# can you dream when in a coma?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 19, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918 "2003-12-19T05:24:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pixelfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@pixelfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pixelfreak)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918/1 "2003-12-19T05:24:43Z")

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Can a familiar voice help someone in a comma? could coma patients remember anything they heard?  
can they dream? (and if they could… could they remember a dream they had?)

I know it’s stupid, but it puzzles me why they can’t be forced into coming back… would slapping or shocking them wake them up?

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**Author:** ![criminalcatalog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@criminalcatalog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminalcatalog)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918/2 "2003-12-19T19:37:56Z")

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Can you have nightmares in open-chest surgery?

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**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918/3 "2003-12-19T20:02:13Z")

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I don’t know yet.

Can you have your cake and eat it, too?

Why don’t you go to your local hospital’s ICU and try slapping or otherwise shocking the comakids, comateens, comagrownups, and coma-elderly.

Let us know what your research turns up.

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-dream-when-in-a-coma/219918/4 "2003-12-19T21:13:24Z")

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For a more serious answer - nobody seems to know for sure. The following link has a pretty good article:

> **[Discovery Life - Official Site](https://www.discoverylife.com/)**
>
> Official Homepage for Discovery Life. Watch Full Episodes FREE with your TV subscription. Get Behind the Scenes with Your Favorite Shows! Start Exploring Now!

Search for coma +medical +dream for other online information.