Dreaming that you cannot open your eyes
A dream in which you cannot open your eyes often has a physical side: while dreaming, your eyes really are closed, and sometimes you half notice that. The dream is also often about something you do not see or do not want to see: a situation that is unclear, or something you would rather ignore. The feeling of powerlessness that goes with it often says the most.
What happens in your body
During REM sleep your eyes move rapidly beneath your closed eyelids, while the rest of your body is held still. When you are almost awake, your brain can notice that your eyes are closed and that you cannot simply open them. In the dream that feels like heavy eyelids, or being blind. It is often linked with fatigue or with sleep paralysis, and is harmless.
What you do not want to see
Beyond the physical side, the dream is often read as something you are not facing. A relationship in which you ignore signals, a decision you postpone, a truth that hurts. The feeling of wanting to open your eyes but failing points to a part of you that already knows, and a part that is not ready yet.
When to seek help
If you also have eye complaints during the day, see less well or have pain, simply have it checked. If you often wake up unable to move or open your eyes, discuss it with your doctor: that may be sleep paralysis, which is well understood and can often be reduced.
How the traditions read this dream
Christian
The Bible often speaks of seeing and blindness in a spiritual sense. The psalmist prays: open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law. Paul is blinded for three days on the road to Damascus, and regains his sight as he begins to understand. A dream in which you cannot open your eyes can be read along those lines as a question: what can I not yet see, and what do I need to see it?
Biblical dream interpretation: dreams and symbols in the Bible →Islamic
In classical Islamic interpretation the eyes often stand for insight and for faith: what you see and understand. A dream in which you cannot see is read cautiously as a period of unclarity or of something you do not yet understand. The advice is to ask for guidance, for example with the prayer for guidance, istikhara, when facing a decision, and after an anxious dream to seek protection with God.
Islamic dream interpretation: meanings, symbols and Ibn Sirin →Buddhist
Buddhism speaks of ignorance as one of the roots of suffering: not seeing how things really are. A dream in which you cannot open your eyes can be read along those lines as an image of a mind that does not yet see clearly. At the same time the tradition invites patience. Insight does not come by forcing, but by becoming still and looking attentively at what is there.
Buddhist dream interpretation: what your dream means →What does your dream mean?
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
Why can I not open my eyes in my dream?
Often because your eyes really are closed while dreaming and your brain half notices it, especially when you are almost awake. It is harmless.
Is it sleep paralysis?
Sometimes. If you also cannot move on waking, it is probably sleep paralysis. Discuss it with your doctor if it happens often.
What does being blind in a dream mean?
Often something you do not see or do not want to see, or a period in which you do not know the way well.