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Okay, so I have been wondering about this for a while now, and I would like to get some thoughts on the subject, or any personal experiences. I know everyone reading this has experienced the whole, falling off a cliff or building and jolting yourslef awake before you hit the ground, kind of dream. So here is my question, I have heard that if you actually hit the ground before you wake up, do you really die? I have heard it from so many people, they say that you will die from a heart attack. Is this true? Can you die from experiencing death in your dream, so dreadful that you have a heart attack?

Thanks for your comments on the subject.

This site says no...
http://www.asdreams.org/subidxeduq_and_a.htm
Its probably just an old wives tale to be honest, people looking for an explenation for something they dont understand. To be honest, the dead dont tend to tell tales so how would someone know what they were dreaming before they died?

Ian all honesty, I don't see where such or a fall or anything similar could make you die in your sleep. But, I am not sure if it couldn't scare you enough that you wind up having a heart attack.

Dagonfly--

That is a very true statement, I will check that site out, I have just been wondering lately because I am terrified of heights and when I fall in my dreams, I wake up screaming, so I was just interested in views on the subject

No problem, glad to be of help. Ive studied a lot about old wives tales and the roots behind them so its easy to apply the general rules of them to most stories. Having a fear of heights is very common, common enough to where stories such as that could easily start in someones imagination especially when teamed up with a lack of knowledge about dreams.

I have always heard that when you dream of falling that if you ever hit the bottom that you could have a heart attack and die. Can you really dream something that will scare you to death. That might be possible.

Yea, I am not the brightest light bulb in the tanning bed when it comes to dreams, well, lots of things, lol. It is great to learn though.

Dragonfly, you make a good point, and I don't really believe that something that happens to you in your dreams could actually kill you, but I do want to say that sometimes the dreams in which you're falling can feel so real like it's actually happening that when you wake up your hear is racing and you're actually afrais...so maybe it could have happened before. Like if someone didn't jolt themselves awake and they actually hit the ground and it really scared them, you know they thought their life had ended so maybe that scared them so badly they had a heart attack. But then again most of the time when these dreams occur you do wake up, scared, but you do wake up so I don't really think it could kill you...

According to what I have read (you read a lot of psychology journals when you sit in a psychiatrist's waiting room) you would likely die if you experience death from a first person point of view simply because your mind would think it to be real. It's believed that the dream would cause your brain to shut off because of the psychological effect.

~Dragonsfly~ has almost taken the words out of my mouth, though any case that has an individual dieing from any falling dreams has yet to be documented for the simple fact that dead men tell no tales. Therefore, it still remains that olde wives tale.

placidchaos

Is there a site or anything that you could post on here so we could all see that information, that is very interesting to me, and scary....

According to this site you will not die if you hit the bottom. But I dont know if there is any proof of this. So here is the link if anyone who would like to look.

http://www.asdreams.org/subidxeduq_and_a.htm

Regardless of the answer this is a quite interesting topic.

morbidcuriosity--

that is the same link as provided by dragonfly, thank you though, it does state that it is just a myth for people looking for answers, you all say dead men tell no tales, so how do we know that they DIDNT die from falling, lol, this is hurting my brain, but I love it

Oh ok sorry about that. Didnt realize it was the same link.

It is completely alright, it must mean people are all on the same mind track, lol

Must be. I dont know alot about dreams. but I would like just once to talk to an interpreter.

those are my same feeling, but do you feel that maybe if someone is truly terrified of something in real life and it happens in your dreams, yu could have a heart attack from it?? like your brain might really shut down if your mind thinks you are dead?? could it be the same mind process as a girl who really believes she is pregnant, her stomach will grow in size, even though she really isn't, and that I know is true.....

I think that anyone could die from a heart attack while they're dreaming. Now whether it's caused by the dream itself or not, that's another story. I don't think anyone's going to ever find that out.

I believe we could die because of being literally being scared to death from a dream. I've woken up hyperventilating from a dream a couple of times. So I think that kind of threat is very real.

I, however, don't think that if we're falling in a dream and hit the ground before we wake, that we will die. It's just not logical.

Now I can see the psychology thing happening. Because if a person believe whole heartedly that they're sick with something, they will start to show the symptoms and their body will respond as if they have the illness. I think if something happens in a dream and it's vivid and realistic enough, it could cause death... but not necessarily by the means the death happened in the dream.

