# Sleep and Dreams > General Dream Discussion >  >  Punches dealt in dreams often feels as if I'm underwater.

## wouterjongeneel

Hey fellow dreamers,

Have you ever been in a fight in a dream you've had? Well, I am from time to time. But mostly when I am, my punches don't do any damage because they're going so slow. I can't move my arm faster because it's seems as if something or someone (invisible though) is trying to prevent the punches from happening. See it as if you are trying to make fast arm movements underwater, it doesn't work.

Has anyone experiences the same? These are 'regular' dreams, not lucid ones, so I can't try and make friends with my enemy to find out why I can't actually fight him (idea by Iamerik, found in a similar thread.

If anyone could shine a little light on this, I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

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## realdealmagic

I've never heard of this. I've heard of people having their punches never actually impact when fighting though. I saw a theory that it was because you subconsciously don't actually want to fight, so your mind stops you.

There's every chance it is just due to low awareness, which lowers the control of your body. Try to be more focused in the dream and it might help  :smiley:

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## realdealmagic

I've never heard of this. I've heard of people having their punches never actually impact when fighting though. I saw a theory that it was because you subconsciously don't actually want to fight, so your mind stops you.

There's every chance it is just due to low awareness, which lowers the control of your body. Try to be more focused in the dream and it might help  :smiley:

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## CHiLLEN

Yeah dude, I've had this happen to me before. 
It's a weird feeling hey? I think it's happened at least a couple times.

I had somewhat a similar thing happen a few nights ago, but wasn't fighting. I was walking, but I was struggling to move forward. I tried to walk backwards, bent over while walking and nothing seemed to help. It was if I was fighting against gravity lol.

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## Darkmatters

I've experienced the weak punches thing, and other similar things, but not sure I've ever felt like I was punching underwater. 

A few nights ago I had a dream where I was punching some kind of Terminator guy, a robot sent from the future to kill me, though it just looked like an ordinary guy in a suit, nothing like Arnold. I was able to punch really fast and hard, and kept nailing him right on the nose. I felt like it should be flattening his nose, but it had no effect on him - felt like hitting a heavy sand bag or something. 

I often do feel like I'm underwater though when I'm trying to run or move in certain ways. In fact the other day I was watching The Abyss and suddenly realized that's exactly how it feels in some of my dreams, the way they try to move fast when on the ocean floor in their weighted suits. I have to lean way forward till my torso is horizontal and really low to the ground, and my legs can't get enough purchase, so I usually end up reaching down with my arms and gripping the ground and pulling myself forward. And usually I let my legs just float up uselessly behind me because my arms are doing all the work anyway. I've described it in the past as like playing wheelbarrow but without the other person holding up your legs. But being underwater is actually a much better analogy.

I think it's because my sleeping body is actually trying to move at the time, like sleepwalking, but only partially. You know, like when you see a dog laying there sleeping and twitching its paws and making little quiet huffing sounds like it's trying to bark, only really quietly, and you know he's dreaming of running and chasing squirrels or whatever. I figure when that happens we're sort of half freed from REM atonia, but not completely the way we would b if sleepwalking, so we just twitch and move around slightly in bed. And I figure legs being a lot heavier than arms and probably encumbered under blankets as well, they're really hard to move in that state, so we get the signal that they're not moving the way they should. But arms probably move much better, so we use them but we still get the signal that they're sluggish and weak. 

My theory anyway.

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## duke396

I fight in dreams all the time (usually not the one who starts it!) and I had the same problem, it's so frustrating. Someone suggested working on this while lucid and that's the only thing that worked for me. While lucid you will probably at first have the same problem but what was suggested to me was to mentally "follow through" on your punches and kicks and "will" them to be faster and harder, and envision the damage that it causes the other character.  After a couple lucid dreams doing this, my dream fighting greatly improved both in lucid and non lucid dreams.  If you can't do these things while lucid, maybe just doing it mentally before going to bed could help? Hope this is of some use to you.

I had a similar problem with my firearms not doing any damage or misfiring and the solution is essentially the same.

