Several possible studies
Story checked
When things go bump in the night: How our brains trick us into hearing things that aren't there (opens in a new tab)
medicalxpress.com · 2026-10-29
Short answer
Several possible studiesStudy not confirmed.
Several potential source studies were identified, but no single match could be confirmed. The article's claims remain unverified.
These papers were considered as possible sources, but none could be confirmed as the study behind this story.
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The story
When things go bump in the night: How our brains trick us into hearing things that aren't there
medicalxpress.com · 2026-10-29
The story’s checkable claims.
Read the original story (opens in a new tab)NewsLink checks it
Multiple potential source studies identified.
Several studies match details in the article, but none could be confirmed as its source. The claims have not been assessed against a source study.
View article claimsSearch result
Several studies could fit.
Several studies match details in the article, but none could be confirmed as its source. The claims have not been assessed against a source study.
Source layer
The 5 papers the story cites
Source study separated from background citations.
The research anchor for the report.
- Cited as backgroundmentioned without context
Awake or Sleeping? Maybe Both… A Review of Sleep-Related Dissociative States.
Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2023
- Cited as backgroundmentioned without context
How We Hear: The Perception and Neural Coding of Sound
Annual Review of Psychology · 2018
- Cited as backgroundmentioned without context
The anatomical, cellular and synaptic basis of motor atonia during rapid eye movement sleep
The Journal of Physiology · 2016
- Cited as backgroundmentioned without context
Prisoners of the Body: The Link Between Interoception and Sleep Paralysis.
Journal of Sleep Research · 2026
- Cited as backgroundmentioned without context
Neurological and robot-controlled induction of an apparition.
Current Biology : CB · 2014
Evidence layer
Claim by claim
The article's claims are listed below. Without a confirmed source study, they have not been assessed as supported or unsupported.
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Scan verdicts. Open evidence only when needed.
Claim 1 of 6Not checkedAs people fall asleep, characteristics of wakefulness and sleep can overlap, and this transition can produce spooky experiences like hearing footsteps or seeing figures in the room.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Claim 2 of 6Not checkedExploding head syndrome can make someone perceive an enormous noise while falling asleep or waking, even though nothing in the outside world has made a sound.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Claim 3 of 6Not checkedThe experience of hearing can be generated by the brain itself, so neural activity without an external sound can still create a real-feeling auditory experience.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Claim 4 of 6Not checkedSource monitoring helps the brain distinguish internally generated thoughts, memories, or imagined speech from external events, but around sleep that boundary can fail.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Claim 5 of 6Not checkedSleep paralysis can cause a person to wake up feeling that someone else is in the room because awareness returns while REM-related muscle paralysis persists and dream-like perception remains active.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Claim 6 of 6Not checkedA robot-touch experiment suggested that when movement and touch are slightly delayed, some participants feel as if another person is touching them or standing behind them, illustrating that the brain constructs the boundary between self and others.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
No source study was confirmed for this article. This claim remains unverified, rather than assessed as supported or unsupported.
Method layer
Study not confirmed.
The search results are available for you to inspect. Without a confirmed source study, they cannot establish whether the story’s claims are supported or contradicted.
Search results
Candidate papers, not confirmed sources.
PubMed, Crossref, Europe PMC · 19 candidate papers
Awake or Sleeping? Maybe Both… A Review of Sleep-Related Dissociative States.
Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2023 · PubMed
How We Hear: The Perception and Neural Coding of Sound
Annual Review of Psychology · 2018 · Crossref
The anatomical, cellular and synaptic basis of motor atonia during rapid eye movement sleep
The Journal of Physiology · 2016 · Crossref
Prisoners of the Body: The Link Between Interoception and Sleep Paralysis.
Journal of Sleep Research · 2026 · PubMed, Europe PMC
Neurological and robot-controlled induction of an apparition.
Current Biology : CB · 2014 · PubMed