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Why do we wake up (rather suddenly) when we die in dreams?


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Hello everybody I'm new to this website but my teacher recommended it to me. My theory for this question is that our brain perceives it as real information so when we die e.g. fall of a cliff and hit the water the body goes into shock which causes awakening. Another idea is that this has something to do with adrenaline in the body. Hope someone can weigh in on this topic. Thank you.

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Hello everybody I'm new to this website but my teacher recommended it to me. My theory for this question is that our brain perceives it as real information so when we die e.g. fall of a cliff and hit the water the body goes into shock which causes awakening. Another idea is that this has something to do with adrenaline in the body. Hope someone can weigh in on this topic. Thank you.

 

You may be using a definition of "[going] into shock" that has been diluted by pop science articles. Truly going into shock involves a life-threatening restriction of blood flow that requires immediate treatment.

 

I'm not sure that every time we have a death dream that we wake up, but if so, I think your adrenaline concept is closer to the mark. There are chemicals that are introduced while sleeping that paralyze the body, and it seems reasonable that adrenaline might stimulate (not shock) and override the GABA and glycine that keep you from really grabbing at all those branches on your somnolent plummet down the cliff.

 

Are these just personal ideas you'd like discussed, or do you have any questions?

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Hi Lino. Given the ethereal nature of dreaming I doubt you'll get a definitive answer to this question. The best we may be able to do is offer a series of anecdotes. I have died several times in dreams, most times causing me wake, but not always. From this i would say it is not necessarily the case we wake upon dying in a dream.

 

The physiological response is plausible, being consistent with our understanding of biology. Hitting the water and the rush of adrenaline are probably the same thing. The shock is an emotional response resulting in a physiological response culminating with waking up.

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This is known as a hypnic jerk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk

 

The next result in my search for that was false awakening (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_awakening) which I experienced quite a lot as a child. I have always assumed it was because I hated school so much, so my subconscious was trying to avoid actually getting up and going to school.

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Hello everybody I'm new to this website but my teacher recommended it to me. My theory for this question is that our brain perceives it as real information so when we die e.g. fall of a cliff and hit the water the body goes into shock which causes awakening. Another idea is that this has something to do with adrenaline in the body. Hope someone can weigh in on this topic. Thank you.

Hynogogia is what we call those experiences that occur between drowsiness and sleep that causes quick arousal. Dreams that cause quick arousal amid sleep are commonly referenced as nightmares. The thing to keep in mind is that the same parts of our brain that are active while fully awake are also active during dream sleep excluding the prefrontal cortex. It is likely that nightmares are an unconscious response to the stress of some life experience. Stress stimulates adrenaline production which can block sleep and cause premature arousal. Any interruption of the sleep process affects our brain's ability to flush toxins and restore it glycogen (energy) reserves. Chronic sleep deprivation (Fatal Familial Insomnia) could be fatal. However, there are remedies for mild forms of sleep disruptions, which you should consult with a specialist in your area.

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Thank you everybody for replying, these are usually questions that I think of and would usually ask my biology teacher so thank you again. I do agree with the adrenaline side of things because usually dreams happen subconsciously and would not make the brain perceive it a truly real (as it is busy performing other tasks). Look forward to discussing more topics.

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