Also when I was having that problem Puffin's advice was to imagine that there is no air resistance and even to try punching and kicking in real life to get a feel for how the air moves and how little resistance there is, and try to emulate that in the dream.  She also said anxiety and frustration make it worse, but that having a more vivid dream and more confidence may make it easier and said to try apple juice or vitamin b6 before bed.  I would just paste it in here but I'm on my tablet and it is weird about message boards for some reason.

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## wouterjongeneel

> I've experienced the weak punches thing, and other similar things, but not sure I've ever felt like I was punching underwater.



Maybe underwater wasn't the best way to describe the experience. What I meant is that I get way more resistance from the air than in waking life, slowmotion might be a more suitable description.




> I often do feel like I'm underwater though when I'm trying to run or move in certain ways.



I've had that a few times before, also regular non-lucid dreams. These were dreams in which I wasn't able to run at full speed, also because of a lot more resistance (like running straight into heavy wind).




> I figure when that happens we're sort of half freed from REM atonia, but not completely the way we would b if sleepwalking, so we just twitch and move around slightly in bed. And I figure legs being a lot heavier than arms and probably encumbered under blankets as well, they're really hard to move in that state, so we get the signal that they're not moving the way they should.



Yeah, this sounds very likely to me. In a semi-paralysed state, it's harder to move limbs. I hope that I think about this the next time I find myself lucid inside a dream, so I could find out if I can improve my speed with some mental effort  :smiley: 




> She also said anxiety and frustration make it worse, but that having a more vivid dream and more confidence may make it easier and said to try apple juice or vitamin b6 before bed.  I would just paste it in here but I'm on my tablet and it is weird about message boards for some reason.



Maybe it had something to do with the vividness of the dream. I haven't put effort in lucid dreaming for quite some time and got lots of progress to be made in vividness and recall. I have got vitamine b pills, which also contains b6 and b12. I will drink a glass of apple juice before sleeping tonight, I expect some interesting results.

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## Empedocles

I know what you mean, and I've had the exact same thing. The arm just feels really really heavy when you try to punch. It is a heaviness combined with slowmotion.

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## Darkmatters

> Maybe underwater wasn't the best way to describe the experience. What I meant is that I get way more resistance from the air than in waking life, slowmotion might be a more suitable description.
> 
> I've had that a few times before, also regular non-lucid dreams. These were dreams in which I wasn't able to run at full speed, also because of a lot more resistance (like running straight into heavy wind).
> 
> Yeah, this sounds very likely to me. In a semi-paralysed state, it's harder to move limbs. I hope that I think about this the next time I find myself lucid inside a dream, so I could find out if I can improve my speed with some mental effort 
> 
> Maybe it had something to do with the vividness of the dream. I haven't put effort in lucid dreaming for quite some time and got lots of progress to be made in vividness and recall. I have got vitamine b pills, which also contains b6 and b12. I will drink a glass of apple juice before sleeping tonight, I expect some interesting results.



For me the problems with punching aren't quite like what you describe, but similar. Mine is more that I feel extremely weak, not that I'm getting a lot of air resistance or punching against the wind or in slow motion. And usually i these dreams, of course my opponent is quite the opposite - he seems super strong and fast and invincible. 

But the slow-motion moving - underwater or against thick air -  affects me a lot when trying to run or  to get somewhere. As a result though I've come up with a lot of really weird ways of getting around in dreams - including many different techniques of flying or floating. I often drift horizontally just a couple of feet over the ground and, as I said before, pull myself along with my hands while letting my legs float up behind me (or sometimes they try to sort of kick off against the ground but it usually doesn't work very well and my arms do most of the work). 

But I love some of these dreams where I come up with really creative solutions to this problem - I remember once holding my hands out in front of me like I'm holding the tow-rope for a waterski and then I was able to just sort of ski around on the streets pretty fast - that was one of my favorites. Then once I was sitting on a swingset and I reached up and lifted both chains of the hooks and found that as long as I kept lifting upwards I'd float up in the air, and I could control my direction and speed by how I tilted the chains forward or back or pulled up harder on one than the other. 

