Hallucinations before falling asleep?

When I was younger I used to experience hallucinations almost every night when I went to bed.

They were often sensations that were felt. For example it felt as if a cat was clawing me or someone was whacking me with a hollow object.

Also, I would hear entire sentences/speeches in voices I would not recognize that seemed to be right above my face. I would also occasionally see people walking around my room.

It would only happen if I tried to close my eyes and fall asleep before I was actually tired. I would open my eyes and still the sensations would not leave me.

My parents said it was an “overactive imagination,” and eventually the hallucinations came less and less frequently.

I was wondering if anyone else experienced something similar in the period between wakefulness and falling asleep.