That is very possible. That if you are truly terrified of something and it scares you so bad that you might actually die. I have heard of people actually being scared to death. I also know that the body will play tricks on you just like the girl thinking she was pregnant. My cousin wanted so badly to be pregnant that she started having the symptoms. The mind is a strange and incredible thing.

many people die in thier sleep........Just thier time or did they hit the bottom?

Maybe there isn't a real answer to the question, but its great to see all the different opinions on the subject, great inputs people!!

I have died twice in my dreams ...not waking up before the fact. Actually seeing my death happen and then the feeling of floating and then looking down at my lifeless body.

I don't think I'm physically dead yet.

I have actually been told that as well. But I don't think it is possible to die from a nightmare, lol

I have had the falling dreams many times. I usually wake up, but one night, I actually hit the ground. I couldn't move or even wake up for a few minutes. When I did wake up, I felt like I had really fallen. It was so hard to move, that I could see where you might think you had died. My arms were numb all day. I had a splitting headache. It was nasty. But I'm still alive.... if you can call this living, lol.

wow, that is very scary ladydragon

I've had several dreams of dying in my sleep including being shot at point blank in the face, yet here I am. I don't believe you would die after having died in your sleep, although I'm sure there's some meaning to it.

I heard that to and always wonder if it was true or not, I dont see how it can be possible.

Well I don't believe that you can get killed in your dreams or die from a wound IN the dream, but I can imagine that some people that have weakened hearts could pass away if they got really worked up from a scary dream and woke up having a heart attack. That is more plausible.

I have had dreams where I have been stabbed, shot or killed by a werewolf or vampire.

I don't believe that you can die in your dreams maybe get caught in a limb or coma state, but not die.

I think it is a wives tale. But that is my thoughts, perhaps if someone believes in it strongly enough or even fears dying in a dream it could become a reality.

thats an old wives tail, do you know how many dreams you have a night? a few. and you probly remember one a night on average.

in dreams near death happens and lets say if death happens i think the ego would just make you get up and walk away from it in the dream. like it was a minor fleshwound.

Its possible but unlikely to die due to dying in a dream. The problem is that the mind doesn't always interpitt dream as dream and may act as if it is awake. If your dream is convincing enought your mind may begin to shut down. I have fallen and hit, i've been shot and stabbed in my dreams, and awoke with the pain of the incident still lingering. Dreams and the mind are creepy things at times.

Well, I would have to say that if you had such a horrible dream and it scared you enough then yes you could possible have a heartache from being so scared to death.

I've heard about things like that yet I don't believe in their truth.


Dying in life by dying in the dream state is completely illogical.

Why do you think it is illogical? People die in their sleep all the time. Some due to heartfailure. They may say natural causes. But is there a way to determine if they had a terrible dream before they died?

I have had alot of dreams of being killed or drowning and I still wake up. I have been scared severely in dreams , landed dead on the ground,etc. Then I wake up still.

I always wake up before death gets me --- I believe I would die if it got me ..

Morbid: Yes there are tests that can be done to the brain if the family requests such. I have had an aunt to this to an uncle who died in his sleep. They were uncertain why he died in his sleep as there were no overlying health issues. Unfortunately there was no signs of a terrifying dream. It was just time for him to go to another place.

I do believe that it is possible that a dream can scare the life out of you but I also think that it is a warning sign or somehthing else that is going on within your life at that time.

I think it would be more possible for someone to die by being scared to death of a dream they had if they were unhealthy. The heart can only handle so much and if you are a healthy person you would think that it would be more difficult to be scared to death verses if you already had health issuse.

That is very true Morbid. That is the reason I wrote my post the way that I did. I honestly think that its more likely if health issues were part of it but I also think that there is always a possiblity and that anything can happen. If that makes any sense.

yes i do believe thatit can kill you,not so much from the dream but the stress of the dream that causes your heart to react negatively

I've heard similar versions where you are falling into an endless blackness. And I've heard also that if you see the bottom, not nessicarrily hit it, you will either die or see your death. While I have woken up with the feeling like my body was falling before, I don't know nessicarrily if these tales are true.

I beleive its mostly a fear issue. I've noticed that since I've felt more secure in my life I haven't had such dreams. So my theroy is that while, no, I don't think you will die, more likely than not these dreams -do- have meaning. Its telling you you're not secure in your life and need to do something before you hit rock bottom or the worst occurs.