Walking or running often seem like they're maybe too movement-intensive for the subconscious to render properly, so it comes up with shortcuts that are easier on memory processing. For example, I've had several dreams where I'm running down a gentle slope and after a while I just stop putting my feet down on the ground at all and instead let myself just glide along in a smooth arc paralleling the curve of the ground.

But yeah I imagine in a fighting dream if you can stabilize somehow (I guess that would mean you have to be lucid) then it's quite possible you could get better control. Maybe use fighting as a dream sign?

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## Zyangur

I know exactly how you feel. I've tried to punch (well, non-lucid me) to protect myself, and my arm felt like it was moving through honey. It's really frustrating, and it was before I knew about lucid dreaming. I remember how frustrating it was, and how close I was to realizing how I was dreaming (even though I didn't know about lucid dreams).

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## wouterjongeneel

I indeed feel like this could be one of my dream signs. Odd movement = dreaming.

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## Oneironautic94

Since I was a kid every single fight dream I have had I have not been able to punch. I understand completely what you mean by the whole "punching underwater" thing. I think it is a pretty common thing for most people. But that isn't much to fall back on haha

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## DarkDreamer13

I get the slowed running thing a lot. It's annoying in certain situations. I literally sprint flat out but I barely move.

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## wouterjongeneel

I found a similar post on Reddit, with a pretty funny gif.

Click

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## Prelin

Dude, my problem is often that my legs just refuse to function. It's like it takes enormous physical effort to put one foot in front of the other. It's never caused me to become lucid, but I've started to notice it and tell myself, "You need to relax." Then once I stop fighting it, I'm usually able to take a few steps before I get weighted down again.

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## Lampllight

I've had these situations a LOT in dreams. Its usually in intense moments which, since you're bringing up a fight, I'm guessing its the same for you. I think its because in those intense and panick-like situations in a dream you tend to start moving like you're moving your own muscles, rather than just having the 'intent' of moving which is what its like for most dreams when everything is relaxed and simply happening. Whenever I get to this point in a dream I usually always wake up afterwards, so its the closest explanation I use for myself as to why it happens.

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## h1nchm4n

This has happened to me many, many times. Maybe not the whole underwater thing, but I have thrown full force punches at enemies while non-lucid and nothing has happened.

I think it may just be expectation. I've never been in a fight before in waking life, so I don't know what it would be like to hit someone that hard, and thats why it translates to dreams like that. On the contrary, I have never used a weapon in real life, but they work perfectly fine in dreams. Who knows? It may have to do with what Darkmatters said.

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## user5659

Yes, happened to me very often when I just started lucid dreaming. I read a similar thread to this few days ago, somebody was trying to call out loud somebody and could not make any noise at all.
In the beginning when I was trying to punch or kick somebody I would move extremely slowly, like I am underwater or stuck in glue. The same happened when I tried to run as fast as possible, I was doing as much effort as I could and I moved really really slowly. 

I believe the answer is very simple. We need to use our intention to control the dream, if we are trying really hard instead of just doing it we will always stop our self. I understood this mistake pretty fast and then it took me sometime to learn to use my intention instead of using my desires and attempts. Start with something small, practice to control basic things and then try to relax and punch, do not think how to punch, just do it like you'v always did it. Any doubt will slow you down.

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## PapaKaya

To dream that you are unable to throw a punch indicates that you are feeling helpless. You may have self-esteem and confidence issues. The dream may also be due to REM paralysis.

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## nikpeta31

> To dream that you are unable to throw a punch indicates that you are feeling helpless. You may have self-esteem and confidence issues. The dream may also be due to REM paralysis.



i have this dream pretty often, maybe a few times per year. or at least every time that i dream i am in a fist fight, it feels just as OP described, like i am underwater: i can still feel my muscles performing the punch at full strength, but the movement that results is sloooow, wobbly, and when it finally lands, feels like pressing my fist against a fully inflated balloon.

however, i wonder if this actually has any connection to helplessness, self-esteem or confidence issues, as the majority of my other dreams include running at incredible speeds, seducing gorgeous females, landing jumps off of incredible heights, tracking down bad guys... things normally attributed to a superhuman. it's only with fistfights that i get this sub-human feeling...

...so i could be suffering from REM paralysis? ::whyohwhy::

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