Ask Me Help Desk - Is My Apartment Haunted?

I moved into my apartment Sept of 2011. Not long after being here I would hear this strange sound like knocking in the pipes, so since this is a old building I just said out loud.. if there is a ghost here we are sharing this apt because I am not leaving at this time is was more of a joke. A few months ago while I was going to get something my TV turned on all by its self now this was a bit freaky to me so I looked it up and than changed the batteries on my remote even though it was pretty brand new. In the past month when I lay down in the afternoon I hear this sound in my matters, not sure how to explain the sound other than maybe its new and has creaks in it, also when sleeping I always wake up to this feeling of being jolted, and my bed is moving like it was pushed or something, the last thing is a picture went missing off my fridge and I have never seen it again. I live alone.

Up until now I have just though all this was perhaps just in my head, don't really want to share it with anyone for it sounds crazy, today when I took my nap I was 100% my bed jolted, for I was very awake when it happened. After coming to Google and reading about this a bit I decided to make a post and see what others have to say. Am I losing it? One last thing, I have a dog and once in awhile she starts barking in the middle of the night, and she is not one to bark often, please help me understand what is taking place if you can. Thanks

You might want to see a doctor or more specifically a sleep specialist. You could have a problem with your sleep paterns.

Hypnic jerk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most of the other things you describe may appear freaky on the outside but have very real explinations. You don't seem to have any activity that is frequent enough to worry about and the fact that you are focusing on the little things at this time gives you a hightened sense of "normal". Things move or fall down on their own quite often. At this time I don't see what your saying as a haunting of any kind. Please get checked out by a doctor and make sure your health and eating / sleeping habits are within the norm.

cdad usually brings a level head to the table with this kind of situation. You really might want to look into a sleep specialist. It's worth looking into anyway, that would at least rule out one explanation. Personally, I constantly wake up the sound of footsteps on our carpet in our bedroom at night... however I do not think this is a ghost and sleep abnormalities like this are fairly common. But, I do believe in the paranormal and yes, these things could be a paranormal situation as well. I'd say stick it out a bit longer... a natural explanation might show itself eventually.

Knocking pipes in an old building and even newer buildings is very common. It is an issue of old plumbing and the pressure in the pipes and ventilation in the pipes and so on and has nothing to do with ghosts.

You can have jerking in your mattress for a variety of reasons. One is that something is happening in the building that causes a jolt. An old boiler switching, or a well pump or a variety of other very normal things pertaining to your utilities can happen that can shake the building a bit. In our newer home there is such a jolt often when our well pump goes on. To a lesser extent, the furnace clicking on can cause the same thing. Many people, including me, also jerk when falling asleep. This is a common phenomenon. We can feel like we're falling, and kind of "catch ourselves" which is a jarring experience. It's neurological and normal, not paranormal.

The noise in the mattress is the mattress - unfortunate because they are expensive. It apparently wasn't made well. Fabric in mattress sets is normally combined with things like foam, string, a wood box and metal springs, and when the fabric pulls tightly against the springs when you move around, it can squeek. Lights and televisions and radios can turn on by themselves when there is a power surge. Happens in my 7 year old house often. Sometimes the doorbell rings by itself. In an old building, you likely have old wiring which may not be handling the load of modern tenants well. I'd bring this up to the landlord and make sure all your electronics are on surge protectors.

I don't know about the picture - chances are good it's fallen behind the refrigerator or you moved it and just don't remember what you did with it.

I think you have a personal belief and inclination to believe in ghosts but what you've described sounds entirely normal, not paranormal, to me.

Penny , the gentlemen have covered very well the possibilities that could be causing your problems.

The Hypnic Jerk is quite common , I have experienced this myself.
And after investigating hundreds of "phantom" noises and knockings, I have discovered that buildings can produce a symphony of strange and eerie noises simply from the daily changes in temperature which causes expansion and contraction which in turn may be the cause of many of the sounds you hear.

I really do not feel you have anything to worry about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by martinizing2

Penny , the gentlemen have covered very well the possibilities that could be causing your problems.

The Hypnic Jerk is quite common , I have experienced this myself.
And after investigating hundreds of "phantom" noises and knockings, I have discovered that buildings can produce a symphony of strange and eerie noises simply from the daily changes in temperature which causes expansion and contraction which in turn may be the cause of many of the sounds you hear.

I really do not feel you have anything to worry about.

Good to see you back on the board :)