleeping is THESE terms in my head(i guess what I study).LOL I dream alot about the "olden days" when the nurses wore those white dresses, etc, and it was "me" in the dream though. I I CAN ACTUALLY hear myself talking in my dream, and seeing needles, its SO wierd.:D

I've experienced the problem of racing thoughts or brain chatter for as long as I can remember, it would cause me to become particularly distressed at times as a child when trying to get to sleep (knowing I had to get up for school in the morning). Eventually I sort of developed a technique (not really even a technique by my thinking at the time, it was just some way to get to sleep without having to wait for my whole body to just shut down from exhaustion) which involved not thinking about any of the images or sounds which flowed through my mind, and also resisting the temptation to direct the thoughts, images or sounds, instead just letting the thoughts just "flow" almost as though they had a life of their own and I was just watching them - sleep would come soon after, and still does, it's just about the only way I'm able to get to sleep when I want to go to sleep (rather than 4 hours later from pure exhaustion). I've since learned that this "technique" is almost identical to the meditation practice of za zen (as I understand it). Those interested can find explanations for za zen (or zazen) meditation techniques with a google search quite easily (can't remember if I have enough posts racked up for a link yet) as doing this (the allowing thoughts to "flow") to help me get to sleep helps me immensely.

-CrashDr

Crash that sounds like a good idea, i'm gooing to look into it for sure!! I've had problems falling asleep in a reasonable amount of time ever since i was a kid too. (sometiems it does last for like 4 hours!!!!) I remember telling my mom when i was little that I enver could fall asleep and was up for "hours" - I dont' know how long it really was, but she never believed me that it was as long as I thought it was.

I mean, I guess i can't proove it, but based on what I know now I think I probably was awake as long as I told her I was. I remember thinking it was absolutely ridiculous to take so long to fall asleep, even then!
Thnks for the ideas!!

i too have the chatter going on in my head.
it's like i'm reviewing concepts & events at the end of my day before i fall asleep.

some say that our synapses fire much more so than others. some proof is the so called inattentiveness but really just us being stimulated by other input. linear learners don't have that, but nonlinear learners do b/c they are extrapilating info from things going on around us.

i bet what we experience, the chatter, is us processing and mulling over all that data. most times when i wake the solution to my problems is in my head right when i wake. wierd. does this happen to anyone else?

victor

yes. i do this too.

I've experienced the problem of racing thoughts or brain chatter for as long as I can remember, it would cause me to become particularly distressed at times as a child when trying to get to sleep (knowing I had to get up for school in the morning). Eventually I sort of developed a technique (not really even a technique by my thinking at the time, it was just some way to get to sleep without having to wait for my whole body to just shut down from exhaustion) which involved not thinking about any of the images or sounds which flowed through my mind, and also resisting the temptation to direct the thoughts, images or sounds, instead just letting the thoughts just "flow" almost as though they had a life of their own and I was just watching them - sleep would come soon after, and still does, it's just about the only way I'm able to get to sleep when I want to go to sleep (rather than 4 hours later from pure exhaustion). I've since learned that this "technique" is almost identical to the meditation practice of za zen (as I understand it). Those interested can find explanations for za zen (or zazen) meditation techniques with a google search quite easily (can't remember if I have enough posts racked up for a link yet) as doing this (the allowing thoughts to "flow") to help me get to sleep helps me immensely.

-CrashDr

I tried that last night it worked pretty good

i bet what we experience, the chatter, is us processing and mulling over all that data. most times when i wake the solution to my problems is in my head right when i wake. wierd. does this happen to anyone else?
This happens to me a lot. I would be trying to solve a problem at work and I would wake up in the middle of the night or morning with the answer. Really cool. :) It's like having a background process running on a computer. When the answer is found the results are presented.

As long as I would remember, I would have problems falling asleep. The thoughts would just consume me. At a young age I learned to think of something exciting to me. Like an up comming trip to an amusement park or the new bike I was going to get. This would do the trick. I am guessing the excitement would release chemicals in my brain that would act as a natural stimulant. I still do it.

Another method is to try and act like you want to stay awake. Act like you are falling asleep (heavy eye lids and drifting off). This works for me sometimes. I guess the concentration of trying to not fall asleep clears your mind of other thoughts.

You guys, it's not like racing thoughts like I'm reviewing the day's activities or things I need to do. No, this is actual conversation that I'm hearing. It's actual VOICES in my head like I can hear people talking. Sort of like I'm in one room and they're in another? Sometimes it sounds a bit like they're in a vacuum. It's really weird and difficult to describe this.


I don't want to freak Christiana out so I won't post the latest thing that was said directly to me. This one was scary.


There was another message that was spiritual in content so I won't post it here either. I got the message but I was still going :eek:

It's really weird. Again, not on meds. Of ANY kind.

Yikes.

