Can't run in your dreams? Scientists have an explanation

Are a band of bandits chasing you? Is there a ferocious animal about to leap at your throat?You must flee these situations of imminent danger…but the problem is, your legs won't follow as they seem to weigh several tonnes each. Before returning to reality, the fear has time to settle in, waiting for you to wake up.

But why are you unable to run in these nightmares that sometimes spring up out of nowhere? According to a study dating back to 2014, dreams might be constructed in slow motion. As reported by the Belgian media RTBF, a series of experiments were conducted on so called "lucid dreamers", people who are capable of controlling their dreams, to reach to certain conclusions.

It involved timing certain actions (running, gymnastics, or even counting) and calculating the difference between the task executed in reality and that performed in a dream. The difference is astonishing! In a dream, a movement can take up to twice as long as in reality. However, as per observations, the notion of time, like counting to 10, is equivalent in both states. The discrepancy is quite puzzling.

Why this discrepancy between dream and reality?

During deep sleep, even if you can move your muscles in your dreams, they, although stimulated, send no response to the brain. Furthermore, paradoxical sleep involves a decrease in neuronal activity, notes RTBF.

According to researchers, there is also a psychological explanation for the sensation of being bogged down. Our legs are our most fundamental means of locomotion, which allows us to move forward instantly. If you feel that this means is affected, you'll have the impression of having to fight against something that prevents you from moving forward in your everyday life. The sensation of being bogged down is then psychologically multiplied.

Being chased without being able to take to your heels? Don't forget that your dreams are composed of a significant part of emotion. Perhaps you could interpret these scenes in light of what you are actually experiencing.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: RTBF - Illustration: ©Unsplash)