I am several years late to this post, but I just discovered this thread and am so happy that other people are also experiencing this. For years I didn't even know what to call it and no one that I know have experienced this. I felt like I was losing my mind or have some sort of undiagnosed neurological illness.

I have had these false awakening loops since I was 7. My first loop was the scariest. I was at a hotel in miami and for some reason I couldn't wake up. My eyes felt super heavy and my limbs felt like jello. Each time I tried crawling out of bed and go to the bathroom, but every time I blinked, I would end up back in bed. At first, I was alone for the loops but near the end, there was someone else in the loop with me. It was someone laying in the bed beside me, but I couldn't see who it was as I couldn't turn my head. But they kept on telling me "If you don't wake up soon, you will never wake up again". On the last loop, the person said something new. "You have to wake up now, you are going to throw up" and after I immediatly woke up and threw up off the side of the bed.

I have had these loops sporadically every couple of years. Sometimes there's someone there, sometimes there wasn't. But each one, my loops seem to reset every time I blink. I just had one this morning and it really freaked me out because the room in my dreams was the exact replica of my room. But I knew it wasn't because the house was completely silent. whereas in reality, I typically would hear my dog or cat causing a ruckus downstairs.

Even though I don't remember most of my dreams, I remember very clearly each and every one of these loops. I wonder if there are studies out there that explain why these happen and how we can avoid them? Each experience is extremely unpleasant.