My view is the fear, because I am so deathly afraid of heights, if I actually hit bottom, I think i would have a heart attack, that is why I am so scared to go to sleep, then again, I have been so scared of hitting the bottom, and jolt myself awake, usually screaming.

morbidcuriousity -



That's not how I meant it nor phrased it.

As in, dreams can't cause death. Just because someone has a bad dream doesn't mean they'll die.

Well if you're scared of hights it might be a subconcious thing.

Dragon -


That wouldn't explain the death in dream thing.

I am terrified of heights and when I fall in my dreams, I wake up screaming, so I was just interested in views on the subject

agreed... thats why you dream of falling.. I love to swim im a fish... but im claustrophobic so i dream that im drowning in a small cave under water.. i wake up choking and can taste the water in my mouth... my hearts wants to explode!!

ive had to be hospitalized when i was younger, i remember my grandma saying if i was dreaming it any longer i would have died... so it could be ol wives tail...

Distortion-

I wasn't sayign it applied to all death dreams. I was simply saying that may be why -she- has dreams of falling.

And actually, yes, a fear of hights could transfer to causing you to dream you died of falling. Its your fear made real.

I just looked back over my very last post.. To add to that its made real in your mind.. Not in real life when you're awake.

I've never been able to die in my dreams. No matter what horrific means I end up dying in, I still seem to live on and wake up after my "fatal-dream". I am not sure how this is true, I just know that I always wake up again... one could say... I resurrected myself countless times.

Dragon - You could still have dreams that don't include death. But still, I see where you're going with it and it makes sense.

Distortion & Dragon--

Seems like agood argument, I was just saying "Distortion" that I am afraid of actually dying FROM having a heart attack BECAUSE of the fall, so that is why I was posting this. It looks like there are a million different opinions, and a lot of people who are misunderstanding my question, lol. But all in all, I really like hearing all the inputs. If anyone has a site I could go to regarding this (besides the ones already posted) I would be thankful to see them. I have tried looking, but found no such luck

Wes Craven got the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street back in the late 1970's because of several articles in the local paper about a group of Asian men in one neighberhood "dying" in ther sleep.all late teens early 20's dying from "fear" their hearts gave out while they slept.I doubt one could die from fear...but anything is possible.

Unfortunately the limited information I have on it I read in psychology journals a few years ago.

hisdarkestdream, I'll accept that you may have died in your dream but did you experience death from a first person point of view? There is one fundamental truth with dreams that I know of: it is impossible to directly experience anything in a dream that the body or mind is not already familiar with. If you have had a first person experience you would be a novelty to psychologists and I would be greatly intrigued to hear about it. I can't say that I'm not curious about what it's like.

well, i have never woken up before hitting the ground in my dreams. I always wake up after my death in my dreams. I do think it is possible, however, for people with a weak heart to die from dreams like that just because of the stress.

Ok so use to have falling dreams at least three times a week as a kid, I hit the bottom in once. I would step off a cliff over the ocean at night and fall, the last time I had the dream I hit the rocks below, I am still here. I woke up sreaming, never had the dream again but I didn't die. I also had a dream where I had my heart ripped from my chest by an animal and died, yup I'm still here. So I would say that no you will not always die if you die in your dream. Some people might, who knows if they died in their sleep right.

(p.s forgot to add) In both of these dreams it is like real life and am watching out my own eyes. Its not like watching it in a movie and seeing it happen. I can't speak for the others who say they have died in thier dreams but i would say both of these dreams were as close to first person as it gets. I can also say that when I dream, even though I am "experiencing" the dreams part of me is aware that I am dreaming. This may somehow change the bodies response.

Mine usually tend to lean towards combat related subject matter...being back in Iraq...things going boom and whatnot. The last one I died in was just a few weeks ago. A roadside bomb exploded and all I could see in the humvee was smoke...then the smoke cleared and I felt like I was rising...then I was looking down at my body, severed by a big chuck of metal.

I was lifeless and covered in blood.

I then said "holy f*** I'm dead" then I woke up.

all most every dream i have in which i die i ALWAYS die and know im dead but yet im still dreaming
haha and here i am with you talking to you
so i guess no u cant die from dieing in ur dream
but also i guess that would depend on how strong that individual is

I have had dreams where I have fallen and died and yet i still woke up in the morning. I have had dreams that have scared me to the point of wishing I was dead at times but I get over it quickly.

