You Can Control The Outcome Of Your Dreams. Sleep Scientists Explain How.
Dreams can be weird: sex dreams, stress dreams, dreams about your ex who you thought you were totally over. But have you ever had a dream so frustrating, upsetting, or bizarre that you wished you could have told your dream self to do something differently? Well, next time, there’s a potential solution. Enter: lucid dreaming.
Unlike ordinary dreaming, lucid dreaming is when you’re aware you’re dreaming—and, therefore, you can consciously influence what’s happening during your dream. If this sounds like something that's happened to you before, you’re not alone. A little over half the population has experienced a lucid dream at least once in their lives, according to a 2017 study, and about 20 percent of individuals experience lucid dreams at least once a month. Interestingly, teenagers and young adults may tend to have more lucid dreams, says Carleara Weiss, PhD, a sleep science advisor and research assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.
What does it feel like to have a lucid dream, exactly? “Say somebody’s dreaming that they’re walking through the street and a car’s coming their way,” Weiss says. “They say, ‘This is not real—I’m dreaming, so I’m going to stop this car with my hand,’ and then they put their hand out and stop the car and continue with the dream.” (Wow—so it kind of is like Inception.)
If you haven’t experienced a lucid dream before and are curious about having one, there are methods you can try to teach your brain how to do just that—and it can be super fun, or even beneficial if you struggle with distressing nightmares. “I think it makes a lot of sense to do what you can to make dreaming a more pleasurable experience,” says Audrey Wells, MD, a sleep medicine physician and CPAP expert.
Meet the experts: Carleara Weiss, PhD, is a sleep science advisor and research assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Audrey Wells, MD, is a sleep medicine physician and CPAP expert.
Ahead, experts dive into what happens in your brain during a lucid dream—plus, insight on how to train yourself to have your sweetest dreams yet.
What Happens In Your Brain During A Lucid Dream
First, it’s important to understand that there are four main stages of sleep. The first three stages are light sleep, deeper sleep, and deepest sleep, all of which are classified as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. The fourth stage is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is when lucid dreams can occur. These four stages cycle through about four to six times per night, allowing your brain to rest, repair, and make sense of your emotions through dream sleep, says Wells. “You’re processing emotions on a virtual playground that is your brain. Dreaming has a very important role in emotional regulation.” (Just one of the many reasons it's so vital to get enough sleep!)
Though you can have dreams during NREM sleep, it’s likelier for more interesting and in-depth dreams to occur during REM sleep. There are a few key things that happen to your body during this phase. As the name suggests, your eyes move quickly side to side, and almost all the muscles in your body are completely relaxed, says Wells. That is, except for three: the muscle that controls those lateral movements of your eyes, your diaphragm, and a tiny muscle in your ear.
When you have an ordinary dream, certain sensory areas in the brain activate, including those responsible for vision, hearing, and bodily sensations. You may remember these dreams upon waking if the neurochemical changes involved manage to reach the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of your brain that plays a key role in memory processing.
What distinguishes a lucid dream from a regular one is the addition of a third element: perceptual thinking, or cognitive control. This is when you’re able to actively engage with and manipulate the sensory experiences within your dream, heightening your awareness. Simply put, you’re not just perceiving the dream’s sensory input, which is what ordinary dreams involve—you’re actively aware you’re dreaming and can steer your dream’s content. However, there is currently no definitive explanation for how a dream neurologically transitions from being ordinary dream to becoming vivid and lucid, says Weiss.
The Benefits (And Risks) Of Lucid Dreaming
The best part of lucid dreaming? It can be entertaining! Whether you want to play around with your imagination and creativity, do something your dream self will enjoy, or make up exciting scenarios in dreamland (like flying or going on a date with your celebrity crush), lucid dreaming can just be fun. “It really enhances the pleasurable nature of sleep,” Wells says.
In addition to making dreaming a more enjoyable experience, many people use lucid dreaming to solve problems, have spiritual experiences, and even meditate, according to a study published in the International Journal of Dream Research that surveyed over 500 respondents.
Finally, lucid dreaming can also be helpful for those who experience frequent nightmares, as well as people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. In these cases, lucid dreamers can alter the course of distressing dreams. Typically, individuals with these types of conditions will work with a sleep specialist or psychologist, says Weiss. Before the person goes to sleep, the specialist will use different stimuli and memory recall techniques to help the individual change the outcome of their nightmares. The specialist will also monitor brain activity during REM sleep and ensure they’re on the right path to healing throughout the entire process.
That said, if you have underlying conditions like PTSD, anxiety, or depression, trying to lucid dream on your own may be upsetting, stresses Weiss. “If someone is going through a very stressful or sensitive period of their life, it may not be easy for them to manipulate the dream by themselves. We cannot exactly control the dream itself, but we can make manipulations to change the outcome of it,” says Weiss. To ensure lucid dreaming is a positive and healing experience in these instances, it’s always best to consult a sleep specialist or psychologist.
How To Train Your Brain To Lucid Dream
If you don’t possess any of the underlying conditions mentioned above and want to try lucid dreaming, it’s completely safe and something you can easily test out in the comfort of your own bed. Below, sleep experts share a few techniques you can try.
Establish a healthy sleep schedule and keep a dream journal.
Obviously, prioritizing good sleep is important for everyone, but especially if you want to give lucid dreaming a try, says Wells. Getting regular with your sleep time—for example, going to bed every night at 11:00 p.m. with lights off, phones away, and sleep noise machines on, if that’s your thing—can all help build a trustworthy sleep schedule. Brains love routine and consistency!
Once you’ve got your Z’s down pat, Wells recommends setting a timer after five or six hours of sleep. When your alarm wakes you up, jot down everything you can remember in your dream. Over time, this will help you connect to your dream state and increase your likelihood of having a lucid dream. (This tactic can take a few days or a couple weeks, but if you’re trying it nightly for a month and are still getting zero results, it’s okay to throw in the towel, says Wells. Repeated awakenings can contribute to less satisfactory sleep, and after all, your shuteye is precious!)
Try senses initiated lucid dreaming (SSILD).
One specific technique to train your brain to lucid dream is senses initiated lucid dreaming (SSILD), which is when you involve your senses about 30 minutes before hitting the hay, says Weiss. First, close your eyes and focus on what you see, even if it’s just darkness. Then, hone in on what you can hear, like your breathing or cars driving by outside your window. Lastly, notice how your body feels: Are your muscles tired? How do your sheets feel against your skin? Cycle through these exercises a few times until you fall asleep.
Though it’s a newer technique, the idea behind this method is that your heightened awareness of entering sleep will prompt your brain to experience a lucid dream.
Try mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD).
Another popular practice used to induce lucid dreams is mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). To do this, you wake up in the middle of the night (it’s best to aim for sometime after five hours of sleeping) and repeatedly visualize the last dream you had, explains Weiss. Then, before you fall back asleep, you repeat this phrase to yourself: “When I begin dreaming, I’m going to remember that I’m dreaming. I’m going to ease into my dream now.” Setting a clear intention makes you more likely to induce a lucid dream when you reenter REM sleep.
While more research is needed on SSILD and MILD, the 2020 International Lucid Dream Induction Study found that both techniques are similarly effective for inducing lucid dreams, and that successful lucid dream induction has no negative effects on sleep quality. It’s all about finding the method that works best for you.
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