Strange Noises, I hear strange noises when trying to fall asleep Options

I've been trying to astral project for a little while now, with no success. I've been using a visualization technique from Astral Projection by John Magnus where you visualize while falling asleep and project the next morning.

I've been probing the hypnagogic state and I keep getting awakened by strange bleeps bloops and zings. This happens about 3-4 nights a week, more frequently if I'm more tired. It sounds like cartoon/computer noises most of the time, there's a springy "boing" sound that I hear often, and once it was a bear/cougar growl.
These noises wouldn't be a problem at all but when I hear them I get a sort of targeted electrical jolt feeling, and my muscles flex in the area of the shock. After I get the shock I am wide awake, and when I try to fall back asleep I get another sound and shock about half the time.

I've been experiencing this for a long time before I started trying to astral project, it just happens much more now.
I used to think that the shock was the consciousness snapping back to the physical body from the astral body, but I'm not sure.

So I was wondering what are these noises and how can I stop them? They can get pretty annoying

The brain likes stimulation, and meditation and the hypnogogic state take place through phases in which the brain attempts to create stimulation. Like an unruly child you just have to learn to ignore them and refocus. It's different stimulation for everyone, but there are common traits and that's what you're describing.

It's actually a good sign, because you're brain has to be sinking far enough away from external sensory input that these experiences can happen - closer to a dream state. The electrical jolt is possibly either your instinctive reaction to the sudden stimuli, or possibly your body triggering the relaxation spasms that you would normally not be conscious for.

So I say its a good sign because you're staying conscious while you sink further towards that dreaming state.

Keep it up, sounds like you're going in the right direction. It kind of stops on its own, but it's more that you get used to it and it doesn't distract you than it is that the phenomenon itself stops. It lessens though.

peace

Ah ok that makes a lot of sense, thank you
I think the jolt is a mixture of relaxation spasm and natural reaction, I can usually feel smaller twitches throughout my body

I was also wondering about how to project close to my physical body, if that makes sense.
John Magnus talks a little about how a beginner will probably not project very close to their body- which I guess means I might be shot off in some far off place...??
I'm not afraid of this but I'd like to project in my own room around my physical body.

So I was thinking instead of visualizing myself in an imaginary field, why not just visualize myself in my back yard? Would I then be more likely to project closer to my physical body?

I might be getting ahead of myself

The loud strange noises you hear during hynagogic episodes actually has a name. Its called "exploding head syndrome" in the medical literature. I am not kidding. I have had this experience too since childhood. It is supposedly completely benign and its cause is unknown. (Magnesium supplemention made mine go away--but it also has the effect of making me sleep deeply so if you are heavily into wanting to dream and experiencing hynapgoic states you may not want to try this). OBEs are a form of disassociation that have to do with short circuiting things in --not sure if its the parietal lobe. There are a spectrum of experiences that fall under the category of OBEs in the medical lit. They are experienced commonly by normal people, can be learned, but also symptoms very common in epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric illnesses, so take care.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol_2.gif) That's exactly it.
From wikipedia "Exploding head syndrome is a parasomnia condition that causes the sufferer occasionally to experience a tremendously loud noise as originating from within his or her own head, usually described as the sound of an explosion, roar, gunshot, loud voices or screams, a ringing noise, or the sound of electrical arcing (buzzing)"
"While the sound is perceived as extremely loud, it is usually not accompanied by pain. Attacks appear to change in number over time, with several attacks occurring in a space of days or weeks followed by months of remission. Sufferers often feel a sense of fear and anxiety after an attack, accompanied by elevated heart rate. Attacks are also often accompanied by perceived flashes of light"
"Sufferers may experience an inability to vocalize any sound, or mild forms of sleep paralysis during an attack."
I've actually just been ignoring it and it's a lot easier now to get right back into the hypnagogic state (IMG:style_emoticons/default/banana.gif) It's definitely not a medical issue.
Still can't fully project though. I just start hallucinating and fall asleep. I think I made it to the so called vibration stage but it felt more like a gentle rocking motion. It felt like I was in a hammock that was being swayed back and forth very fast but very gently, I got a little scared because it felt like I was going to fall out of the imaginary hammock and I snapped right back fully awake. Could that have been the threshold to full astral (or etheric?) projection?

I was listening to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V60qeSCSGcI
He talks about understanding the difference between etheric and astral projection. Etheric basically being projecting here on the physical plane, able to see yourself sleeping. And astral being projecting into higher- for lack of a better word- astral planes where it's almost like a fantasy land. I think I'm going to shoot for etheric projection first just to get used to it, float around my house and such, before trying to go higher- or vibrate more?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol_2.gif)