How to Lucid Dream: 10 Techniques, Benefits & Cautions
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Updated
January 9, 2023
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Although we seldom remember our dreams, some people are curious to know more about them. Every person has had a lucid dream at least once in their life. In lucid dreaming, the dreamer is aware of the dream’s events. It is a type of conscious dreaming in which you can control your dreams and the outcomes of situations.
According to studies, lucid dreamers can control their environment in their dreams. However, controlling your dreams is only possible for some, but while dreaming lucidly, they are conscious of their dreams.
The science of lucid dreaming demonstrates that it has significant positive effects on the human body, including enhanced mental and psychological health, wish fulfillment, problem-solving abilities, and less anxiety. Can you control your dreams? Here is the complete lucid dreaming guide about how to have a lucid dream, how it works, and its benefits and cautions.
What Is Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is when you are aware that you’re dreaming while you’re asleep. Lucid dreams occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep phase. According to a study, 21% of people frequently have lucid dreams, and 55% have them at least once in their lives.
It is a composite state of consciousness that differs from an individual’s REM sleep and waking stage in recognizable and observable ways. Lucid dreaming enhances creativity, reduces emotional imbalances and issues, and even achieves real-life objectives. When you visualize a scene in your dream that you want to come true, you are preparing for it to happen in reality. Now the main question is: How to train yourself to lucid dream? How to dream about what you want? And how to control your dreams? So, now there are different lucid dreaming methods that we are going to discuss below.
Lucid Dreaming Techniques
How to get a lucid dream? Here are 11 different ways to lucid dream:
Reality Testing/Reality Checking
A technique for improving metacognition is reality testing or reality checking. Doing this can teach your mind to become aware of its own awareness. When you are awake and when you’re dreaming, your metacognition is similar. Higher levels of metacognition during waking hours will result in higher levels of metacognition during dreaming. How to lucid dream every night should start with a reality check in the morning.
Different exercises to perform a reality check are as follows:
Continually check the clock time, then look away, and then again look back. Do you see the same time as before?
Keep a close eye on your hands and feet. Do these appear fairly normal?
Examine your reflection in the mirror to make sure it appears normal.
Make Your Bedroom Comfortable for Dreaming
At the end of your sleep cycle, known as REM, lucid dreams occur. The REM stage increases with every sleep cycle. How to lucid dream fast? How to practice lucid dreaming? It will help if you need a peaceful sleep environment to experience lucid dreams more quickly and with more awareness. Keep your bedroom dark, calm, and peaceful as much as possible. To block any further light, use eye masks or blackout curtains. Set the white noise machine to play soothing music and the room temperature to mid-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep a Dream Journal
Keeping a dream journal is the best way to initiate lucid dreams. How do dreams work? How to trigger a lucid dream? How to lucidly dream about your goals? All these questions require a journal to know exactly what you dream about while sleeping. As soon as you awaken, journal everything you remember about your lucid dreams during a REM cycle or in the morning.
Awoken, Dream Journal Ultimate, and DreamKeeper are a few dream journal apps that you can download. This dream journal will make it easier to keep track of your dreams.
Recognize Your Dream Patterns
More than just keeping a journal, notice the types of dreams or people that occur repeatedly. This shows your inner psyche and the growth you require to control your dreams. The most significant change is that you will begin to recognize the times of your lucid dreams and sleep cycles. The answer to how to lucid dream tonight will become super easy. Additionally, lucid dreaming helps overcome the state of viewing nightmares.
WBTB Lucid Dreaming (Wake Back to Bed)
The Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) technique increases the likelihood of waking during the REM sleep stage. You can set the alarm for 4.5, 6, or 7 hours later to awaken while you are still in the REM sleep period. The second half of the night’s sleep is when the REM phase lasts the longest; therefore, the likelihood of being in it increases in the last two.
After waking up, stay awake for the next 30 to 60 minutes. Either prepare your dream journal, read a book, or do something that requires alertness and brain activity. This will help your brain become alert during lucid dreaming and keep your body restful. Hence, you’ll be able to remember what you see in your dreams afterward and even control them. How to practice lucid dreaming? This dream journal and WBTB technique boost your control and power over lucid dreams.
MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams)
The MILD (Mnemonic Induction to Lucid Dreaming) technique is the first and best way to lucid dream. In 1980, LaBerge developed this technique, and other lucid dreaming tips are also boosted with this method. A Stanford researcher said he could visualize 18 to 26 lucid dreams every month, up to four per night, and the other 13 dreams involved using suggestions.
Here are the steps to lucid dreaming with this technique:
Consider recalling your most recent dream as you begin to nod off.
Keep in mind something unusual that would only occur in a dream. For instance, “flying in the sky.”
As you go back to sleep, keep in mind this sign.
