Why lucid dreams occur

In real life, the wall will remain solid and impenetrable, but in a dream, the hand will easily pass through it. In real life, if we read the text on a poster, it will stay the same when we reread it. In a dream, however, the text will constantly shift. Conducting these experiments repeatedly throughout the day may make it easier to remember to conduct them during dreams, thus allowing the dreamer to gain awareness of the dream. Once awake, the person should aim to remain awake for a while before going back to sleep.

This technique is supposed to immerse the sleeper immediately into REM , which is the phase of sleep during which they are most likely to experience a lucid dream. It also appears that those who find it easy to lucid dream do not have much trouble recalling their dreams on a regular basis.

Aspy explained. Therefore, some people who are interested in exploring their dreams with full awareness may find it useful to keep a dream journal in which they record the dreams they have each night in as much detail as possible. The lucid dreamer we interviewed corroborated this idea by explaining that, for a long time, she used to enjoy writing down her dreams upon waking up. However, Dr. Another concern some people have is that engaging in lucid dreaming requires focus and effort, which might mean that the sleeper does not get enough rest.

In fact, the authors of a article expressed concern that frequent lucid dreaming may lead to disrupted sleep. Aspy explained that the lucid dreamers with whom he has worked in the past have not reported more tiredness or poorer sleep quality as a result of lucid dreaming.

One example of this is schizophrenia. This condition may cause people to have difficulty distinguishing between hallucinations and real-life events. In some cases, Dr. Aspy told us, lucid dreaming may actually exacerbate the condition. Other scientists ask whether or not encouraging lucid dreaming might blur the line between sleep-wake psychological boundaries.

They call for more research into how it might affect certain vulnerable people, including those who experience dissociation. Lucid dreaming may be a fascinating, helpful, or pleasant experience, but you should consider why you are interested in achieving it and what you expect to get from it before trying to experiment. Firm mattresses may suit people who want a supportive sleep surface. Learn about some of the best firm mattress options here. Using wrist accelerometers to generate data about sleep, researchers identified associations between sleep properties and mental health conditions.

There is a range of affordable mattresses available to order online. Learn about the best options…. Some studies have also shown a link between inducing lucid dreams and overcoming the fear and distress associated with nightmares. Lucid dream therapy has shown to be largely ineffective for some groups, such as people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some researchers have introduced another problem with lucid dreams: they are potentially disruptive to sleep. Since lucid dreams are associated with higher levels of brain activity, it has been suggested these dreams can decrease sleep quality and have a negative effect on sleep hygiene.

Additionally, people with narcolepsy — a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and irresistible sleep attacks — are more likely to experience frequent lucid dreams. The study of lucid dreams is fairly new and largely incomplete. More research is needed to better understand these types of dreams and pinpoint why some people are predisposed to more frequent and intense lucid dreams.

Triggering lucid dreams can be fairly easy with the right methods. Those who are inexperienced with these phenomena may be able to induce a lucid dream for themselves through the following means:. Other techniques may be used to induce lucid dreams. These include transcranial direct current stimulation tDCS , which painlessly applies electrical currents to different areas of the brain, and certain types of medications.

There is little scientific research to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods. These techniques are also only conducted in controlled clinical laboratory settings and should never be attempted by an individual unless under the supervision of a doctor or another credentialed medical or psychological professional. Danielle writes in-depth articles about sleep solutions and holds a psychology degree from the University of British Columbia. Rehman, M. A nighttime cough is the cold symptom most likely to interfere with sleep.

Learn how to sleep with a cough…. Learn more about the causes and underlying mechanisms of REM rebound, a phenomenon in which a person temporarily experiences more….

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies.

It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity.

Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. Updated October 30, Written by Danielle Pacheco. Medically Reviewed by Dr. Anis Rehman. How Are Lucid Dreams Studied? How To Lucid Dream. How Do Lucid Dreams Work? Some of the most common techniques include the following: Reality testing: This technique requires participants to perform tests throughout the day that differentiate sleep and waking.

For example, a participant may ask themselves whether or not they are dreaming during the day; since self-awareness is not possible during non-lucid dreams, being able to answer this question proves they are in fact awake.

Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams MILD : This technique involves training oneself to recognize the difference between dreams and reality during sleep. Wake back to bed WBTB : Some people can induce lucid dreams using this technique, which involves waking up in the middle of the night and then returning to sleep after a certain amount of time has passed.

When these two methods are used together, the most effective length of time between waking up and returning to sleep appears to be 30 to minutes. External stimulation: This technique involves flashing lights and other stimuli that are activated while the subject is in REM sleep. The rationale behind this method is that the sleeper will incorporate this stimuli into their dreams, triggering lucidity in the process.

Sign up below for your free gift. Your privacy is important to us. Roth adds. Again, the data is lacking and figuring out exactly how lucid dreams occur is tricky, notes Dr. But they occur mostly during REM sleep. Roth noted. But studies have focused on a handful of specific methods that participants suggest work. Just take it all with a grain of salt. Some examples include looking at your reflection in the mirror, pushing against solid objects or even trying to breathe through a pinched nose.

The MILD approach involves leveraging your intention to remember to do something in the future; in this case, remembering your dreaming. Typically combined with the MILD approach, this technique involves sleep disruption. After sleeping for a while, a person will intentionally wake themselves via an alarm, stay awake for a set amount of time, and then go back to sleep.

Other approaches involve devices delivering external stimuli to a person in REM sleep. At least two studies , including one involving throwing darts , looked at whether or not lucid dreams can help motor skills.

Both found data that suggests that lucid dreams can improve performance.