I'll do my best to explain this.

In my nightmares, I usually end up being swallowed by a shadow, thrown down a deep hole, eaten by a large unseen creature, or just drowning in dark water. But what's really fascinated me is that when my demise is about to happen, I close my eyes and curl up into a ball, as if I know it's a dream and it will end soon. But I'm not even vaguely aware that I'm dreaming.

Could this be a learned behavior that stuck from my first nightmares, in which I was lucid and didn't know how else to react? Is it a different form of lucidity, just not the kind we're all used to? Or, is it something else?

Has something like this ever happened to you guys before, and if so, what's your opinion on it?