“Bumps In The Night”

by

       It usually begins when you remove yourself from the chaos of life and settle down for a good night’s sleep.  You’re finally in bed and relaxed when something goes bump in the night.  Those little sounds you only hear once you’ve put down your iPod, remote control, and video game.  But the fact is, even after you have gone to bed and shut yourself down for the day, the world keeps on moving.  And it makes plenty of noises.

       Could those bumps, bangs, knocks, scratches, and other noises be ghosts?  Well, in some rare cases they very well might be spirits trying to make contact.  But in most cases they are just the sounds of everyday life that we don’t usually pay much attention to.  In the average home there are any number of natural causes for those strange ‘bumps in the night’.  Any any ghost hunter worth his or her weight will know to look for these causes and recognize their sources before taking that paranormal leap of faith.

       Here is a look at some of the many sources of those strange noises you are hearing in your home:

Creatures and Critters:

      In many cases unwelcome guests are causing the noises you’re hearing in your home; wild creatures that have decided to take residence in your attic, basement, or crawl space.  These can include: mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons, birds, owls, bats, and snakes.

      In some climates and areas it may even include reptiles, alligators, and other exotic animals.

       It is also very likely that on a nightly basis you have some sort of animal stirring in your backyard, picking through your garbage, or seeking warmth in your garage.  These animals could be: deer, bears, coyotes, bobcats, cats, dogs, and other animals.

       There may even be insects like termites, ants, bees, wasps, or hornets living in the materials of your home that when together in a group can make some strange sounds.

       The final unwanted visitor on your property that might be making noise is the scariest of all, a human.  There are plenty of cases where homeless people may be squatting in a vacant area of your attic, basement, or garage.  Or a burglar could be on your property casing it out or trying to break in.  The simple fact is that when you go to sleep, there are many creatures and critters that are still awake.  And they’re making plenty of noises in and around your home.

Weather:

       Mother Nature is also quite noisy when she wants to be and is often the source of many of the strange noises heard in your home. Obviously inclement weather like wind, rain, and hail can make an awful racket against roofs, windows, doors and other parts of the house.  But after a storm, when the worst of the weather has changed, our homes are still making noise.  Melting snow or water draining and dripping can make all sorts of strange noises.  Icicles can melt and/or fall off the roof.  The weight of ice on trees and bushes can cause cracking or falling limbs.  The wind can blow tree branches or power lines against the house or roof. 

      And any number of other things associated with bad weather can make noises like: loose gutters, swinging gates, displaced roof shingles, shutters, windows or doors that rattle, lawn furniture blowing in the wind.

     Another effect of weather is the temperature changes that can cause things like wood and metal door and window frames to contract and contort leading to strange sounds in your home.

Around the House:

       Most people don’t notice how much noise the things in your house make even when you’re not using them.  Things like radiators, air conditioners, ceiling fans, and heating units can make some strange sounds.  So can faucets, sink drains, leaky shower heads, and toilets.

       Many of the appliances in your home are noisy too, like refrigerators, aquariums, idle computers, generators, clocks, even your television can make some knocking sounds when it’s cooling down for the night.

       Your basement is full of noisy objects too like: hot water heaters, oil burners, water pumps, loose pipes and more.  When you really stop and listen you’ll find that your house is quite a noisy place when you pay attention.

Naturally Occurring Events:

       Along with all of the things inside of our house and around our house there are also naturally occurring events that can have an effect on your house.  It’s a well-known fact that the Earth below us moves.  And even the slightest earthquake of land shift can cause your house to creak and crack and make strange noises.  Large moving objects like trucks and jet planes can rattle a house in some cases as well. 

       And the vibrations and shaking caused by these sources can also lead to debris falling in your walls or mortar down your chimney.  It can also cause books to fall, pictures to drop, and dishes to rattle.  These may seem like obvious noises, but in the middle of the night, when you’re half asleep, they may seem much more eerie.

Human Nature:

      Which brings us to human nature and our imaginations.  Our brains instinctively want to identify everything we hear.  And when its not sure of what it’s hearing, it can sometimes get it wrong.  This is especially true when our bodies are shutting down for the night and we are slowly entering slumber.

       In fact there are quite a few sleep disorders that people suffer from that can also lead to hearing things that you can’t identify.

Sleepwalking can you leave confused or lead to knocking over objects and making noises in the house.  Sometimes someone else sleepwalking in your home can be the cause of strange sounds.

Night Terrors can cause you to move erratically and knock over nearby objects or bang into the headboard leading you to believe you were woken up by a strange noise.  Not to mention the scared and confused feelings you’re left with.

Exploding Head Syndrome is a rare condition for some people who actually dream of loud sounds that wake them up from a sound sleep.  But no one else in the room can hear the sound because it was only in that person’s head.

Sleep Paralysis is another condition where you are sort of awake but you can’t move your body.  It’s as if your brain is conscious but your body still thinks it is asleep.  This is a common cause of people thinking they are being possessed, or attacked by a succubus, incubus or even aliens.

Sleep Hallucinations are another condition where your brain imagines hearing and seeing things to the point that you wake up thinking they are real.  These usually occur during the transition of being awake to being asleep.  People who suffer from this often report hearing voices and feeling like they’re being touched.  Ever wake up suddenly because you felt like you were falling? – well that’s the idea.

       So as it turns out, you are not crazy.  There are many different logical and natural explanations for the strange things that you hear at night.  Perhaps television shows and movies have programmed you to think that everything you hear in the dark is a ghost.  Or maybe it’s just your belief system.  In either case, the jump to paranormal is a big one.  And even after eliminating all of the possibilities listed here, no one really knows what is going ‘bump in the night’.