Sometimes I listen intently, trying to grasp what's being said to see if there is some message in it for me. But when I do, the conversation usually slows to a stop. The brain does funny things.... like the harder you try to remember something, the further away from you it seems to drift. The minute you stop trying to remember, viola! There it is. Same thing applies here. It seems I have to be in that state between wakefulness and losing consciousness in order for the voices to start. And boy, when they do...

Yeah, maybe I should try leaving the radio on. But sleeping in silence gives me the most refreshing sleep.

You know, about 5 years ago, I remember dreams starting the instant I started drifting off to sleep. Now it's voices. :confused: What's next, voices while I'm awake???

Very interesting indeed, Overload. I'm curious now :)
Do you 'hear' the voices in your head, or hear them as though you hear them through your ears?
I know that my mind (or some part of it - like the inner child I s'pose ;)) seems to find all sorts of ways or excuses to keep me awake for as long as possible (it really reminds me of how my daughter tries different manipulations to avoid going to sleep :)), it seems anything to get that little bit of extra stimulation rather than surrender to sleep! ...and my mind can be really sneaky too!

As for 'hearing' conversations within one's own head, I've experienced this before also, although not necessarily just when trying to get to sleep. It used to really freak me out sometimes, it's as though the conversations sort of belonged to someone else (ie. it didn't necessarily feel like the words were always really mine per se) but I found that I could direct either party (there were only ever two) of the conversation quite readily at any time if I wished, so I was reassured that it was indeed "all in my head" and not some spooky thing happening to me and eventually got used to it and even amused by it at times :)

I came up with a theory as to why it happened to me; as part of a professional development seminar at work one day (to do with brain hemisphere dominance) the person leading the seminar did a test on me and came to a conclusion I'd kind of suspected already, that I was unilaterally brain dominant, meaning that my two hemispheres were equally active (hence my 'strange' interests and career choices spanning both the logical and creative) but didn't talk to each other so well. She then proceeded to tell me how this 'setup' would affect a person, and rattled off all my symptoms of ADHD (without any knowledge whatsoever that I had the condition, and I was medicated also so I'd imagine it's unlikely it would have really 'stuck out' either) - anyway, I digress, my theory was that due to this bilateral-ness I theorised that I may infact have two communications centres in my brain (statistically in most cases located in the left hemisphere only) as I could read and write forwards, backwards and upside down with both hands (non hook-handed) - so perhaps these conversations were my two communications centres having a chat :)
I'd be interested to check out a PET scan of my head while this is happening :D

Food for thought anyways :)

-CrashDr

You guys, it's not like racing thoughts like I'm reviewing the day's activities or things I need to do. No, this is actual conversation that I'm hearing. It's actual VOICES in my head like I can hear people talking. Sort of like I'm in one room and they're in another? Sometimes it sounds a bit like they're in a vacuum. It's really weird and difficult to describe this.


I don't want to freak Christiana out so I won't post the latest thing that was said directly to me. This one was scary.
When I was having anxiety/PTSD symptoms, I didn't hear voices per se, but I did have a heighten sense of hearing. I heard something that resembled noise from an event in a large hall. Not individual conversations though.

From what you described, I am conserned about you. Do these voices tell you to do things and do you do those things? Are these things harmful to you or others? Do these voices seem to be conspiring against you?

Please seek a medical opinion. Don't look for answers on the forums. This is something way more advanced than what people hear can answer.

As for 'hearing' conversations within one's own head, I've experienced this before also, although not necessarily just when trying to get to sleep. It used to really freak me out sometimes, it's as though the conversations sort of belonged to someone else (ie. it didn't necessarily feel like the words were always really mine per se) but I found that I could direct either party (there were only ever two) of the conversation quite readily at any time if I wished, so I was reassured that it was indeed "all in my head" and not some spooky thing happening to me and eventually got used to it and even amused by it at times :)



I wish I could say that it amused me in some way but that hasn't happened yet. I can only aspire to the heights you have reached. lol

From what you described, I am conserned about you. Do these voices tell you to do things and do you do those things? Are these things harmful to you or others? Do these voices seem to be conspiring against you?

Please seek a medical opinion. Don't look for answers on the forums. This is something way more advanced than what people hear can answer.

Don't worry, timh. I don't think it's that bad, well kinda, but mostly a nuisance at this point. But to be honest, I wonder if there will be a progression at some point. In the deep recesses of my mind I wonder, are there mental hospitals in my future? As I stated previously, I used to go into instant dreams and images. Now it's voices. People are just chatting up a storm sometimes. Other times it's one or two people. Sometimes a person is speaking directly to me. Sometimes they're talking about me. Weird. Is this but one brick on the road to the state hospital?

No, they don't tell me to do things. lol They are just talking. It is difficult to say whether they sound like they are inside my head or outside. I've been awakened by noises that sound like violently slamming doors or something crashing to the floor. But after lying there for a moment, I could tell that the noise was internal. Sometimes I've been JOLTED awake by what sounded like a gunshot. My head flies up off the pillow in horror! I did ask a doctor about the gunshot sound once and he shrugged it off saying it was common. I was like HUH? But he also gave me misinformation on another issue so he's no longer my doctor.

