The term hypnagogic, from hyno (dream) and agogos (induced), was introduced by Maury in 1848, to designate the illusions he himself experienced during drowsiness, before falling asleep. Thus, one might assume that the hypnogogic hallucinations they appear just before falling asleep (in stages 3 and 4 of deep non-REM sleep) and contain auditory, visual and tactile elements. They are frequent in children between the ages of 6 and 15 although in some they can extend into adulthood. The most common hallucinations are visual or auditory and generally referable to an experience lived the previous day. Very rarely the person remembers them when he wakes up. When we dream, we enter a state known as hypnagogic, a kind of transition between wakefulness and sleep. At this very moment, the body is paralyzed and only the muscles responsible for breathing, the movement of the eyes and heart and some areas of the brain work. In this state, some people may believe they are awake to the point where they are confident that their eyes are open and they can see and hear things going on around them. Despite this, if the person really wakes up and wishes to move, he or she may not do so, but would have to wait a few seconds or minutes. This process is totally normal and does not imply anything pathological, however, some people interpret this state as a paranormal experience or feel that they are under the influence of some entity that prevents them from speaking or moving. In reality, the experience is quite unpleasant for everyone, especially when the scientific explanations for the phenomenon are not known and thus the most diverse explanations are sought in the grip of a certain fear. Returning to hallucinations, in many cases the images are very real, to the point that if they are not absurd they could be confused with reality. Even if they impose themselves on the person's mind, in a few minutes or when the hallucination is over he realizes that he has lived an unreal experience. The duration of the hallucinatory process can range from a few seconds up to fifteen minutes, depending on the persistence of sleepiness. The content of the hallucinations is very stimulating, usually bright spots or brightly colored shapes appear that transform into complex figures or images such as human figures, faces, animals or landscapes of great beauty. Images can be static or moving. Unlike what happens during deep sleep, the person turns into a simple observer of the action, exactly as if he were in a movie theater, he does not feel directly involved in the events as happens in dreams. The emotional response to images is varied, there are people who feel great pleasure, while for others it is a terrible feeling. Hypnagogic hallucinations are characteristic of those who suffer from narcolepsy, even if they can be found in people without any type of diagnosed pathology, which is why some specialists have decided to call them; physiological hallucinations (some studies state that approximately 22% of people suffer from this type of hallucination at some point in their life).
The term hypnagogic, from hyno (dream) and agogos (induced), was introduced by Maury in 1848, to designate the illusions he himself experienced during drowsiness, before falling asleep. Thus, one might assume that the hypnogogic hallucinations they appear just before falling asleep (in stages 3 and 4 of deep non-REM sleep) and contain auditory, visual and tactile elements. They are frequent in children between the ages of 6 and 15 although in some they can extend into adulthood. The most common hallucinations are visual or auditory and generally referable to an experience lived the previous day. Very rarely the person remembers them when he wakes up. When we dream, we enter a state known as hypnagogic, a kind of transition between wakefulness and sleep. At this very moment, the body is paralyzed and only the muscles responsible for breathing, the movement of the eyes and heart and some areas of the brain work. In this state, some people may believe they are awake to the point where they are confident that their eyes are open and they can see and hear things going on around them. Despite this, if the person really wakes up and wishes to move, he or she may not do so, but would have to wait a few seconds or minutes. This process is totally normal and does not imply anything pathological, however, some people interpret this state as a paranormal experience or feel that they are under the influence of some entity that prevents them from speaking or moving. In reality, the experience is quite unpleasant for everyone, especially when the scientific explanations for the phenomenon are not known and thus the most diverse explanations are sought in the grip of a certain fear. Returning to hallucinations, in many cases the images are very real, to the point that if they are not absurd they could be confused with reality. Even if they impose themselves on the person's mind, in a few minutes or when the hallucination is over he realizes that he has lived an unreal experience. The duration of the hallucinatory process can range from a few seconds up to fifteen minutes, depending on the persistence of sleepiness. The content of the hallucinations is very stimulating, usually bright spots or brightly colored shapes appear that transform into complex figures or images such as human figures, faces, animals or landscapes of great beauty. Images can be static or moving. Unlike what happens during deep sleep, the person turns into a simple observer of the action, exactly as if he were in a movie theater, he does not feel directly involved in the events as happens in dreams. The emotional response to images is varied, there are people who feel great pleasure, while for others it is a terrible feeling. Hypnagogic hallucinations are characteristic of those who suffer from narcolepsy, even if they can be found in people without any type of diagnosed pathology, which is why some specialists have decided to call them; physiological hallucinations (some studies state that approximately 22% of people suffer from this type of hallucination at some point in their life). 
