Physical sensation in dream?

I don't know if everyone else can identify with this, but usually for me a dream feels very dead. If anything physical takes place, such as a fight, you know it's a dream right away, because you can't feel anything.
Fights or other conflict make their way into my dreams a lot, and of course since I can't feel my muscles I invariably feel very weak in my dreams. I realize its a dream, and I wake up.
Not lately though. My body feels heavy, my muscles feel tense, and sometimes i swear I can more or less sense pain. It's made for some really life-like dreams. It's changed the whole course of my dreams even. Normally I feel fairly powerless in dreams because I have no sense of myself, but being able to "feel" (and its not perfect but for a dream its pretty strong) I'm suddenly having dreams that work out a lot better. If I'm in a fight in a dream I win (rare for my dreams). If I'm working on something or trying to move something I can do it (again, not common in my dreams).

I was just wondering if anybody else has noticed this in their own dreams, and if so do you think it's a cause or effect? Is it a change of attitude that causes you to feel different in your dreams, or is it a quirk in your dreams that perhaps ends up affecting your attitude?

I have the same thing happen to me sometimes. I feel a tingle after falling from high up in my feet. I think dreams have control over your entire brain functions like sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing amoungst other things.

This could be due to you hightening your awareness of yourself. when you sleep you dont know and you act how would usually as if your awake(in some cases you dont ) . but try to fully control all your dreams. ive tried but i cant. i think in some ways if you can get into a deep maditation its like being asleep but awake at the same time. i dont know how they relate but i have a feeling medition and dreaming go hand in hand. but you cant just do anykind of meditation only certain kinds, in which you are trying to be more aware of your surroundings as well as your self.

i look forward to the day i hear of some one having total control of their dreams, as well as the plot of the dream. but this first can only happen through self control. if you can control all your actions and feelings here, then when your alseep who knows what you can do