What is Lucid Dreaming and How to do It?

What is Lucid Dreaming? 

Dreams occur during the REM sleep stage – this is a stage characterized by rapid eye movements. During this stage of sleep, there is more activity in the visual, motor, emotional, and autobiographical memory regions of the brain. When awakened from this phase, people often report narrative and bizarre experiences or ‘dreams’. 

Similarly, lucid dreaming occurs during REM sleep. For some, it occurs spontaneously, but others can train themselves to start dreaming lucidly. 

The degree to which a person can influence their dreams can vary. Some can influence their own actions, the actions of others, their surroundings, and other aspects of their environment. For others, upon realizing they are dreaming, wake up immediately due to the adrenaline rush produced by the brain. But with some practice, everyone is capable of lucid dreaming. 

How to practice Lucid Dreaming? 

Different techniques can be used to induce lucid dreaming. Although there are still many questions about how we can increase people's ability to experience lucid dreams, science continues to advance in knowledge and experiment on this topic.  

Below are some of the techniques used when performing the scientific experiments conducted in this area. 

Reality Testing 

One technique to induce lucid dreams is through “reality testing”. Because many people are unaware of whether they are dreaming or not, they can test an action that can only occur during dreams. Through sensory observations such as passing their hand through a solid wall, they can deduce whether they are in a dream or in real life. 

Waking Back to Bed 

Another technique is setting an alarm that wakes them up 5 to 6 hours after going to sleep. Once awake, the sleeper must remain awake for a while before going back to sleep. Through this, the sleeper can more easily immerse back into REM sleep, thus increasing the chances of entering a lucid dream state. 

Lucid Affirmation 

A third way of inducing lucid dreams is to create a unique lucid dreaming affirmation. A typical lucid affirmation sounds like, “Tonight I will dream. I will be aware that I am dreaming. While dreaming, I will remember I am dreaming and change the dream.” The idea is to repeat this type of sentence at night while trying to fall asleep.  

Visualisation 

This way of inducing lucid dreams requires visualising the type of dream that one wants to live in bed. This task can be simplified by focusing on a dream that was already dreamt, using for example, a dream journal.  

Dream Journal 

Avid lucid dreamers commonly keep a dream journal to record their dreams. This is because maintaining a written document of one’s dreams has been shown to increase one’s ability to remember their dreams and thus control them during a dream state. 

Autosuggestion 

Lastly, another technique is based on the action of focusing on surprising components from past dreams, again utilising their dream journals, trying to implant those components into the dream as a signal to understanding that the goal is actually happening. 

Benefits of Lucid Dreaming 

There are benefits of dreaming, including the processing of memories and experiences. Lucid dreaming can help one get better REM sleep and reap these benefits. 

Treating Nightmares and Traumatic Experiences 

It has been suggested through research that REM sleep dreaming can take out the painful sting of challenging experiences that have occurred during the day. This is because the concentrations of the stress hormone and neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, a key component in the fight-or-flight response, sharply decline during REM sleep. It also reduces chances of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. 

Moreover, Jason G Ellis, professor of Sleep Science at Northumbria University, and an official member of the Emma Sleep Advisory Board conducted an experiment through which he preliminarily demonstrated that the lucid dreaming practice could have significant effects in reducing insomnia symptoms, especially those related to anxiety and depression. 

Relieving Anxiety 

During REM sleep, the brain processes and synthesizes memories and emotions, thus lessening the stress levels of individuals who get sufficient sleep. The emotional processing that happens during the neurobiological state of REM dream sleep occurs due to the integration of emotions and events into existing memory networks. The increased activity in the limbic and paralimbic structures of the brain allows for the reactivation of previously acquired affective experiences. This has been shown to free the brain from stress and anxiety. 

Enhancing Creativity 

Because REM sleep dreams allow memories to be linked together in abstract ways, this has been shown to increase creativity among individuals. While we are awake, our prefrontal cortex filters information according to its relevance so we are not overrun by the incoming stimuli of our everyday lives. It however shuts down while the visual areas of our occipital lobe increase in their activity. As a result, we develop new and unusual ideas at night and think more visually. This promotes a cerebral state conducive to solving previously challenging problems and generating creative ideas. 

Lucid Dreaming and Sleep Paralysis 

One concern people express about lucid dreaming is the occurrence of sleep paralysis. Because our skeletal muscles are completely paralyzed during REM sleep, the process can be frightening for sleepers when their brains are fully conscious. However, when we wake up and return to complete consciousness, the brain immediately releases the body from paralysis. Thus, this doesn’t pose any worrying risks for sleepers. 

In Summary 

With over 100 trillion neural connections, the brain is probably the most complex system in the universe. Neuroscientists are only beginning to discover the beautiful benefits of dreaming. From the emotional processing of past experiences and their integration into existing memory networks to promoting creativity and problem-solving skills, sufficient REM sleep is essential to a healthy and active brain. By getting more REM sleep and pursuing a lucid dream state, we can take control of these robust neural networks and better understand our everyday experiences.