Is it my imagination or something more?

[fallenstar]

Hi...this is my first post, but I've been lurking for a while so I don't feel new.
What compelled me to post is something that's been going on for about a month now when I'm sleeping.
It started out with me being woken up in the middle of the night by something grabbing my foot. The first time it happened it was a light grab and I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or just a dream or something. About a week later it happened a second time, and that time I wasn't even fully asleep, when something grabbed and pulled my foot hard.
Then just a couple nights ago I woke up to the sound of scratching on the bedroom which I thought was just the cat, until I realized the cat was sleeping right next to me. I shrugged it off and fell back asleep. Maybe 5 minutes later I was jolted awake to something grabbing my knee and I felt like something was standing right next to me and I felt a tremendous feeling of fear.
The next day I cleansed my entire apartment with sage. Fast forward to last night....again I was jolted awake not by anything grabbing me, but this time I saw for just a brief moment something that looked like it was out of a horror movie (creepy with bandages for reason) with it's arms looming over the end of my bed, and then it was gone.
So now I'm wondering A) Is this just my imagination? Sleep disorders run in my family, so is this maybe a sleep paralysis thing...or something similar? Or B) Is there really something bothering me, and how do I get rid of it?

[desert rat]

Welcome to the forum .This does sound like a ghost . Some one is trying to get your attention . Talk to them, let them know there dead and its time for them to move on .

[Nameless]

Welcome, Fallenstar. Don't know much about any of the visitors. I agree with desert rat. It could just be that your not getting restful sleep and waking up in the middle of a nightmare or something. Whatever it is can't hurt you, so I would tell it to go to the light if it happens again.

[fallenstar]

Thanks for the replies.
I know it can't hurt me, but what harm can be done by something creating fear in order to feed off your energy?
I ask because I get the sense that whatever this is has somehow changed recently. The entire time I've been in my current apartment I've noticed flashing lights and a white mist that moves across a particular spot. I suspected there was something paranormal going on, but it never caused the slightest bit of fear. But now I get the sense that something is intentionally trying to scare me to feed off the fear.
At any rate, I spoke out loud to whatever this is last night before going to bed and I basically laid down the law. I told it to leave and that if it wasn't going to leave that it did not have permission to touch me or show itself, which seemed to work because I didn't have any problems sleeping.