No, they don't tell me to do things. lol They are just talking. It is difficult to say whether they sound like they are inside my head or outside. I've been awakened by noises that sound like violently slamming doors or something crashing to the floor. But after lying there for a moment, I could tell that the noise was internal. Sometimes I've been JOLTED awake by what sounded like a gunshot. My head flies up off the pillow in horror! I did ask a doctor about the gunshot sound once and he shrugged it off saying it was common. I was like HUH? But he also gave me misinformation on another issue so he's no longer my doctor. If you are talking about hearing these voices ONLY when you are semi-concious or asleep then I would say this isn't out of the norm.
The brain is a very strange place and the good, bad, and ugly comes out when you enter sleep.

You speak of being "jolted" awake. Well I've had many dreams where things would just be going along fine and then all of the sudden something really horrifying would happen making me panic and wake up. Like for example falling off a cliff or a bike or something.

I'm not sure if i've experienced exactly what your talking about with the voices. But when I'm semi-concious sometimes I hear lots of noises bouncing around in my head ranging from voices to wind to clicking sounds. I think this is just because your brain is in the middle of shutting down and your mind is still racing. This is the human brain we are talking about here, lots of scary stuff going on every minute that we are unaware of. :D

Now if you heard this voices when you are completely awake, you would likely have schitzofrenia which is caused by too many neuron receptors in the brain. Interestingly enough these receptors produce dopamine and I've read that schitzofrenics have too much dopamine and with ADD you don't get enough.

I have what I call brain chatter, but it is more like racing thoughts. I read to fall asleep. It helps to quiet my mind.
Occasionally though I get a single word or phrase spoken by someone else. Sometimes it is my name, said in another voice. I think it is like catching someone else's thoughts... It does usually happen when I am very tired. I hadn't noticed that until you said it.

That is what I would say happens to me. When I am very stressed out I think about things I want to say to people in a letter. Or how I am going to organise the closets. I also get sometimes it can keep me up for an hour or so. I listen to this local radio station that plays contempory music with christian music. It is soothing and comforting if I am sad and having hardtime falling alseep.

I also try to read to help my body settle down for the night. It may also put some new thought in my head that help get rid of some of the unnecessary clutter. What kinds of thing do you do before bed? What are you eating? Eating affects how we sleep too. If you have eaten to late your body is still digesting your food and is not ready for sleep. It is good to have eaten a light snack an hour before bed like youghut or an apple and peanut butter. It helps you sleep.

You speak of being "jolted" awake. Well I've had many dreams where things would just be going along fine and then all of the sudden something really horrifying would happen making me panic and wake up. Like for example falling off a cliff or a bike or something.

But these are not dreams. There is no imagery attached to these noises, only noise. Crashing, slamming sounds with no imagery. It's like the brain's shutting down like you said and it takes all of this violent commotion in order to do so. But its shutting down sometimes keeps me UP. =)

This is the human brain we are talking about here, lots of scary stuff going on every minute that we are unaware of. :D

I couldn't agree with you more!


BTW, this time I WAS told to do something. This time, it was an 'instant dream'.

"Take some days off," the car mechanic said. I've been under a lot of stress lately and have been thinking of taking some time off from work. So this message is dead on!


After listening to you all and doing more research, I'm going to write this off as hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucination. However, mine tend to be more applicable to my life, rather than random imagery and content.

Thanks you guys, I feel better already!

:cool:

But these are not dreams. There is no imagery attached to these noises, only noise. Crashing, slamming sounds with no imagery. It's like the brain's shutting down like you said and it takes all of this violent commotion in order to do so. But its shutting down sometimes keeps me UP. =)

:cool: Yes, I think I have experienced this before. If you look at my post way near the beginning of this thread, I described the "darkness" and feeling like I was trapped in a horror movie. You didn't respond to that one, or you didn't agree with what I was saying.

When I heard all these sounds, I wasn't dreaming. It was just black, darkness with a bunch of sounds swirling around in my head. All the different sounds made it seem like an enviroment that I couldn't see, but was real creepy. I could strain myself to snap out of it, but it would usually happen again if I went right back to sleep. It makes allot more sense though when I add in sleep deprivation and how the ADD mind has so much brain activity going on at all times.

But this has not happened to me in quite awhile now. I believe it is because I have made sure to get much more sleep. I remember being exhausted those nights and yes I have been "jolted" awake where my head would literally smack against by bed and I would suddenly be wide awake. And before I know it I'm sleeping 10 minutes later.

Another thing, have you ever had this really frighting dream where someone is about to kill you or something and you suddenly wake up right before it happens and the image is still there in front of you and slowly fades away?? I've had that happen on more than one occassion, it's both cool and scary at the same time. Amazing how the mind can fool you into thinking your dream land is real. Makes me wonder if life itself is real sometimes lol.

