While both sources say that it is symbolic of being repressed or limited in some way, this resource says that if you dream of being strangled, you are feeling difficulty in expressing and speaking out and dealing openly with your emotions or inner struggle.
People interpret not being able to breathe in your dreams as a sign that you are taking too much on yourself in life and are unable to do things you have sought out to accomplish (via Alo Dreams). The “restriction” of your breath is symbolic of the restrictions in your life.
Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move. It occurs when a person passes between stages of wakefulness and sleep. During these transitions, you may be unable to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes. Some people may also feel pressure or a sense of choking.
In many cases, people with sleep apnea don’t have dreams at all since they never reach the deeper stages of sleep where dreaming takes place. However, even if you have sleep apnea, you could still end up dreaming – and if you do it’s likely to turn into a frightening nightmare.
Precognitive dreams are the most widely reported occurrences of precognition. Usually, a dream or vision can only be identified as precognitive after the putative event has taken place. When such an event occurs after a dream, it is said to have “broken the dream”.
If you’re stuck in a dream and can’t wake up, it could indicate that you’re getting close to reaching a goal, passing a threshold, or making an important change in your waking life — but that you haven’t quite reached the mark.
The symptoms of GERD, such as coughing and choking, tend to worsen when you are lying down or attempting to sleep. The backflow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus can reach as high as your throat and larynx, causing you to experience a coughing or choking sensation. This can cause you to wake up from sleep.
Snoring, snorting or gasping: Noisy sleep is a warning sign that your upper airway might be obstructed. Not all snorers have apnea, but the two often go hand-in-hand. As snoring gets louder, chances of having sleep apnea are greater and greater.
What Does Sleep Paralysis Feel Like?- Intruder hallucinations, which involve the perception of a dangerous person or presence in the room.
Sleep Apnea Linked To Sleepwalking, Hallucinations And Other ‘Parasomnias’ Summary: Nearly one in 10 patients with obstructive sleep apnea also experience “parasomnia” symptoms such as sleepwalking, hallucinations and acting out their dreams, a study has found.
Obstructive sleep apnea can cause your breathing to start and stop while you sleep. It can lead to the throat muscles relaxing so much that they block your airway. You may wake up abruptly gasping for air or choking.
Because sleep apnea messes with your breathing during sleep, that drop in oxygen as you’re dreaming can cause disturbing and vivid dreams, says Dr. Rosenberg.
What Does it Mean to Be Stuck in a Dream? Dreams about being trapped are a culmination of your emotions about current events in your life and your fears for the future. You’re feeling trapped physically or emotionally, and your subconscious mind is attempting drills to help you get unstuck.
The types are: 1. Dreaming is Passive Imagination 2. Dream Illusions 3. Dream-Hallucinations.
But have you ever had a dream with a person in it whom you have never seen before in your life? It may seem that way, but it is impossible. It is believed that the human brain is incapable of “creating” a new face.
Sleep paralysis is when you cannot move or speak as you are waking up or falling asleep. It can be scary but it’s harmless and most people will only get it once or twice in their life.
Myths About Lucid Dreams
For example, it is a myth that a person can become permanently stuck in a lucid dream, or that a lucid dream can last the entire night. Nor is it true that you can use lucid dreaming to interact with the dead, or with another living person in a different location.
Most patients with GERD experience an increase in the severity of symptoms, including heartburn, while sleeping or attempting to sleep. Beyond just heartburn, if stomach acid backs up as far as the throat and larynx, a sleeper may wake up coughing and choking or with major chest pain.
Summary. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic medical condition with frequent acid reflux. Sometimes if GERD occurs at night it can cause choking while sleeping.
People with laryngospasm are unable to speak or breathe. Many describe a choking sensation. This is because your vocal cords are contracted and closed tight during a laryngospasm. As your vocal cords slowly relax and open, you may hear a high-pitched sound (stridor).
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical condition. It occurs when the soft tissues in your throat relax, which can close your airway and cause a temporarily stop to breathing (apneic episode). The result is usually an abrupt disturbance to sleep or an actual awakening, often accompanied by gasping or choking.
Symptoms- Loud snoring.
Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person.
Gasping for air during sleep.
Awakening with a dry mouth.
Morning headache.
Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
Difficulty paying attention while awake.
There are three forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and complex. The most common of these is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Various studies have estimated that between 4% and 50% of the population have OSA.
You feel paralyzed and are unable to speak or move. It can last a few seconds or a few minutes, and feel quite disturbing. While experiencing sleep paralysis, you might hallucinate vivid waking dreams, which can lead to feelings of intense fear and high levels of anxiety.
During sleep paralysis, the crisp dreams of REM “spill over” into waking consciousness like a dream coming alive before your eyes—fanged figures and all. These hallucinations—often involving seeing and sensing ghostly bedroom intruders—are interpreted differently around the world.