Human are Paralyzed during Dreams

Dreams can be intriguing, exhilarating, horrifying or just plain weird. But did you know you forget 95% of all your dreams? There’s a theory that suggests the changes that occur in the brain while sleeping do not support the processing of information and storage required for memory formation to occur. Even brain scans of sleeping persons have shown the frontal lobes – the part of the brain that influences memory formation – are inactive during REM sleep – when dreaming occurs.

Another interesting thing about REM sleep is that your voluntary muscles are in paralysis during this period. This occurrence is called REM atonia and it serves a very good purpose – preventing you from acting out your dreams during sleep. What happens at a basic level is that motor neurons are not stimulated which leads to temporary paralysis.

There are times the paralysis can even extend for as long as 10 minutes into the waking state, and this is referred to as sleep analysis. Some of you may have experienced it when you, for instance, wake up from a horrifying dream only to find yourself unable to move. This is perfectly normal though, and normal muscle control will return in a few.