Hearing ppl talking, in your head. That would be enough to send me to the looney bin. I am not trying to poke fun, it is more like I am speechless and my tongue hanging out to one side, and drooling is the only response I could come up with. Either way overload it must be terrifying. And I think I would seek out a professional opinion.

As far random thoughts screaming through my head at night, I do that, and on occassion resolve some of the issues, but by the time I wake up, I have lost them all! ( I suffer from severe CRS)

Crazymama; CRS? is that like CRAFT? ;)

Ya, ya, thats it Crash-Dr. ;)

ADDifficult Life,

*smacks forehead* Pardon me, it's an ADD thing you know. lol I just cruised right past you. I think I did so because you mentioned that you were taking Adderall and I attributed your experience to the medication. Now that's what's kind of spooky in a way. I used to take Adderall and I heard the conversations but MUCH louder and they tended to argue more. It often felt I'd happened upon a posh dinner party where they'd just run out of caviar. The voices strained to contain their anger, lest they make a spectacle of themselves. In my head I'd go "Would you all SHUT the heck up so I can get some sleep around here?!!!" :mad:

But I've been hearing these people yammering like they're on a talk show or something and I've not taken Adderall in about 2 or 3 years.

Yes, the noise is much like you describe. There's darkness, no images, just sound sometimes. Crash! BANG!! and your head flies up off the pillow because you swear someone's breaking in your house or something in the room fell to the floor.

It's really weird stuff, this ADD. Well, the brain is a peculiar glob of meat. LOL And one about which we know so dreadfully little.

Another thing, have you ever had this really frighting dream where someone is about to kill you or something and you suddenly wake up right before it happens and the image is still there in front of you and slowly fades away?? I've had that happen on more than one occassion, it's both cool and scary at the same time. Amazing how the mind can fool you into thinking your dream land is real. Makes me wonder if life itself is real sometimes lol.


No, ADDifficultLife, I've not had this happen. Well, not exactly. I had night terrors while taking Prozac though. That's kind of what this sounds like to me. That's one of the reasons I stopped taking it. NT's are frighteningly real.

Crazymama, I'm lol @ you. I know it sounds crazy though. But I have to just chalk it up to a busy, noisy brain that doesn't know when to quit. It's like having an Energizer Bunny up there sometimes. Too bad I can't get it to perform when I really need it to. (inattentive type)

Thanks Tim.
I liked this. I too think it would be prudent to seek help from a professional.
Cheers! Ian.


From what you described, I am conserned about you. Do these voices tell you to do things and do you do those things? Are these things harmful to you or others? Do these voices seem to be conspiring against you?

Please seek a medical opinion. Don't look for answers on the forums. This is something way more advanced than what people hear can answer.

Thanks Tim.
I liked this. I too think it would be prudent to seek help from a professional.
Cheers! Ian.


Okay, I'm ROTFL over here! All right, you guys are making much more out of this than it actually is. Please rest assured that I am by no means seeking advice here on the forum as I am aware of the inherent perils of doing so. My question was simply whether or not anyone had experienced this, that's all.

I also understand that many people didn't know I was referring to brain chatter in a literal sense.




Returning to living la vida loco... :p

I'll return now back under the overly cautious, bent on covering his butt, shame faced dip, lacking a sense of humour, rock, where I came from.

I remain mystified as to where the line is when sleep becomes essential.
:foot:
Ian

Do you feel they are thinking you are in need of the nice little jacket that ties up in the back LOL :soapbox: .... Poor overload :rolleyes:

Sounds like something i experienced in my childhood. I describe it, as people talking on the other side of a thin wall, i can hear them talk , but not what they say. Sometimes there was a lot of people, almost felt like a party with all the chatters , that some people were closer then others to the wall.

Ian and ADD i dont think he hear voices like you think, it's not a mental problem. I beleive it's more extra sensorial thingy :eek: :p

My 2 Canadian cents...




Don't worry, timh. I don't think it's that bad, well kinda, but mostly a nuisance at this point. But to be honest, I wonder if there will be a progression at some point. In the deep recesses of my mind I wonder, are there mental hospitals in my future? As I stated previously, I used to go into instant dreams and images. Now it's voices. People are just chatting up a storm sometimes. Other times it's one or two people. Sometimes a person is speaking directly to me. Sometimes they're talking about me. Weird. Is this but one brick on the road to the state hospital?

No, they don't tell me to do things. lol They are just talking. It is difficult to say whether they sound like they are inside my head or outside. I've been awakened by noises that sound like violently slamming doors or something crashing to the floor. But after lying there for a moment, I could tell that the noise was internal. Sometimes I've been JOLTED awake by what sounded like a gunshot. My head flies up off the pillow in horror! I did ask a doctor about the gunshot sound once and he shrugged it off saying it was common. I was like HUH? But he also gave me misinformation on another issue so he's no longer my doctor.