My answer is no. There is not too much impact in the dream to make your heart stop. Is the same as going in a roller coaster 80mph. You heart is not controlled by the mind.

i agree with the first answer. . .if you died you couldnt tell someone. . .then i wondered of the thought of people talking in there sleep before death, or screaming which could easily lead people to such stories.

im not sure.. i dont think it could make you die in your sleep..

Maybe if you have a really weak heart you might die from a heart attack, but I've dreamed that I've died loads of times. One night I recall I didn't jolt awake I just... died over and over in the same dream.

i have had dreams like that before,i hit the ground before i woke up though :)

CherryAdvocaat got to it before I could... If you had some medical problem and your heart was racing I guess you could die...

I suppose if it was intense enough of a dream it could provoke a heart attack or something....more than likely I think you'll just wake up extremely disoriented but glad to be alive though, lol.

well i have heard of this before as well.
i think some one could die but only if that person has a bad heart codition.because if they have a week heart then they can have a heart atak and die in there sleep.

Sometimes I wonder about this. Seriously, you wake up from a scarey/horriable dream and your heart is racing.

I wonder, ''Hmm, can I heart race to fast and kill me?''

I guess when it happends we'll know..

I'm on the fence on this one. I have heard the same thing. I have had several dreams where I was falling or getting attacked, but always woke up before I died or hit the ground. However, I have also had a dream where I was attacked by this woman with really wicked long sharp fingernails. I was running from her and fell - she caught me around my ankle and scratched the hell out of me as I got away. I woke up with deep scratches on the same ankle the next morning.

i have died in a dream before(if you ever played Zelda, the majora's mask, i was the little guy and i died because i went into the water) but i am obviously still alive. many f my other friends have died in their dreams as well....but then again we still hear instances of it happening. maybe if you believe it will, it will. be careful what you think about before you go to sleep:D

the Human Mind is a very powerful thing...

when the mind "believes" something is happening to it.... it will react accordingly.

there has been documented events of people, while under hyponosis, have been convinced that their bodies were undergoing various things....

such as:

Subject was told they were being burned.... and the subject's skin produced blisters....

another subject was told they were in a boxing match.... and the subject's skin produced bruises......


So I would not be surprised to hear that Dreams could produce similar events....

Wow hawk2k, that is very intersting, kind oflike the pregnant girl thing

Here's a nice story, LAST NIGHT I dreamed that I died.

I've always heard that you can die from dreaming that you die, but I've never believed it.

If a dream is bad enough i would see u having a heart attack from it. Not sure of the whole falling thing that if u hit then u would die

Nightmares become much more than bad dreams when they have a significant effect on your well-being. Among people who experience nightmares, those who are anxious or depressed are more likely to be distressed about the experience and suffer more psychological ill effects. Though the relationship is not causal, nightmares have been associated with suicidality. Because nightmares may have a significant impact on your quality of life, it's important to consult a medical professional if you experience them regularly.

Sleep deprivation, which can be caused by nightmares, can cause a host of medical conditions, including heart disease, depression, and obesity.

If nightmares in adults are a symptom of untreated sleep apnea or post-traumatic stress disorder, the underlying disorders can also have significant negative effects on physical and mental health.

Of course there could be other factors that might cause cardiac arrest.

Extreme fear causes the body to release adrenaline.

Adrenaline can rupture cholesterol plaque deposits in the arteries (yes, young people can have these desposits). This causes arterial blockage and myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

A sudden influx of adrenaline can also cause heart cells to die rapidly, which of course affects the heart's electrical system.

ive fallen but always woke up like an inch from the ground..

i have no idea if you could, i guess that you would have to study that a little further....

i am no longer into dream interpretations and never heard of that when i was

i believe a fream can kill you but not in a physical way. i think it can break you donw and ultimatly cause your death.

I think it is that some people get so scared that the fall in the dream killed them that they end up having a heart attack.

maybe....

I had a dream once that I got bit on the leg by a rattlesnake. When I woke up I had two red spots on my leg where I got bit and it was sore to the touch...
now whether my mind convinced my body that I had been bitten by a snake or I got zapped by a spider in my sleep...I don't know.

Perhaps the mind COULD convince our body that it was dead after dying in a dream.

I thank everyone for their inputs,but I am closing the thread because the conversation is going in cirlces and people are saying mostly the same things. Thanks again, and best wishes to all.

XmidnightsXloveX