Can dying in a dream really cause you to die in real life?

[skepticlogician]

I think I've heard this idea somewhere. Has anyone heard it before?

Can this really happen?

[toastywombel]

I think I've heard this idea somewhere. Has anyone heard it before?

Can this really happen?

 

Really it is impossible to answer this question, because if someone dies in their sleep, you can't ask them if they were dreaming afterwards and what they were dreaming about.

 

I would tend to think not, their is no scientific evidence, that I know of, that would lead me to the conclusion that you are more likely to die if you are having a dream bout dying. In fact the stages of sleep in which dreaming occurs is known to be very good for the body and mind.

 

I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Here are some links related to the topic of dreaming you may want to check out.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep

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

Edited April 8, 2010 by toastywombel

[Mr Skeptic]

Well whenever I'm about to die in a dream I always wake up instead.

[Sisyphus]

Short answer: no.

 

Longer answer: What happens to you in your dreams can't physically hurt you. I know this because there's no mechanism for it, no record of it ever happening, and a lifetime of my own personal experience. I've had all sorts of things happen to me in dreams, including dying.* In fact, I've even dreamed about being a ghost. Yet I'm still here!

 

At most, your emotional state in dreams might translate to increased heartrate, etc. So I suppose someone with a very weak heart might literally be "scared to death" by a dream, but even that would not be because they die in the dream.

 

*Not realistic dying, of course, since that would be impossible. You can't experience death, because death is the end of experience.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Sisyphus

[vordhosbn]

...You can't experience death, because death is the end of experience.

 

Well, there seems to be much doubt amognst people about this particular unprovable statement.

[KagakuOtaku]

I would think not, since dreams are in the subconscious part of the mind, which isn't connected with your physical body. Of course, your dream could always scare you into cardiac arrest...

[insane_alien]

I would think not, since dreams are in the subconscious part of the mind, which isn't connected with your physical body.

 

eh? do you have any proof of this? because all dream activity takes place in the brain, we know because we can measure brain activity and its location.

[MentalFornicator]

I'm not to sure, but I did have a dream in which I died....as far as I know. I say this because No one could really be sure if that it was an actual death and not just my visions from my final moments. This dream I had gotten beheaded at the guillotine and my head was still alive long enough to hear some blowharts talking about how if my head was reattached in time they might be able to save my life. But the jackoffs took so long discussing it that I "died" right there. While I may not have died that day, I did in fact, wake up in the most abrupt, heart pounding manner I have ever experienced(this includes sleep paralysis which isn't surprising considering that particular venture wasn't to traumatizing for me). I have researched the internet for probable answers to this and I have concluded that no you can not. I found that our own mental state in a dream couldn't possibly kill us, but if someone did die in their sleep I doubt they would be here to say otherwise.

[Prometheus]

Really it is impossible to answer this question, because if someone dies in their sleep, you can't ask them if they were dreaming afterwards and what they were dreaming about.

 

 

But if someone dreams that they have died, then wakes up, we have evidence against the hypothesis. I have dreamt i have died several times. Include the fact that there is no plausible mechanism for death being induced by death in a dream, i would say don't worry about it.

[Willie71]

You don't die in real life because of dying in a dream.

[Gabriel Chase]

Having 'died' in a dream many years ago, and still finding myself in front of my keyboard and typing this, I can pretty safely say "No, it doesn't."

[Robittybob1]

Having 'died' in a dream many years ago, and still finding myself in front of my keyboard and typing this, I can pretty safely say "No, it doesn't."

The ones who did die at the time of dying in their dreams aren't here to tell us about it.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Robittybob1

[StringJunky]

"Is there life after death?" one may as well ask.

[Prometheus]

The ones who did die at the time of dying in their dreams aren't here to tell us about it.

 

If we're answering will dying in your dreams always cause real death, then based on the testimony here we can certainly say no. However, the question posed in the OP is can dying in your dreams cause death which is forever consigned to the realm of untestable hypotheses. However, given that there is no plausible biological mechanism (other than the fright given to someone with a 'weak heart', mentioned above, and even then I would rather attribute it to the weak heart than the dream) and the fact at least some have survived dream death lends more credence against the idea. So i wouldn't worry about it.