“I’m dreaming, and I’m aware of what I’m dreaming,” tell yourself. Say this sentence aloud 20–30 times in your mind.
WILD (Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming)
The WILD (Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming) technique enables you to go directly from the waking state into a dream. Dreaming while awake, lying down, closing your eyes, and relaxing until you enter the hypnagogic hallucination (hallucination that occurs only while sleeping). WILD is the simplest and best way to lucid dream, but learning it is pretty tricky. Other lucid dreaming methods will make it easier to adapt this technique. Creating a pleasant sleeping environment, keeping a dream journal, reality testing, and adhering to other tips will also aid in learning this.
Go Back to Sleep
Try falling back asleep if you wake up in the middle of a dream. Focus on the dream and this time keep in mind that you are dreaming. You will learn how to have a lucid dream through this method.
Power of Suggestion
According to scientist Waggoner, “using the power of suggestion appeared to be one of the most common practices to induce a lucid dream.” Recite phrases to yourself such as “Today I’ll realize whenever I’m in dreams and become aware of what I’m dreaming.” Giving suggestions to your mind helps it focus better on those things.
Try Devices That Induce Lucid Dreams
Nowadays, it’s possible to carry portable devices that induce lucid dreams. Devices such as sleep masks, headbands, flashing lights, white noise machines, and other things help achieve a lucid dream.
Try Some Gaming
Playing video games is another best way to have lucid dreams. This is because video games are fictitious and under our control with the devices used to win the game. Similarly, dreams are unusual, and controlling your dreams is also in your control.
How Does Lucid Dreaming Work
Normal dreams can occur at any stage of sleep, but studies have shown that lucid dreams mainly occur during the REM sleep stage. According to some researchers, the development of conscious (lucid) dreaming is influenced by brain activity in the prefrontal cortex. Non-lucid dreams are those in which a person is unaware of what they are seeing and feeling and cannot tell the difference between the dream and reality. Lower levels of cortical activity are partly blamed for it.
When we have lucid dreams, the cortical activity increases, and we are conscious of our dreams. Your lucid dream can be a vivid dream, a nightmare, or a fictional story that can never happen in real life. Lucid dreams are primarily associated with the non-lucid dreams you see during the REM sleep stage.
Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
The benefits of lucid dreaming are:
Reduced anxiety
Having control over your dreams might give you a sense of empowerment. You can influence the outcome of a situation when you are lucid dreaming, which helps you deal with issues in reality. This lessens anxiety, builds self-confidence, and enables you to get over mental health concerns.
Better motor skills
Studies show that practicing lucid dreams improves your motor skills. Skills such as tapping your fingers more quickly, becoming more proficient in a sport, and others.
Improved problem-solving
Studies show that lucid dreaming helps increase problem-solving skills. Imagine that how you want to see yourself in real life is similar to how you behave in dreams, and you will see changes in real life.
More creativity
If you dream about tasks that call for original ideas, lucid dreaming fosters creativity. Some people dream of fresh discoveries or ideas that improve their performance and abilities in the real world.
Cautions Related to Lucid Dreaming
Training your mind to perform something might negatively impact your mind or body. These lucid dreaming methods might result in the following:
- WBTB and MILD techniques will train your body to wake up in the middle of the night. This would result in disturbed sleep, sleep problems such as insomnia, and insufficient sleep.
- A person’s depression may worsen if their sleep is disrupted using lucid dreaming tips.
If you’re already suffering from a sleep disorder, this will lead to sleep paralysis.
Conclusion
Lucid dreaming is when you’re aware that you are dreaming. How to lucid dream every night? How to lucid dream fast? You must try these lucid dreaming methods to learn how to have more lucid dreams and control your dreams. Lucid dreaming benefits your body in many aspects, such as reducing fears and anxiety, enhancing motor and problem-solving skills, fulfilling wishes, and others. If you feel any negative impacts from induction techniques, consult a doctor as soon as possible.
FAQs
Yes, lucid dreaming is real. According to studies, lucid dreams, in which we are conscious of our dreams, have a variety of positive effects on both the body and the mind.
Lucid dreams mostly occur during the REM sleep stage. Lucid dreams are mostly connected with the non-lucid dreams you experience during the REM phase of sleep.
The first REM sleep phase occurs after 90 minutes of falling asleep and lasts only 10 minutes. REM sleep increases with every sleep cycle and is the longest during the last sleep cycle. The chances of experiencing lucid dreams are higher during the last REM sleep phase.
Lucid dreams last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes because the REM sleep cycle is much shorter, and the first phase starts at 10 minutes.
Lucid dreaming induction techniques may lead to severe sleep disorders such as insomnia. It may also result in disrupted sleep, insufficient sleep, or a more depressive state in a person suffering from depression.
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