I have mind chatter at night too, I learned to take deep breaths in and out and count them... kind of like sheep and soon I'm asleep. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and my creative mind is coming up with all kinds of fun stuff, too bad I need the sleep. ;)

Do you feel they are thinking you are in need of the nice little jacket that ties up in the back LOL :soapbox: .... Poor overload :rolleyes:


Yeah, the one where you just love yourself soooo much, that you can't help giving yourself a nice lonnng hug. :p

It's okay Ian and timh.

No, I'm not ready for the jacket just yet.....but I'm gainin' on it! lol This morning the voice told me that I was going to need to visit the tire shop :confused: and I'm embarrassed to admit that it kept me fairly close to home. Tomorrow I'm getting my tires checked.


Livin' La Vida Loca!!! :cool:

Please tell me I'm not the only one who experiences this. As I'm drifting off to sleep, in an altered state of consciousness, I often hear chatter in my head. It's usually random words, thoughts and phrases. They seem to waft through the backdrop of my consciousness and every now and again a particular word or phrase causes my eyes to fly open in shock/wonder. Sometimes it's a man's voice, sometimes a woman, but they are not usually voices I recognize.

The other night it happened and I have not been able to banish these words from my head. I am often left wondering if this is my intuition speaking to me as I am very intuitive.

I notice that this seems to happen more when I'm over tired.

Does anyone else experience this?Perhaps you ought to think about seeing a specialist on this.
Hearing voices is a schizophrenia diagnostic.

I've never experienced what you describe. I always have the TV when I go to bed or I can't fall asleep. I used to read. I have to give myself one thing to focus on when I am trying to fall asleep or the racing thoughts would keep me awake for hours. I only get racing thoughts...basically that bouncing from one thought to another for no reason.

I'm not really sure about the "voices", especially ones you don't recognize. I think you should really talk to a therapist or doctor about this since it seems to be very bothersome for you.

Okay, it's happening again. It's getting worse. Seems to happen more when I'm very tired and STRESSED.

The other night I was drifting off thinking about what I thought was a job possibility. Out of nowhere, I heard "miscalculation." I was like WHAT?! :eek: Another time I was thinking of the job I have and wishing it were simpler. Out of nowhere, "You think that's a job you've got?!"

I know this sounds like "the critic" but it doesn't feel like the critic.

BTW, I'm not on ANY medication and haven't been for some time due to insurance woes.

I'm feeling more and more like I really AM losing my mind. :(
I haven't read all the posts so forgive me if I am repeated what has already been said.

I think everyone does this but most people can block this 'stream of consciousness' out of their conscious mind into their subconscious. They are like you said random thoughts.

Another thought is for you to do a search on OCD 'pure obsessions'- that is the obsessive part of OCD without the compulsions. I don't have OCD and my unprofessional opinion (so take it for what its worth) is that you don't either but the techniques they use may help you with this problem.

The web site I visited recommended that these are just random thoughts that come out of nowhere but the problem begins when you try to *grab ahold of* (obsess) them and give them more meaning than they deserve. The technique is to allow yourself to take it in but then just let it fly right by again. Practise telling yourself that you can let it go and not give more meaning to it than just a random thought.

I know some ADDers can have OC tendencies. I know I do. I like to grab a hold of things and hang on for dear life! :) Or in other words- hyperfocus. This hyperfocusing has been helpful in some cases and very harmful in others. I can really hang on to negative thoughts if I allow myself. The technique I mentioned above really helped me to let the negative thoughts go so I did not dwell on them.

I hope this might be of some help to you. Good luck and please don't feel crazy because you are not at all. I think its more you are just becoming aware of how your brain is working, which is not right or wrong- it just is! :) Brains are kind of amazing that way!

Very interesting indeed, Overload. I'm curious now :)
Do you 'hear' the voices in your head, or hear them as though you hear them through your ears?
I know that my mind (or some part of it - like the inner child I s'pose ;)) seems to find all sorts of ways or excuses to keep me awake for as long as possible (it really reminds me of how my daughter tries different manipulations to avoid going to sleep :)), it seems anything to get that little bit of extra stimulation rather than surrender to sleep! ...and my mind can be really sneaky too!

As for 'hearing' conversations within one's own head, I've experienced this before also, although not necessarily just when trying to get to sleep. It used to really freak me out sometimes, it's as though the conversations sort of belonged to someone else (ie. it didn't necessarily feel like the words were always really mine per se) but I found that I could direct either party (there were only ever two) of the conversation quite readily at any time if I wished, so I was reassured that it was indeed "all in my head" and not some spooky thing happening to me and eventually got used to it and even amused by it at times :)

