# Ever have dreams where you know you're dreaming? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162 "2001-08-14T06:25:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BingoBurringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@BingoBurringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BingoBurringo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/21 "2001-08-18T03:08:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Anal Scurvy \* > > **Several times in the past I’ve woken up and was completely paralyzed. I was alert as ever, but I was simply too tired to physically move. NO MATTER WHAT I TRIED, I COULDN’T EVEN TWITCH. The first few times it happened, I’d just cease my brain and try to go back to sleep until I was rested enough to move. Eventually, I realized that I wasn’t really awake, I was dreaming that I was awake and too tired to move!** > > I’ve had experiences in the past, but not recently, when I woke up and was completely paralyzed. It’s not that I was too tired to move, I just couldn’t. Actually, the last time I had it was when I was in the Army almost 40 years ago. Subsequently, I read that there is this phenomenon wherein a person upon awakening is paralyzed and cannot move. I forget the name of it, but it does happen occasionally to some people. Tiredness has nothing to do with it. A portion of our neuronal system is still asleep, that same part which prevents you from actually acting out your dreams. \*\* Yep, that’s sleep paralysis. It’s very creepy. Here is an excellent website discussing the matter: [http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S\_P.html](http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P.html) ---
**Author:** ![Phallyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5e9695/32.png) [@Phallyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phallyn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/22 "2001-08-18T05:36:53Z")
I’ve lucid dreamed a couple of times – the best was several years back, where I realized I was asleep, and went “flying” in my dream 🙂 By the way, sorta OT…my mom used to have some problems sleeping, so her doctor gave her some new pills to try out. She took 'em, they knocked her out, and when she woke up she was having an out-of-body experience. She said she could see herself walking around, like “she” was hovering about a foot over “her” head. Whigged her out, so she laid back down, and managed to fall back asleep. When she woke up, she was back in her body, and disposed of those pills pretty damn quick. Does anybody know what could have triggered this? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/23 "2001-08-18T21:28:57Z")
I have occasionally had lucid dreams. In one I decided to deliberately study the sense-qualities of the objects around me. I remember running my hand over a brick wall. It did indeed have a rough texture rather like brick, yet the intensity seemed muted…like a false substitute that is only acceptable if you don’t look too closely. I also performed some other experiments, which I am loathe to describe. But the conclusion was the same. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/24 "2001-08-20T04:15:38Z")
I have lucid dreams about 3 times a month on average. About half the time I wake up when I realize that I’m dreaming. If I manage to stay asleep, I will either fly (by pushing imaginary energy out the palms of my hands) or have sex with the nearest attractive woman. If I’m not sure wether or not I’m dreaming, I will try to fly. Fortunately I haven’t tried to fly while awake yet. Rather OT, but I used to do drugs too and decided that if I ever thought I could fly on halucinogens, I would not jump off anything higher than a curb. Add me to the group who have gotten way fucking high in dreams. Kinda scary my first couple years in 12-step recovery, but now I take it as a certain sign that I’m dreaming; kinda like going to school in your underwear 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bugg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@bugg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bugg)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/25 "2001-08-20T06:44:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gartog \* > \*\*Ok has this happened to anyone else . . . > > You dream you are asleep, and dreaming - and then you wake up (in the dream) but in reality you ae still asleep? this can be a little odd . . . > > I am usually aware I am dreaming, but If I try to control the out come invariably things go wrong. \*\* That’s called a false awakening. I’ve had a series of 4 once (i.e. I wake up, then I wake up again, then I wake up again) - and after each one I said “shoot, I guess there is a reason I’m supposed to check reality each time I wake up” I lucid dream on demand; and what’s REALLY the best thing to do is talk to dream characters. Reason with the unreasonable; it’s a lot more fun (and easier to sustain while asleep) than say, sex. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/26 "2001-08-20T10:05:19Z")
I lucid dream a lot: I had no idea it was common. Often I will correct the dream: if something has happened that was impossible, then my brain will force the dream back and re-do that part of the “plot”. More frustrating is that often I don’t remember my dreams, but my dreaming mind remembers my dreams. If I’m in a lucid dream , I question that memory, and then work out that its from a dream I haven’t remembered consciously. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/27 "2001-08-20T12:30:52Z")
I could write a book on this. I have severe insomnia, and often dream that I am in bed trying to fall asleep. I eventually realized this, and decided to see if I could make something happen. The first time I tried, I was dreaming I was trying to fall asleep on my stomach, I turned over and someone dived right into my stomach. Since then, while dreaming I am lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I have been shot several times (once, after dental surgery, my sister came into the room and shot the back of my neck, and all my teeth fell out), had boiling water poured on me (it was summer and hot) and a bunch of other stuff. I’ll never forget the morning of August 31, 1997 when I dreamed I was in bed and a big black train came through a tunnel and rolled over me. I had been listening to Starlight Express before going to bed (There’s a light at the end of the tunnel) and decided that was why. Then I got up, turned on the news, and heard about Princess Diana’s death! Weird, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/28 "2001-08-20T14:17:19Z")
Cecil addressed the phenomenon of sleep paralysis [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_408.html). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/29 "2001-08-20T14:23:21Z")
Cecil also tangentially addressed the phenomenon [here](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mastral.html). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162/30 "2001-08-20T14:24:44Z")
Oops. That was Straight Dope staffer Doug who wrote that last entry linked above. Credit where credit is due. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-dreams-where-you-know-youre-dreaming/76162.md?page=1)