Buy now, pay later
From exciting rip-roaring adventures to bizarre incoherent scenes mashed together, or those dreaded nightmares that creep up on us out of the blue, dreaming is a natural and regular part of our time asleep.
But for most of us, these dreams are forgotten almost instantly upon waking, and we go about our day blissfully unaware of whatever was rattling around our heads during the middle of the night.
However, for a growing number of people, dreams are not simply something that our mind conjures up unprompted in the wee hours of the morning, and with the right mindset and stimuli, studies have shown it’s actually possible to influence or control what’s going on within them.
This phenomenon is what’s known as lucid dreaming, and it’s something all of us have the potential to do with enough practice. But what is a lucid dream, and is it something that’s actually safe for us to do? Keep reading to learn more about this elusive sleep experience.
What is a lucid dream?
Lucid dreaming is the term given to an unusual state of mental awareness that occasionally occurs during REM sleep – the point in the sleep cycle where we tend to dream the most deeply.
This exceptional state of mental lucidity (hence the name) causes you to essentially become ‘conscious’ in your dream, though you don’t physically wake or leave the dream space.
From here, those who’ve experienced lucid dreams report being able to manipulate or even control what takes place inside their dream, dictating its course in a very vivid and real way and remembering it distinctly upon waking.
What causes lucid dreams?
Much like the science behind what causes typical dreams, research around what causes lucid dreams is still rather limited, due to it being a very difficult thing to monitor and study. Lucid dreaming itself has only really entered the public eye in the last two decades or so, thus there have only been limited investigations into this area of sleep science.
For the most part, scientists are in agreement that the majority of lucid dreams occur spontaneously in individuals predisposed to such phenomenon, though many also agree that it may be possible to train your mind to notice your own consciousness while asleep in order to prompt a lucid dreaming experience.
What are the benefits of lucid dreaming?
Given that lucid dreaming is technically a naturally occurring part of dreaming, many scientists have wondered what the benefits of lucid dreaming are for the mind and body, or whether it’s just a strange dream side-effect that we sometimes experience.
Generally speaking, those who experience lucid dreams regularly state that they feel more creative overall and that their problem-solving skills have improved. Many also mention feeling a sense of personal development from certain events played out in their dream space.
From a more scientific standpoint, many therapists have pointed out the benefits of lucid dreaming as an aid for treating recurring nightmares, insomnia, anxiety, and potentially even PTSD – provided it’s used alongside other therapy techniques, such as imagery rehearsal therapy and CBT.
Still, with all that being said, it’s worth highlighting that none of these alleged benefits of lucid dreaming have been proven, and it’s agreed further research is needed to truly determine whether or not these benefits are real or merely a placebo effect.
How to lucid dream
Ok, so we know what lucid dreaming is and its potential benefits, but at this point you’re probably wondering how to lucid dream in the first place. And to that we say… it’s complicated.
As we stated earlier, most lucid dreams are entirely spontaneous, ironically removing the dreamers’ control as to whether or not they happen. However, there are certain techniques you can try to increase the odds of a lucid dream occurring.
For example, most scientists studying lucid dreams agree that the best way to promote the potential of experiencing this phenomenon is to ensure two key things:
- That your bedroom is designed for sound sleeping, e.g., dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature
- That you’re already sleeping well, to begin with
Naturally, investing in a high-quality mattress and soft bedding is a must as well, even if all you get out of the experiment is a great night’s sleep. From here, you can then try to prompt a lucid dream by trying any of the following techniques:
1. Reality testing
Reality testing is a form of mental training that supposedly teaches your mind to notice your own awareness. This can be done throughout the day by, in essence, checking with yourself that the world around you is indeed real and that you’re not asleep.
Then, once it is time for bed, it’s implied that you may be able to perform a reality check in your dream. If you can check your environment and something strange happens, such as your hand passing through a solid object, then you’ll know you’re in a dream and you might be able to start the lucid dreaming process.
2. The wake-back-to-bed technique
For those who don’t mind waking up in the middle of the night, the wake-back-to-bed technique may be for you – though given how important sleep is, we’d only recommend trying this on a weekend or when you know you can sleep in the next day.
Essentially, the wake-back-to-bed technique requires you to go to bed as you normally would but set an alarm to wake you up after 5 hours. Then, you need to do something calming for 30 minutes that requires your full attention, like reading, before going back to bed. After doing this, you will allegedly be more likely to have a lucid dream experience.
3. Mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming
Widely considered one of the oldest methods for inducing lucid dreaming, mnemonic induction focuses on setting the intention to dream later on, with the idea being that you will be more likely to come to consciousness in said dream if you prompt it to happen in your mind.
Upon going to bed, it’s suggested that you think of a recent dream you had. Having picked one, you then need to pick an identifying and unusual aspect of that dream to focus on, acknowledging that that weird thing only happens in that dream and that you want to return to said dream to experience it again.
From here, tell yourself that the next time you dream you will remember this aspect and that it will mean you’re dreaming, reciting it in your head as you go to sleep. In theory, by doing this, you can trigger a lucid dream event to occur.
4. Keeping a dream journal
Last but not least, if all of the above methods sound a bit too esoteric and disruptive for your tastes, then one other method you could try is to update a dream journal every morning.
You want to do this as soon as you wake up while your dreams are still fresh in your mind. By writing them down, you’re forcing yourself to remember them and recognise patterns. This in turn has the potential to make you more aware of when you’re dreaming by noting these patterns as they occur, enabling you to naturally sidestep into a lucid dream state.
How to wake up from a lucid dream
Like any type of dream, be it a nightmare or otherwise, you will eventually wake up from a lucid dream naturally. However, should you wish to try lucid dreaming for yourself and want to know how to wake up from a lucid dream early, the following methods are widely considered to be the most reliable:
- Speaking aloud or yelling in your dream
- Blinking repeatedly
- Falling asleep in the dream
- Reading in your dream
- Deep breathing and closing your mind off to what’s happening around you
Doing all of these is thought to activate the parts of your brain that stimulate your body to wake up, ending your lucid dream and bringing you back to reality. Alternatively, you could simply set an alarm and allow it to do the waking up for you.
Is lucid dreaming dangerous?
Lucid dreaming is not considered a dangerous practice, and you should not be worried if you experience an unprompted lucid dream out of the blue. However, attempting to incite regular lucid dreaming could have detrimental effects on your sleep and mental health due to the methods used to induce it.
As we noted above, some lucid dreaming methods involve waking in the night, which will disrupt your sleep cycle, while a few others suggest actively staying awake to induce a state of hallucination (something we would not recommend you ever do).
Other studies have shown that attempts at lucid dreaming can lead to bouts of sleep paralysis, which can be quite scary if you’ve never experienced it before. While an interesting thing to attempt, you should never place instigating a lucid dream over getting a good night’s sleep.
Prioritise your sleep first
As we've mentioned, getting a good night's sleep should be your first priority, and you shouldn't attempt lucid dreaming if there's a chance it can mess with your sleeping pattern or regular quality of sleep. For more tips and advice on sleeping better, read our Snooze News blog, or browse our range of mattresses and pillows to enhance your sleep set-up.
