Most of us are probably familiar with the idea that every night we sleep we are immersed in our dream world. Knowing that we dream every day, but that we cannot remember the elements in our dreams, produces uncertainty in us. We are curious about everything that can navigate our unconscious, but we cannot articulate it without these visual elements present, which even in their amorphous and confusing presentation carry signifiers to the underlying way, which can operate as associations and per se guarantee a reliable interpretation. through techniques, especially psychoanalysis.
Have you dreamed that you can’t speak and want to know the meaning of this dream? Have you dreamed that you ask for help and your voice doesn’t come out? That you can’t speak or move? In this Psychology-Online article we explain what does it mean to dream that you can’t speak.
What does it mean to dream that I can’t speak and move?
He wake up and not be able to move a single muscle (atony) or letting out a single scream, and sometimes noticing dark presences near us or experiencing sensations of pressure in the chest (as if breathing is difficult), is a very common experience and there is also a neurological explanation for this type of experience, is known as sleep paralysisone of the variants of parasomnia.
When we are in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of our sleep our brain consciousness is very active and it is precisely this moment in which we begin to dream. At this moment two neurotransmitters come into play: Glycine and GABA, their function is to work together to stop the movement of most of our muscles and thus prevent us from trying to represent dreams and hurting ourselves in the process. What happens in one is that our mind wakes up but our body does not. As our muscles continue to be paralyzed by these two neurotransmitters, we will not be able to move or make any sounds, and sometimes there may be hallucinations during these types of episodes (known as , when they occur before waking up and hypnagogic when they occur before the onset of sleep). These cases often occur due to isolated events caused by stress, lack of sleep or the well-known Jet Lag, so sleeping properly (poor sleep hygiene) can contribute to the disappearance of this problem.
However, they can occur very frequently in people with some type of diagnosis of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or narcolepsy.
We then understand that sleep paralysis occurs when the dreamer wakes up at the wrong time (the REM sleep period has not yet ended) and, as a result, the muscles are still asleep, including the pectoral muscles – with the exception of the diaphragm – being This is the reason why the dreamer has difficulty breathing or feels and sees that something heavy is resting on his chest.
Dreaming that I ask for help and my voice doesn’t come out
Another detail about these dreams or sleep paralysis is the inability to ask for help, and this makes a lot of sense since the muscles that control the mouth also do not workfor this reason when you try to ask for help it turns out that you cannot utter a single word.
Even, as detailed above, nightmares can occur that have a hallucinatory characteristic (shadows, people…) of which you can’t run away or scream to ask for help. This occurs because a nightmare is occurring while partially awake, the eyes open but the rest of the muscles do not work and for this reason we can only see the environment but not move any part of the body.
Some people report that part of the attempt to ask for help, they try to move their fingers, head or feet either to run or fight or just to wake themselves or the person next to us. There are also times in which the dreamer reports that he has only been able to wake up from these dream experiences if something happens to him, such as being hurt or attacked (hanged, suffocated, or lacerated by a sharp object).
This experience can be even more unpleasant because the subject also experiences false awakenings, that is, waking up within the dream repeatedly. Although he has already been hurt (which works as a totem to wake up), the subject reports that he tries to get out of bed again and he can not move nor ask for help.
Causes of sleep paralysis
Why does sleep paralysis occur? What can cause sleep paralysis? Below we share some of the most common causes of sleep paralysis:
- Sleep deprivation.
- Chronic lack of sleep.
- Disturbed sleep patterns.
- .
- Heavy or sugary foods before going to bed.
- Some report that the cause may be very simple like sleeping on your back.
- Mental disorders.
- The consumption of some recreational and pharmacological substances (tricyclic antidepressants, SSRIs, beta blockers).
- Narcolepsy, where there is a deficiency or alteration of hypocretin (a hormone that helps the body stay alert and regulate the sleep-wake cycle).
How to avoid sleep paralysis
Below we share some tips that you can follow to avoid sleep paralysis experiences that can be unpleasant:
- Sleep the amount of enough hours (7 to 8 hours per day). Here you will find .
- Try to establish a schedule to go to bed every day.
- Sleep on your side or face down.
- Avoid very strong meals and in large quantities at night. That is to say, have a light dinner.
- Avoid consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
- Practice meditation for at least 5 minutes can help you relax and reduce anxiety symptoms that can cause nightmares. In this article you can find.
- If there are mental pathologies, it is recommended that you go to a therapist.
- Seek the
- Do not use devices cell phones for at least an hour before going to bed.
- Avoid watching videos that may cause fear.
The video below can help you relax.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What does it mean to dream that you can’t speak?we recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Montserrat, JM, & Santamaría, J. (2007). Sleep disorders. In Health Book of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and the BBVA Foundation (pp. 467-476). BBVA Foundation.
- Roballo Ros, F. (2016). Sleep paralysis: unmasking the ghost, holistic and psychological exploration.