I came up with a theory as to why it happened to me; as part of a professional development seminar at work one day (to do with brain hemisphere dominance) the person leading the seminar did a test on me and came to a conclusion I'd kind of suspected already, that I was unilaterally brain dominant, meaning that my two hemispheres were equally active (hence my 'strange' interests and career choices spanning both the logical and creative) but didn't talk to each other so well. She then proceeded to tell me how this 'setup' would affect a person, and rattled off all my symptoms of ADHD (without any knowledge whatsoever that I had the condition, and I was medicated also so I'd imagine it's unlikely it would have really 'stuck out' either) - anyway, I digress, my theory was that due to this bilateral-ness I theorised that I may infact have two communications centres in my brain (statistically in most cases located in the left hemisphere only) as I could read and write forwards, backwards and upside down with both hands (non hook-handed) - so perhaps these conversations were my two communications centres having a chat :)
I'd be interested to check out a PET scan of my head while this is happening :D

Food for thought anyways :)

-CrashDr
CrashDr. This is really fasinating! I am reading a book 'Mind Wide Open" written by Steven Johnson. The author writes about how understanding brain chemicals and circuitry allows us to understand our unique personality and possibly even reshape our mind. This has been an interesting topic for me.
Thanks for sharing your experience!

You'll have to forgive me for reading thru this thread late and impulsively replying to posts from the beginning.

I have now read all the way thru this thread and wanted to tell Overload that my therapist told me that with some ADDers the line between wakefulness and sleep is blurry. At least thats the jist of what I thought he was telling me. I wonder if you are in that inbetween stage of sleep and wakefulness for longer periods of time than most of us and so you are able to 'hear' your dreams before you see them?

You don't happen to have a trauma history, do you? I suffered from PTSD and that brought up some very odd reactions but it was 'normal' for someone with a trauma history. I am sure what I went thru would of sounded pretty crazy to someone who isn't familar with PTSD but it was not 'crazy' just the brains way of dealing with this particular type of stress. I am glad I sought help because I have worked thru that and have gained so much self knowledge.

I want to say too that its not just 'crazy people' who seek professional advise. I happen to think it is sometimes the other way around :) It is less crazy to go in for a professional opinion and it may give you some insight and peace of mind.

I have a lot of respect for the counseling profession. Our brains are complex and intriguing and for nothing else it is a chance to know more about yourself, which never hurt anyone! My counselor has reassured me many times when if I had not sought his advise I would still be fretting over it now!

I dont hear anything, I HAVE to fall asleep with the TV on, or my brain never shuts up long enough to let me sleep. It's usually never louder then a murmur, but enoguh to keep the vioces or thoughts at bay. (((((((((((((((((crazymama05)))))))))))))))) I go through the same thing too. I have to sleep in the living room because of this (hubby can't sleep with noise in the bedroom at all). Plus, if I'm in total silence, my tinitis ends up keeping me awake too, in addition to the brain chatter. This all has been going on since just before my youngest was born (a little over 3 years now).

Another thing that used to creep me out when I was a teen was, as I was falling asleep, I'd feel almost like I was laying still & in motion at the same time... kind of floaty, disconnected kind of feeling, in addition to the tinitis & the noise in my head. It was the creepiest feeling, like I was in sort of another dimension :confused:

insteristing topic; I sometimes have this mind chatters while I'm reading late at night in bed, and just befor quitting or falling asleep while reading my mind starts making all sorts of sounds bits and peices of sentences never inteligable. I alwasy figured it was just that mind noises.

This may not actually have anything to do with ADD. "Brain-chatter" before falling asleep is very common to hypnogogia - a big word that really just describes the period of time between being awake and asleep.

It's estimated that 6-10% of the populations experiences this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnogogia

CrashDr. This is really fasinating! I am reading a book 'Mind Wide Open" written by Steven Johnson. The author writes about how understanding brain chemicals and circuitry allows us to understand our unique personality and possibly even reshape our mind. This has been an interesting topic for me.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'll have to check out that book Fly Away, it sounds interesting!
Jazz

Another thought is for you to do a search on OCD 'pure obsessions'- that is the obsessive part of OCD without the compulsions. I don't have OCD and my unprofessional opinion
HI Fly Away,

I was really offended when my doctor told me I had obsessive thoughts, (I really didn't want any other labels pinned on me) and I told him "I don't have obsessive thoughts!" He said it's not obsessive like obsessive compulsive, it's obsessive thoughts like the thoughts that keep you up at night. That was acceptable to me. That said, I know that some ppl with ADD do have OCD traits, as others of us have anxiety or depression. I guess it's just different coping mechanisms - or lack thereof.

Jazz

Please tell me I'm not the only one who experiences this. As I'm drifting off to sleep, in an altered state of consciousness, I often hear chatter in my head. It's usually random words, thoughts and phrases. They seem to waft through the backdrop of my consciousness and every now and again a particular word or phrase causes my eyes to fly open in shock/wonder. Sometimes it's a man's voice, sometimes a woman, but they are not usually voices I recognize.

The other night it happened and I have not been able to banish these words from my head. I am often left wondering if this is my intuition speaking to me as I am very intuitive.

I notice that this seems to happen more when I'm over tired.

