Sleep is one of those elusive things that people go to any lengths to get.
Some take meds, some have a nightcap, and others ... well others get down with their imaginations.
Reddit user EDBTZ asked:
"What fake scenario do you imagine while falling asleep?"
I'll admit, the scenarios that play out in my head when I let my imagination wander are often "interesting" - but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one!
Check out these sleepyheady Imagineers.
Bed Buns
wrong turn cabin GIF by 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentGiphy"I picture myself in the middle of the forest and it’s blizzarding."
"There are obviously dangerous creatures all around."
"But I’m in my weather-and-monster-proof cabin all wrapped up like a cinnamon bun in my king size bed."
- snarfymcsnarfface
"Gotta have the monsters to emphasize the safety in the imaginary stronghold. They're much easier to keep out than the stressful thoughts."
- gurnard
"This just sounds like what it’s like living here in rural Canada lol"
- Malbredy
Imaginary Tortoise
"I like to think about an imaginary tortoise walking around in a desert eating little flowers and cactus."
"I dont know why, but imagining that little guy always puts my mind at ease. When I am at the dentist getting a cavity drilled or a tooth extracted, I try to dissociate by imagining that tortoise."
"For whatever reason, its become a coping mechanism for me."
- Ecto_Cooler_Juicebox
"This is lovely. I hope the tortoise has a name."
- gionnelles
"Wait this is so cute"
- burnham
In The Igloo
"Have done this semi-regularly (weekly) for at least 15 yrs."
"I'm in a tiny igloo with my head facing the entrance. There is a small fire in the entrance with wolves growling at me on the other side of the entrance."
"Strangely it's extremely comforting because I know nothing can get to me."
"I'm usually asleep within 10 seconds of my head touching the pillow."
- F33dR
"I used to do this one a lot as a kid!"
"I would even place my head under a long pillow imagining that was the igloo entrance."
- favaritx
"How odd. When I was a kid I would have recurring dreams about sleeping in an igloo."
- jdrink22
In Recovery
Black And White Hospital GIF by National WWI Museum and MemorialGiphy"This is so stupid, but here we go. I've disabled and have chronic pain problems, so I always go to bed with some kind of bad ache or cramp to keep me awake."
"At some point, I got into the habit of daydreaming that I was injured and am recovering."
"Sometimes I'm a soldier, or on an alien ship, sometimes I'm an SCP, or a Marvel villain turned good."
"Sometimes its angsty, sometimes more sweet."
"Whatever the background, it's always that I have many people around to care for me, I'm finally safe from whatever situation harmed me, and I can relax and sleep away the pain."
"My therapist surprisingly encouraged it as a coping mechanism when I told her about it. It works wonders."
- berripluscream
Escape
"This is very weird, but it used to be a lot of fun lol."
"When I was a kid, I had this big window near my bed. So, before getting into bed, I’d imagine that there was a spooooky witch gliding towards my window and I’d have to jump underneath the blankets in time, before she saw me."
"I’d cover myself up real quick and fall asleep."
- SteinDickens
"I did something similar as a kid."
"Only instead of a witch, I imagined a burglar creeping through my house ready to kill anyone who was awake."
"I'd practice looking like I was asleep so I'd fool him. (Mouth slightly open, jaw relaxed, deep but not too deep breaths, eyes gently closed, not squeezed shut) "
"Worked every time. Never got murdered and always fell asleep."
- AfterTowns
Architects
"I build a house."
"I go through many different types of homes: Mini homes, big mansions, modest style homes, or even bus homes. But I build it in my mind as I walk through it."
"It’s a good imagination tool that doesn’t keep your brain too active but still has you in a 'dream' like scenario."
- MostCoolUncoolDude
"I do this too! Never realized someone else would do the same :)"
- Missbeerbitch
"There they are. My fellow bedtime architects/landscapers/interior designers."
- yeetanddefeat
"I'm glad to be a part of this club!"
"I'm always building an off-grid cabin in the woods."
"I enjoy the idea of thinking how to build it and what the layout would be like. Then the extra fun is trying to rig solar, deal with water, sort out heating and cooling, and then throwing in a toilet."
- FrenchmanRiddles
Witnessing Wonders
"I’d like to think I’m floating in the middle of the ocean."
"The water is so still with no other sound than that of my own breath. Looking up, not a single cloud in sight only a beautiful blue sky kissed by the sun."
"I close my eyes, take a deep breath and submerge myself."
"I open my eyes, staring into the dark abyss. I’m sinking."
"The light from above fades. Darkness engulfs me but then…I see lights.. are they stars? They are."
"I’m floating through space. Passing by stars and cosmic events that have no true words to describe them when witnessed first hand."
"Anyways that’s how nights usually go."
- Aleister-Turgalium
This Screenplay
"Getting kidnapped and taken to Mexico to be sold - but before I am, I try to escape."
"One of the workers there, who was also kidnapped, catches me; but he helps me and ends up escaping with me. From then on, he and I are on the run from Mexican traffickers."
"We have to stay low for a week before we can fly out of there. During that time we have to stay in a small motel room to lay low. He takes me out to the woods to teach me to shoot guns and fight and sh*t just in case things go bad. We know they'll probably go bad."
"We have a few moments that make me wonder if I have feelings for him?"
"We’re eventually able to get to the airport, but the bad guys are there and he has to protect me. We are able to make a dramatic getaway, during which we admit that we've fallen in love."
"But then he is charged with helping the bad guys so he has to go to prison even though he was there against his will!"
"I wait a year for him, pining and counting down every moment until we eventually reunite and get married."
- sametimetmr
Natalie Imbruglia
music video 90s GIFGiphy"About 25 years ago I was a a teen with a crush on Natalie Imbruglia (she was getting famous with Torn videoclip)."
"My imaginary scenario before falling asleep at night was attending one of her live exhibitions and saving her from a terrorist."
"Her body guards were useless and the terrorist ran up the stage, but I was faster! I climbed on the stage and KO-ed the terrorist with a karate kick (and no, I didn't even do karate, but karate stuff and flippy-kicks vibed hard in the 90s! It grew in our DNA)."
"In the backstage, she thanked me and we started making out. Of course..."
- GRAAK85
How My Species Is
"It’s kind of out there but here it goes:"
"I imagine a group of authority figures (usually scientists or doctors) 'discovering' me. I’m the last of my species."
"They have no ill intentions towards me, and in fact want to care for me. They force me to relax and rest, sometimes against my will. They bring me food and entertainment but most spend time just cuddling me and making me feel safe."
"They study what I like and don’t like, and praise me over the littlest things. I’m allowed to be as weird as I want and it’s ok cause that’s just how my species is."
"I am an autistic who went through a very rough childhood, so a fantasy where I’m being cared for and cooed over despite my differences doesn’t surprise me."
- Regretbeatingupakid
So now that you know what other people are thinking about, it's your turn to spill - especially if it's as delightfully odd as karate for Natalie Imbruglia.
Want to know more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.