Night Terror

I had my first night terror that I can remember in over a decade last night.

What is weird is that I'm not particularly stressed.  In fact, I'm feeling more relaxed than normal.  I can't see any triggers.  I don't know why it happened last night, but UGH.

What I remember is opening my eyes and seeing a big giant spider coming down from the ceiling.  Like a kid in Aragog's family size spider.  At least cat-sized.  I couldn't see it well, but it was coming down its thread and it would be landing on Preston's side of the bed and so I screamed bloody murder and ran to turn on the light.

At which point, of course, I woke up.  The light is the universal waker-upper of me.  But this time it was weird.  I still felt super out of it.  I was very confused about what time it was (about 8:45 and I had fallen asleep around 8), where Preston was (probably still putting Z down), whether or not I had actually screamed (that remains uncertain)... all of it.  I left the light on for a bit and wandered to the bathroom where I finally realized what had happened.  Then I turned it off, laid down, and read a chapter in my book.  I was afraid, for the first time in my life, to listen to an audiobook.  My brain felt hyper-sensitized and somehow I felt like sound would launch me back into a dream.  At some point I realized I was long-blinking at my book, so I went back to sleep.

When Preston came to bed he says that I asked him what he was doing there.  I don't remember that part but apparently I talk to him quite often while I'm sleeping, so that's nothing abnormal.  But then I started telling him about the night terror and he didn't believe that I was awake and I got all mad at him.  Our conclusion is that I was sleep talking to him for a bit and somehow woke up enough to try to really communicate, because I do remember telling him about the night terror and him telling me I was dreaming and me saying no damnit.

Incidentally, the spider thing seems to be a recurring theme in the night terrors.  One of the others  that I can remember vividly involved a spider colored like the spiderman spider, but giant like the one last night, crawling across my loft bed at me when I was home visiting my parents.  I woke up crouched on a shelf dangling one food off like I was going to jump or climb down.  Sigh.  That is the other reason these are so disturbing.  I have been lucky so far, but it isn't safe to be wandering around while asleep.

What a wonky night.  I didn't exercise this morning for the first time in two weeks.  I want to do this afternoon so I don't break my streak.  I am just so tired.  And disturbed.  I don't want to start having night terrors and sleepwalking again.