# Sleep and Dreams > General Dream Discussion >  >  Unable to do things.

## TylerSmash

Does anyone else ever have moments in their dreams where they are physically incapable of completing typical tasks.? For example, I can not throw a punch in my dreams. When I attempt to my arm will go very slow, so that anything on the receiving end wouldn't be hurt at all. Fortunately, this has actually become a cue for discovering that I'm dreaming. 

I also suck at driving. I'll crash into curbs, or have to slam really hard on my brakes.

Anyone have any similar experiences.? Also, do you think this is something that you could overcome inside of your dream.? As in trying to be able to throw a punch in your dream.?

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## username695

You just got to know you're going to do it.  If you think "hopefully I can do this".  It's not gonna help.  Just know 100%

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## Boer84

The driving thing happens to me far too often, I brake, but the car doesn't slowdown or stop.

But the slow motion punches is due to your sleep.  I did a college paper on lucid dreaming, and in my research I found that our body creates a chemical (such as adrenalin) that acts like a muscle relaxer.  This chemical is natures way of keeping the sleeper from performing acts they do in dreams in real life.  The side effect is that in dreams when you try to run or punch it feels like your moving through thick mud or some invisible force that slows your movements down to a crawl.  I remembered trying to punch a man for insulting my grandfather, but instead gave him a gentle nudge on the cheek.  Another time I tried to run after someone, but couldn't move fast enough.

I do not know if you can overcome it, it might have something to do with the contexts of the act.  Such as you decide to throw a punch vs you throwing a punch without thinking about it.  Just a theory though.

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## TylerSmash

I'll definitely look into seeing if this is something I can overcome. The chemical thing is interesting, but I'm not so sure if I can even think of a time I've tried running. But when you think about it, wouldn't that make your every move seem like it's going through mud.?

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## Kaira

Hmm... I've had moments like that in my dreams too. I find that my strength in my dreams has to do with my confidence level. Usually when I'm worried scared, or frustrated I become weaker and when I'm happy or angry I become stronger. Sometimes when I'm crossing the street in my dreams I become worried that I'll get hit by a car so I become extremely weak and sometimes not even able to walk. An example of me becoming stronger is a dream I had where I was in an arena and I was supposed to battle this boy in a white nightgown. We floated into the air and faced each other, and then he quickly flew over to me and gave a hard punch (it didn't really hurt) that sent me crashing to the ground. This got me reeeaaally angry so when he floated down to see if he had finished me off I quickly jumped up and game him a hard punch to the head, which knocked him out, and then I dragged him across the ground and maybe kicked him. >.> (violent...I know...)

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## Boer84

> I'll definitely look into seeing if this is something I can overcome. The chemical thing is interesting, but I'm not so sure if I can even think of a time I've tried running. But when you think about it, wouldn't that make your every move seem like it's going through mud.?



Well, maybe it is about contexts, such as throwing a punch and trying to throw a perfect punch.  When you dream of yourself throwing a punch like it is natural.  Yet if you try and throw a punch and focus on the subtle details, such as balling hands into fist, telegraphing, aiming pushing fist at intended target and executing the punch.  I recall usually only experience the slow motion feeling when I am thinking of how I am performing and action, such as on leg in front the other while trying to run. 

Or it might have to do with what stage of sleep youre in. Maybe the closer you are to waking up you are more likely to experience the running in mud feeling.

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## geehatch

within general discussion, 2 main topics were suggested

#1 is there things you are unable to do when you dream:
when i was much younger i was unable to scream. in most cases it was when someone was chasing me and would leave me terrified the next morning. AND just like TylerSmash, i have many times been unable to punch things (very dissappointing when you up against a gain of thugs, or zombies, or aliens, or government officallys secertly taking over society by throwing little red balls that turn people into statues (lol, our minds can think up some CRAZY stuff))

#2 can someone overcome these odd forces:
YES!! screaming has been a much harder one to overcome, however i have successfully screamed (without screaming in real life) and successfully been in intences fights (which usually means i'll be dreaming bout fighting for the entire dream session.) the only unfortunate things is, i have NO idea how i was able to over come these forces. and i will occationally still have dreams where i can't do these things, so its kind of a random thing for me. i think it depends alot on how lucid your dream is, if you have experianced these things recently (hard to know how to throw a punch in a dream if you don't know what it feels like to really throw a punch in real life sort of thing) and probably has alot to do with what  Boer84 said (if i go into the dream green street hooligan style where the punchin is not as much me throwin a punch as much as the natural course of the dreams has me throw one, its much easier...but if somethin big and scary is chasing me, and i force myself to throw a punch it, it comes out as a little love poke type deal)

i haven't reread any of this, so i hope i make sence, lol, lazyness...and i would love to know more bout why this stuff happens if we could keep this post flowing!!

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