Why do we get a falling sensation as we drift off to sleep?

Why do we get a falling sensation as we drift off to sleep?

From Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

February 27, 2026 · 20 min · Episode 779

About this episode

Dr Chris Smith and Sara Jayne Makwala King explore various scientific questions including the falling sensation experienced during sleep.

This week, Dr Chris Smith and Sara Jayne Makwala King get to the bottom of IBS, why women living together often synchronise menstrual cycles, why we get a sudden falling sensation when dropping off to sleep sometimes, and if Earth suddenly stopped spinning, what would happen first? Also, are the faces that crop up in our dreams real people we've seen before, or has our brain created people that don't actually exist? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

People in this episode

Host: Dr Chris Smith

Guest: Sara Jayne Makwala King

Topics covered

  • sleep
  • IBS
  • menstrual cycles
  • dreams
  • Earth's rotation

Keywords

  • falling sensation
  • sleep
  • IBS
  • menstrual synchrony
  • dreams
  • Earth rotation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Naked Scientists

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