Does anyone else experience this?
I've never had this, I think it would really bother me though. Good that others had rational explanations for you. Have you run it by your doctor? Have you tried white noise, a fan, or a sound machine to block it out? I have trouble falling asleep because I think of everything. Sometimes I have to take lots of benedryl to fall asleep.
Jazz

I never thought of why I like to fall asleep with the radio on, Mostly I lisson to ball game, what ever is on. Now I thin I know why. LOL

That wikipedia is a good thing. I love it. Thanks for sharing the wealth.

Welcome to the board Torrid. Glad to see another Canuck join the ranks.
Cheers!

With me, it's songs. I usually have words to the last song I heard stuck in my head-until I hear another song. Drives me batty, especially when it's a stupid song-like, I had YMCA's "Macho, macho man" stuck in my head for the longest time! lol!

I also sometimes get this "sizzling" feeling in my brain, like my brain is being fried in a skillet. Don't know how else to describe it,but it's very irritating. I can take 5-HTP or Gaba and it stops it though, so I'm assuming it's some kind of hyper/mania starting up.

I also sometimes get this "sizzling" feeling in my brain, like my brain is being fried in a skillet. Don't know how else to describe it,but it's very irritating. I can take 5-HTP or Gaba and it stops it though, so I'm assuming it's some kind of hyper/mania starting up.
That's very, very interesting. I've been experiencing the same thing, thought I was the only one. What's more interesting is that it's seratonin related, as I expected. I was on an SSRI for depression, and it was whenever I missed a dose that I got that feeling. Recently, I've been taken off the SSRI, and I've been getting it daily. Very annoying.

You know, just thinking - sometimes I get the odd phrase stuck in my head for no apparent reason.
But I never HEAR it (via an 'internally audible' voice) - just think it ... goes round inexplicably.

For me, when I'm falling asleep... I do HEAR it, but not in the typical sense. I can still distinguish that it isn't coming from the physical world around me; at the same time, I don't feel as if I'm conciously thinking of it, either. So, it's not a "thought" in the traditional sense. It can be very pushy in that way, and that's the only bit I fnd frightening.

I have two friends for whom hypnogogia is such an issue that they physically and mentally exhaust themselves before going to bed every night. They hate having the feeling of not being in control of themselves. If they're tired enough, they fall asleep very quickly, bypassing (for the most part) the hypnogogic phase.

Torrid-have you tried 5-HTP at all? It's a natural Seretonin-pretty much just like taking Paxil or any other SSRI antidepressant. I used to take all that stuff, and I quit cold turkey (I know-BAD!) and taking 5-HTP was the only thing that got me throught the withdrawals-the emotional part wasn't bad at all, but it didn't help the physical withdrawals at all, and boy was it rough! It's scary,thinking what could be in those drugs that causes withdrawals like that. I've gotten to where I'm just terrified of prescripition meds these days! lol

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. Although, in my case it is like someone is calling my name from a far away place. I'm not on meds, but I have experienced this off and on for at least the last 3 or 4 years. I have lots of chatter and racing thoughts before I fall asleep, but this is definately different. For me it's like I am on the threshold of sleep and suddenly I hear a voice calling my name loudly and I startle awake. I have also heard loud noises, too. Well, it's good to know I'm not alone!:D

I hear ya-mine just started recently-I wasn't sure what it was...but taking Gaba or HTP makes it stop for me-have you tried that yet?

I've taken 5-HTP for other things, but don't take it regularly now. I think I'll look into it again.

Dang,

When I first read this thread, I said ain't me. Then last night I heard the voices calling. Now that I think about it happens every night in that twilight zone before sleep. Just never bothered me. I suspect it is the Ritalin wearing off. Now that I know it I'm scared to go to bed. Look what you done to me :)

Dang,

When I first read this thread, I said ain't me. Then last night I heard the voices calling. Now that I think about it happens every night in that twilight zone before sleep. Just never bothered me. I suspect it is the Ritalin wearing off. Now that I know it I'm scared to go to bed. Look what you done to me :)
So many people here have said this happens in the 'twilight zone' between sleep and wakefullness. I have read that some types of ADD appear to have a fuzzy line between sleep and wakefulness- that some of the brain chatter is from a 'stream of consciousness' similar to what people do in their dreams. Some of the brain fog or inattentiveness is when the brain waves for sleep are produced during waking hours or maybe in the situations people wrote about here right before you fall asleep. Maybe everyone does this but your more aware because you haven't completely fallen asleep yet.

I don't know if thisis related but I have very vivid dreams that I usually can recall very well once I wake up. My h on the other hand says he rarely remembers dreams. I wonder if there is some connection here also with ADD and sleep brain waves. Maybe during my dreams I am not as fully asleep as other people may be? Who knows but its an interesting thought?

With me, it's songs.!


I have some times experienced this with a paticular song like YMCA but not too often. I often start out with a song but then my brain will "twist it" rearrange it and combine it with other sounds until it is a song all it's own. This happens more when I am trying to fall asleep, but it can happen during the day whenI am fully wake. It does happen more when I am under presure I always thought it was like a pressure release valvue.