[CharonY]

Does farting create invisible unicorns on the far side of the moon?

[Robittybob1]

Does farting create invisible unicorns on the far side of the moon?

I'm quite good at farting so will you go and have a look?

[fredreload]

Depends on what you mean by dying, if you lose consciousness, it would be bad. So if a dream is so realistic that make your consciousness fade away, it could happen. But as many dreams as I've had 365/year, I am still alive. I'd even wish I can have my consciousness transfer somewhere. Anyway, don't worry about it too much

[DrmDoc]

You're resurrecting a old thread on a closed subject. The definitive answer is no, dreaming of dying does not cause death in reality. Although people can and do die in sleep, there is no evidence that such deaths were caused by a dream or occurred while the decedent was dreaming. Rest assured and pleasant dreams.

Edited November 14, 2016 by DrmDoc

[workpsi]

I agree there is no way to know, but it's very plausible.

 

The dream of the death experience brings on anxiety, a weakened (cancer ridden, weak heart, etc.) subject on the brink of death - whether they know that or not - gets an arrhythmia, changes their breathing pattern and hyperventilates or becomes oxygen deprived - or gets a vagus nerve spasm - or releases adrenaline...sure, why not?

[Velocity_Boy]

I think I've heard this idea somewhere. Has anyone heard it before?

Can this really happen?

No. Not in and of itself, the act of dying in a dream cannot cause true physical depth. Unless of course the dreamer suffered a heart attack during the dreamer event. This death even then could not happen to a person in healthy cardiological condition. They would have to already of been suffering from poor heart health.

 

Other than that, the relationship between dying for real and in a dream would be a corrolary and not causal relation. That is, dreamer was going to perish in sleep anyway, and happened to be dreaming of doing do..Even by another cause....At thd tod.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Velocity_Boy

[ElitheColtsFan]

Hey guys so I just woke up from a dream where for some reason I was up in a really high cliff with no way down but jumping with a parachute and I'm so scared of heights but I jumped and I couldn't get the parachute to work so I saw the whole thing I fell and fell and hit the ground and woke up. I did not die but I was terrified and relieved when I woke up :|

[Area54]

It seems that, despite reaching the natural end of their life, some threads can be resurrected multiple times.

[John Cuthber]

We have a viable suggestion that dying in a dream may "scare someone to death" and we have had other views and thoughts expressed.. We seem to have several examples of people dying in dreams, but surviving in real life.
Perhaps we should ask that (in the interest of balance)the next post be from someone who did in fact die in real life as a consequence of dying in a dream.

 

[dimreepr]

5 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

We have a viable suggestion that dying in a dream may "scare someone to death" and we have had other views and thoughts expressed.. We seem to have several examples of people dying in dreams, but surviving in real life.
Perhaps we should ask that (in the interest of balance)the next post be from someone who did in fact die in real life as a consequence of dying in a dream.

2

I did... cough... I got better 

[Velocity_Boy]

On 4/8/2010 at 7:24 AM, Sisyphus said:

Short answer: no.

 

Longer answer: What happens to you in your dreams can't physically hurt you. I know this because there's no mechanism for it, no record of it ever happening, and a lifetime of my own personal experience. I've had all sorts of things happen to me in dreams, including dying.* In fact, I've even dreamed about being a ghost. Yet I'm still here!

 

At most, your emotional state in dreams might translate to increased heartrate, etc. So I suppose someone with a very weak heart might literally be "scared to death" by a dream, but even that would not be because they die in the dream.

 

*Not realistic dying, of course, since that would be impossible. You can't experience death, because death is the end of experience.

Actually...what happens in dreams...or more accurately.. Night terrors..can hurt you and even kill you.

All it takes is for the dream or nightmare to be vivid and lucid enough to cause cardiac arrest.

Given the fact that thousands of people who were illness or disease free die in their sleep ever single day on this planet, dream-spurred cardiac arrest is most likely not even all that uncommon.

One out of five alcoholics experiencing Delirium Tremens also die.

Due to cardiac arrest.

DT s are basically bad dreams brought on by the CNS s over heating due to the abrupt deprivation of a depressant chemical....alcohol in the form of ETOH5..that it has been flooded with for a prolonged and continual period of time.

Hope this helps.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Velocity_Boy