Feeling like someone is touching you while you sleep can be an unsettling and frightening experience. However, there are a few potential explanations for this sensation that are relatively harmless. By understanding some of the common causes, you can hopefully find some relief and sleep more soundly.
Quick Answers
Here are some quick answers to common questions about feeling touched while sleeping:
- It could be caused by muscle twitches or partial waking during REM sleep
- Anxiety, stress, medications, or sleep disorders may contribute to the feeling
- Ruling out medical issues, bed partners, or environment causes is important
- Non-urgent solutions include relaxation techniques, adjusting sleep position or bedding
- If severe or persistent, discuss with a doctor to check for underlying conditions
What Causes the Feeling of Being Touched While Sleeping?
There are a few possible explanations for feeling like someone is touching you while you sleep:
Muscle Twitches
One of the most common reasons is involuntary muscle twitches or spasms during the night. As your muscles relax during sleep, they may spontaneously contract or twitch. These twitches may feel like someone is tapping or touching you.
Areas most prone to twitches are the legs, arms, and feet. However, twitches can occur in any muscle group including the face, abdomen, back, and hands. They tend to happen as you are falling asleep or during light sleep phases.
Partial Waking During REM Sleep
REM sleep is the stage when we tend to have vivid dreams. During REM, your body is essentially paralyzed except for your eyes and muscles needed for breathing. However, it’s possible to partially wake up and still be in a dreamlike state.
When this happens, you may perceive dream images and sensations as being real. Dreams often involve tactile sensations like touching. So if you partially wake up during REM sleep, you may feel like someone is touching you even though no one is there.
Stress and Anxiety
High stress and anxiety levels can also lead to perceptions of touch while sleeping. When under stress, you may enter rapid REM cycles earlier in the night. Frequent transitions in and out of REM sleep make you more prone to waking up partially and feeling dreamlike sensations.
Additionally, anxiety can heighten reactions to harmless sensations like muscle twitches. Feeling like you are being touched may also stem from a generalized feeling of hypervigilance.
Medication Effects
Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications list strange tactile sensations as potential side effects. Sleeping pills, antidepressants, and some cold medications are common culprits. These drugs and medications can alter sleep cycles and brain chemistry in ways that make you more likely to wake up feeling touched or other phantom sensations.
Underlying Sleep Disorders
In some cases, feeling touched while sleeping may result from an underlying sleep disorder. Conditions like restless leg syndrome and sleep paralysis could be contributing factors.
With restless leg syndrome, you experience unpleasant tingling or crawling sensations in the legs when lying down. These sensations typically occur around sleep onset and can wake you up repeatedly.
Sleep paralysis causes temporary paralysis when waking up or falling asleep, along with hallucinations. This may feel like pressure on your chest or a shadowy figure in your room touching you.
Who is Most at Risk?
While anyone can experience sensations of being touched while sleeping, certain groups are more prone to this phenomenon, including:
- Pregnant women – Hormonal changes and increased REM sleep lead to more vivid dreams and sensations.
- People with anxiety or depression – Higher levels of stress hormones and hypervigilance contribute to perceptions of touch.
- Shift workers – Frequent disruption of circadian rhythms increases chances of partial waking.
- People taking certain medications – Medication side effects like sensory hallucinations play a role.
- Those with sleep disorders – Conditions like restless leg syndrome and sleep paralysis are often involved.
When to Seek Medical Advice
In most cases, sensations of being touched while asleep are harmless, if disturbing. However,Recurring or worsening symptoms may signal an underlying medical issue. See your doctor if you:
- Feel touched by an invasive presence trying to harm you
- Suffer significant distress or impaired functioning due to the sensations
- Experience other neurological symptoms like weakness, seizures, or loss of control
- Have risk factors for sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome or narcolepsy
Sudden onset of sensations or those that persist daily also warrant medical evaluation. A doctor can check for conditions like sleep disorders, nerve damage, medication side effects, and mental health issues.
How to Stop Feeling Touched While Sleeping
If the sensations aren’t severe or associated with other problems, there are some simple self-help steps to try. Here are tips for stopping phantom feelings of touch during sleep:
Evaluate Your Sleep Setup
Take a look at your sleep environment and habits to see if anything could be stimulating sensations of touch:
- Check if bedding, PJs, or blankets are bunching in weird ways that touch your skin
- Use lightweight, breathable bedding to avoid overheating
- Remove unnecessary clutter around the bed
- Consider white noise or a fan to mask noises triggering perceptions of touch
- Avoid napping and inconsistent sleep schedules
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, visualization, and mindfulness can all help reduce anxiety and sleep issues contributing to feeling touched.
Try doing these relaxation practices for 10-15 minutes before bedtime. Yoga, warm baths, reading, and gentle music are other good options to incorporate.
Adjust Sleep Positioning
The way you sleep could make you prone to muscle twitches or nerve compression:
- Use pillows between knees, at lower back, and neck for better alignment and support
- If you sleep on your side, keep your legs relatively straight
- Back sleep with a pillow under knees to relax muscles
- Stomach sleeping usually causes compression – try to avoid
Properly supporting areas like your lower back can limit twitches. Nerve compression can also cause tingling that feels like touching.
Review Medications
Look at medications and supplements you take to see if any list strange tactile sensations like feeling touched as potential side effects. Discuss alternatives with your doctor.
Also avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine close to bed, as these can impact sleep quality and sensations.
Explore Supplements
Some natural supplements may reduce perceptions of touch from muscle twitches, anxiety, and restless sleep:
- Magnesium relaxes muscles and nerves
- L-theanine (green tea) eases stress
- Melatonin helps sleep onset
- Calcium and potassium support muscle function
Talk to your doctor before trying supplements to ensure safety and correct dosage.
When to Seek Further Treatment
If self-care strategies don’t resolve sensations of being touched within 2-3 weeks, consider seeking professional treatment. A doctor or sleep specialist can analyze your symptoms in-depth and determine if an underlying condition is causing them.
Sleep studies check for issues like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and insomnia. Blood work screens for vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances and more. Mental health assessment considers anxiety, PTSD, and psychosis.
Treatment depends on the cause but may include sleep aids, therapy for anxiety, correcting vitamin deficiencies, medication adjustments, or treatment for diagnosed sleep disorders through CPAP machines or other devices.
The Bottom Line
Feeling like someone is touching you when asleep can certainly be disturbing. But in many cases it is harmless. Simple explanations like muscle twitches and waking from REM sleep dreams are most common.
Making sure your sleep setup is optimized, reducing anxiety, trying supplements, and reviewing medications can often resolve mild sensations.
See a doctor promptly if symptoms are severe, persistent, or accompanied by other issues. Underlying sleep disorders, nerve problems, and psychiatric conditions may require specialized treatment.
With some adjustments and an understanding of the common causes, you can hopefully prevent sensations of touch during sleep and wake up feeling rested, at ease, and in control of your sleep environment.
| Cause | Characteristics | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle twitches | Tapping feeling, especially in legs/arms | Stretch before bed, magnesium, potassium |
| REM sleep | Occurs during vivid dreams | Proper sleep hygiene, relaxation techniques |
| Anxiety | Persistent worried thoughts | Counseling, CBT, relaxation methods |
| Medication side effects | Started with new medication | Review with doctor, change timing/dose |
| Sleep disorders | Other symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness | Sleep study, specialized treatments like CPAP |