I can also have voices intermingle with the music. Thoughts left over from the day ect.... Often I get good ideas about a preplexing problems during this time.

The time or stage between sleep and wake was like the consciense releasing "control" to my subconsciense. It rarly frightens me but it has on rare occasions.

The radio and TV do NOT help they only add to the stumli..... this situation become worse if I ALLOW my medications to completely wear off before I go to sleep. After my Adderall is gone I will not be able to sleep because of all the racing thoughts. The Adderall helps keep the racing down to a tolerable level. Also I prefer white noise like a fan or motorized soung. Adds to music part decreaes the word part!!!

It has been this way all my life. Did I mention I talk to myself during the day. I do try not to do it in front of other people as they find it distracting!!!!!

I also sometimes get this "sizzling" feeling in my brain, like my brain is being fried in a skillet

I have heard a sizzling sound but it doesn't have a real feeling to it. I have found it to be a mis-intrepretation of actual sound!!!!

Mead-have you ever tried those sound machines to sleep? We got one and I find it very useful, but at the same time, it doesn't last but 15 minutes, and then you have to reset it. It takes me a lot longer than that to fall asleep! lol

I never thought of why I like to fall asleep with the radio on, Mostly I lisson to ball game, what ever is on. Now I thin I know why. LOL
LOL, a little afraid of what ya might hear Dave?!

Torrid-have you tried 5-HTP at all? It's a natural Seretonin-pretty much just like taking Paxil or any other SSRI antidepressant. I used to take all that stuff, and I quit cold turkey (I know-BAD!) and taking 5-HTP was the only thing that got me throught the withdrawals-the emotional part wasn't bad at all, but it didn't help the physical withdrawals at all, and boy was it rough! It's scary,thinking what could be in those drugs that causes withdrawals like that. I've gotten to where I'm just terrified of prescripition meds these days! lol
I agree, 5 HTP is the greatest stuff, really knocks out anxiety and mild depression. Did you find a particular brand worked better for you? The only brand that worked for me was Natrol.

Jazz

I have a fan on during the summer months, I also have a fish tank in my room that makes noise, and often times I listen to classical music. Sometimes it is hard to sleep with the noise of the tank or music, but generally it helps to sort of block out all the mindless blabber or racing thoughts in my head. The radio with talking I cant sleep with, it keeps me awake. Try the fan, it is the best I find.

Dang,

When I first read this thread, I said ain't me. Then last night I heard the voices calling. Now that I think about it happens every night in that twilight zone before sleep. Just never bothered me. I suspect it is the Ritalin wearing off. Now that I know it I'm scared to go to bed. Look what you done to me :)
LOL, funny that you said this, after I read this thread, I was afraid to go to bed. Didn't have it happen tho', thank goodness! Now, knock on wood!
Jazz

Mead-have you ever tried those sound machines to sleep? We got one and I find it very useful, but at the same time, it doesn't last but 15 minutes, and then you have to reset it. It takes me a lot longer than that to fall asleep! lol\
Ours runs 24/7, never has to be reset. Don't know offhand what brand it is, but the summer sound is awesome

Jazz

I have a fan on during the summer months, I also have a fish tank in my room that makes noise, and often times I listen to classical music. Sometimes it is hard to sleep with the noise of the tank or music, but generally it helps to sort of block out all the mindless blabber or racing thoughts in my head. The radio with talking I cant sleep with, it keeps me awake. Try the fan, it is the best I find.
Ooooo, a fish tank! Now, that would be great!!! My toddler has a fisher price lights and sounds aquarium, I even love that!

Jazz

We got one and I find it very useful, but at the same time, it doesn't last but 15 minutes, and then you have to reset it.

Knowing this machine had a 15 minute time limit I would be awake waiting for the time to run out. I would have to have the continuious one!!!!

P.S. The saying you have with you signature "the mind is a world unto itself.... is located in Dale Carnegie's book "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" It was one of the first books I read after my ADHD diagnosed. I remember it so well because I hand made a sign with this same exact saying on it to remind me that perspective determined my attitude more than any thing else!!!

Tammy, I use to get realy tired of all the crap the world would heep on my and sometimes I find myself along sitting along side the C&O canal and I would start writing, and to me thses writing were very lirical or poetic, but never have I shown anyone. This was all befor ADHD and I was a setfast lonener. I would get the same scence as you in getting answeres to strang problems. But by the time I relized what I was into I was lost. LOL

Hi folks ! Newbie to your group.
I've been looking for this sort of thing for the last few months. Great forum !

I get this chatter all the time, I think it's what doesn't allow us to stay focused on any one thing. For me it's especilly bad if I'm upset or excited about something and can't stop thinking about it. The imaginary conversations just have a life of their own. The mind just never wants to shut off... unlike the body.

As I read some of the posts in this forum I can't believe that there are so many symptoms or traits of this disorder that I also have. As you might guess I'm an adult who has not been treated as yet, still trying to find what works and what doesn't. It's a fascinating place to be right now.
Jim