# I can never scream in my dreams **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117 "2011-01-26T23:39:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/1 "2011-01-26T23:39:43Z")
Sometimes in bad dreams I need to yell really loud… to scream or call for help… and I never can. My voice comes out in a thin whisper instead, no matter how hard I try to be loud. Why is that? It’s so frustrating and scary! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/2 "2011-01-27T00:01:36Z")
No idea but it happens to me also. Oddly enough, I can walk and run just fine in my dreams, and I get all worried because I keep misplacing my crutches or wheelchair…:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/3 "2011-01-27T00:06:20Z")
Since during REM sleep your body is effectively paralyzed (most likely as a protective measure, in order prevent people from physically acting out their dreams, a process that goes awry in a disorder called Sleep Behavior Disorder), I would guess that on some level you are incorporating your inability to make large movements (like required for screaming) into the dream process. Much like how many people incorporate other outside sensory information into their dream process, like music that’s playing on the radio that ends up being the song in some bar that they’re in in the dream. I have the same “problem,” along with the concurrent inability to run as fast as I would like. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/4 "2011-01-27T00:09:18Z")
I get that not-being-able-to-scream thing too, and I get the not-being able to-run: thing. The weird thing is that I find I can run faster in my dreams if I turn around and run backwards. Strangest damn thing. As to the screaming, if I do manage to make any noise at all, it’s for real, and I wake myself up (or my wife does because she says I was “braying” in my sleep). ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/5 "2011-01-27T00:14:02Z")
me too. nor can I ever manage to call 911. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/6 "2011-01-27T00:30:17Z")
I can’t read any writing in my dreams. I mean, I know what the thing is supposed to say - like I know if it’s poetry or a menu, for instance. But if I concentrate really hard to read it, it’s gibberish or random words or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/7 "2011-01-27T00:51:51Z")
I can’t do a lot of things in my dreams… scream, run fast enough, through a ball or, most frustratingly, have sex to complesion. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/8 "2011-01-27T00:59:12Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > me too. nor can I ever manage to call 911. In my dreams, 911 puts me on hold. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Strain\_of\_Thought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Strain\_of\_Thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strain_of_Thought)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/9 "2011-01-27T01:17:34Z")
This sounds like sleep paralysis: > **[Sleep paralysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis)** > > Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which one is conscious but is unable to move or speak. During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear. Episodes generally last no more than a few minutes. It can recur multiple times or occur as a single episode. > The condition may occur in those who are otherwise healthy or those with narcolepsy, or it may run in families as a result of specific genetic changes. ... I suffer from sleep paralysis myself, and it is not fun. But, I’ve screamed in my dreams too, and trust me you’re not missing anything you don’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/10 "2011-01-27T01:23:54Z")
If people are referring to experiences while dreaming and still asleep, it’s not sleep paralysis, but something a little different. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/11 "2011-01-27T01:25:23Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Since during REM sleep your body is effectively paralyzed (most likely as a protective measure, … This is what I, too, have been taught. If you pay attention, you will probably notice that you cannot laugh, either. If you are noticing that you cannot scream, laugh, or read, you are probably close to waking - maybe you can push yourself awake. And, no, you really do not want to scream yourself awake. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/12 "2011-01-27T01:32:42Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Sometimes in bad dreams I need to yell really loud… to scream or call for help… and I never can. My voice comes out in a thin whisper instead, no matter how hard I try to be loud. Why is that? It’s so frustrating and scary! Not only can I not scream in my dreams, I can’t even speak in a normal tone of voice if I’m under and stress (in the dream); in fact, this has become _so common_ for me that it’s one of the first tip-offs to my brain that I’m dreaming, not really experiencing this stress. In any dream (it seems), instead of being able to _talk_ or enunciate, I can only kind of manage a breathy muttering. I don’t know what it’s about, but like I said, I’ve trained myself to know that when this happens, it’s because I’m dreaming. ---
**Author:** ![Strain\_of\_Thought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Strain\_of\_Thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strain_of_Thought)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/13 "2011-01-27T01:35:54Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > If people are referring to experiences while dreaming and still asleep, it’s not sleep paralysis, but something a little different. From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > In addition, the paralysis may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger.[9] Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual because of the vividness of such hallucinations.[8] The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful or dream-like objects may appear in the room alongside one’s normal vision. The point is that sleep paralysis blurs the distinction between sleeping and waking. You may think that you’re only dreaming, but the nature of the dream is heavily colored because your brain is feeding you a lot of sensory data from your still-paralyzed body. It’s like the inverse of sleep walking; you’re mentally conscious, but not physically awake. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/14 "2011-01-27T01:59:05Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > I can’t do a lot of things in my dreams… scream, run fast enough, through a ball or, most frustratingly, have sex to complesion. They always talked about boys having wet dreams, but they never mentioned that girls could have them too. Given my difficulty having an orgasm in general, I find it faintly unsettling to realize that I’ve had one in my dreams with zero physical stimulation. I wake up just enough to be aware that I’ve had one. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/15 "2011-01-27T02:45:45Z")
Does anyone else have the problem of where you try to punch someone in a dream, but have no power behind the punch? In other words you try to throw a punch with all your might but it just lands with a thud. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/16 "2011-01-27T02:52:42Z")
> [@Strain\_of\_Thought](#): > > From Wikipedia: > The point is that sleep paralysis blurs the distinction between sleeping and waking. You may think that you’re only dreaming, but the nature of the dream is heavily colored because your brain is feeding you a lot of sensory data from your still-paralyzed body. It’s like the inverse of sleep walking; you’re mentally conscious, but not physically awake. I’m well aware of what sleep paralysis is, thanks. What OTHER people are talking about in this thread are experiences that are occurring IN THEIR DREAMS, which all of us have experienced, in which we attempt to engage in a behavior and either cannot, or cannot with any force. Like when you are trying to run and can’t seem to get above walking speed, or when you’re trying to scream and can only get out a little squeak. Ever have a dream when there’s a fire alarm going off and you can’t figure out how to turn it off? And then wake up and your alarm is going off? And your brain incorporated the sensory information from the alarm into your dream? Or have the clock set to go off on a radio station and not the alarm, and your last dream of the night involves something to do with music, because you’re incorporating that incoming sensory information into your dream process? That’s what I meant when people, in a normal REM state, can incorporate their physical sensory experience of being in sleep atonia into the dream process. It doesn’t have to be a disorder for it to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/17 "2011-01-27T02:57:56Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Does anyone else have the problem of where you try to punch someone in a dream, but have no power behind the punch? In other words you try to throw a punch with all your might but it just lands with a thud. All the time. I often have nightmares where I get into physical fights with people but can’t land a single blow on them. It’s like, I have the feeling of expending the physical energy of the punch, but it falls just short of striking, every time. It’s scary as hell. I also frequently have dreams where I try to yell, or just speak loudly and clearly, but all that comes out is a low whisper. This is also quite scary. I wonder why so many of these themes in dreams are so common among so many people? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/18 "2011-01-27T03:03:15Z")
Research has shown that the most common dream imagery is everyday life. We simply forget those dreams, 'cause…damn, that’s boring. We remember the ones that are vivid for some reason, like nightmares. So, they may not be common, it’s just common to remember them. ---
**Author:** ![Strain\_of\_Thought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Strain\_of\_Thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strain_of_Thought)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/19 "2011-01-27T03:07:34Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Does anyone else have the problem of where you try to punch someone in a dream, but have no power behind the punch? In other words you try to throw a punch with all your might but it just lands with a thud. This, so many times. It feels like my arms are made of paper or something; they just don’t have any momentum, and the other person’s chest or head is like a block of wood. Oddly, I’ve also had a couple dreams which were clearly modeled on the same theme, but in them I had the strength to throw the other person around like a rag doll. However, the feelings of empowerment I got from the dreams was tempered because I was so used to losing, and I spent them feeling sure that something was wrong- I’m supposed to lose these fights, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117/20 "2011-01-27T04:21:38Z")
> [@Strain\_of\_Thought](#): > > From Wikipedia: > The point is that sleep paralysis blurs the distinction between sleeping and waking. You may think that you’re only dreaming, but the nature of the dream is heavily colored because your brain is feeding you a lot of sensory data from your still-paralyzed body. It’s like the inverse of sleep walking; you’re mentally conscious, but not physically awake. No, what I’m talking about has nothing to do with sleep paralysis. This is just stuff like, you need to shout loudly in a dream to get somebody’s attention, because only they can save you, and when you try to yell you just have no volume. It doesn’t even have to be something bad, just something necessary… like yelling out “BINGO” loud enough to win the jackpot. > [@joebuck20](#): > > Does anyone else have the problem of where you try to punch someone in a dream, but have no power behind the punch? In other words you try to throw a punch with all your might but it just lands with a thud. I’ve had this happen, too, and it’s extremely similar. You go to punch as hard as you can but it’s like you pull back at the last second for some reason… for me I sometimes can’t even get my arm to straighten all the way out, it just sort of shys back. It’s very distressing at the time because if I’m hitting someone in a dream it’s because there’s something seriously dangerous happening. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-never-scream-in-my-dreams/569117.md?page=2)