10 Tips for How to Lucid Dream

10 Tips for How to Lucid Dream

There are currently no highly reliable methods for inducing lucid dreaming. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that lucid dreaming is a skill that can be developed and studied empirically, but the effects, though significant, are small.⁵ Some people seem better able to achieve lucidity than others, but studies have shown that there are techniques to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming.

Here are ten tips for lucid dreaming:

1. Reflection and Reality Testing

Reflection and reality testing require a person to check in with oneself regularly throughout the day to assess whether they are dreaming or awake. Identifying incongruencies in the environment can help test reality and indicate that one is actually in a dream state. This method assumes that one will not identify incongruencies in the waking environment and thus is not recommended for individuals with mental health disorders involving psychotic symptoms.

Here are some different types of reality checks to try:

• Check your mirror to see if your reflection looks normal.
• Hold your nose and try to inhale; if you can still breathe through your nose, you are dreaming.
• Look for incongruencies in your environment that don’t seem to follow typical logic (e.g., a floating apple, a friend who lives in a different country casually walking into the room).
• Try to move or drop a solid object and see if that object follows the laws of physics, such as dropping to the floor with gravity.
• Press your finger against the wall and see if it goes through.
• Focus on a clock for a few minutes and see if the time is changing at an unrealistic pace.

2. Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) Method

After a long sleep period of approximately 4-6 hours, the individual is awakened and stays awake for a short time before going back to sleep. There are different variations of this protocol, such as varying the prior amount of sleep, the amount of time awake, or the activity engaged during that time, if any. Often the WBTB protocol is used in combination with other methods involving intention, autosuggestion, or MILD.

Using the alarm clock ‘snooze’ function is a variation of the WBTB method and has been associated with increased lucid dream frequency.⁶ ‘Snooze’ function usage, however, typically involves very brief awakenings, and research has shown the WBTB method to be most effective when the person stays awake for more than 30 minutes but less than 120 minutes before falling back asleep, with 60 minutes being optimal.⁷

The amount of prior sleep also matters with the efficacy of this method, with higher amounts of prior sleep being more likely to result in REM sleep conducive to lucid dreaming. In terms of waking activity, dreamwork (writing down the dream, identifying dream cues, and practicing the MILD technique) is most recommended for inducing subsequent lucid dreams.

3. Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)

The MILD technique requires an individual to rehearse the desired dream storyline before falling asleep and then visualize achieving and maintaining lucidity. This method is most effective when combined with other techniques (e.g., WBTB), and has demonstrated efficacy in increasing lucid dream frequency in a laboratory setting.  As a combination of intention and rehearsal, this method relies on one’s ability to set an intention and requires practice.

4. Intention, Autosuggestion & Tholey’s Combined Technique

The Intention method for invoking lucid dreams requires an individual to intensively imagine oneself in a lucid dream situation and recognize that it is, in fact, a dream. This method is quite similar to MILD, with the subtle distinction that the Intention method emphasizes recognizing that one is dreaming, while MILD emphasizes controlling the course of the dream as well.

Combining intention with reality testing and autosuggestion, referred to as Tholey’s Combined Technique, has shown to be effective in some research studies.⁸ As the name suggests, autosuggestion involves suggesting to oneself to have a lucid dream while in a state of relaxed wakefulness before falling asleep.

5. Post-Hypnotic Suggestion

This method requires a hypnotherapist to induce a hypnotic trance and suggest that the entranced individual will experience a lucid dream in their subsequent sleep period. While the efficacy of this technique is mixed, one laboratory study did find this method to result in more lucid dreams during NREM than REM.⁹

6. Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming (WILD) & Dream Re-entry

The WILD method invokes lucid dreaming through pre-sleep activity, like focusing on one’s breath or bodily sensations or counting. Essentially, one is combining relaxation with focused awareness and hoping to bring that awareness to sleep mentation. As with other methods, WILD is most effective when combined with the WBTB protocol.

The Dream Re-entry method is basically the combined use of WILD with WBTB. When a dreamer awakens, he or she is instructed to stay still and focus on an activity (e.g., counting, focusing on one’s body) that is believed to bring conscious awareness back into the dream mentation as the person falls back asleep. This method has a success rate of 23%, with the activity of counting being more effective than body scanning.¹⁰

7. External Stimulation

Once a person is in REM sleep, external stimuli, such as a sound (voice, beep), light, odor, vibration, rocking (in a hammock), or electric pulse, can cue the dreamer that they are, in fact, asleep and dreaming. Several devices (e.g., DreamLight, NovaDreamer, Remee, REM-Dreamer, Zmax, iBand, Aurora) and corresponding mobile apps have been designed around this method with varying degrees of capability and price ($65-$900).¹¹

8. Cortical Stimulation

While external stimulation refers to sensory cues delivered to the sense organs, cortical stimulation techniques deliver electrical stimulation to the cortical brain tissue, leading to excitability or inhibition (depending on the parameters). Despite a paucity of studies examining this avenue, there is some evidence that lucid dream frequency increases after transcranial direct current stimulation.¹²

There are lucid dreaming devices in development that claim to be able to stimulate the cortex; however, research backing that claim is questionable, and the current generated is likely not strong enough to reach cortical tissue directly.¹³ Nonetheless, it remains possible that true transcranial cortical stimulation, as would be delivered by a stronger machine in a laboratory, might have promise in lucid dream induction.

9. Substance Intervention

Medications that modulate the neurotransmitter acetylcholine have typically been used to improve attention and memory in Alzheimer’s disease (donepezil and galantamine) and have also been shown to increase lucid dream frequency in non-clinical individuals.^{14, 15} However, they may also increase the likelihood of sleep paralysis, which is an arousal condition in which one awakens from sleep but is still under the influence of dream mentation and typical REM-related paralysis (i.e., atonia).¹⁶

There are also anecdotal reports of vitamin supplements and psychoactive drugs increasing lucid dream frequency, but there are currently no experimental studies supporting these claims. However, it is interesting that psychoactive drugs taken during a lucid dream (and not in reality) continue to have effects after waking for 21% of lucid dreamers, suggesting the power of lucid dreaming to affect waking life, even if only a placebo effect.¹⁷

10. Keep a Record of Your Dreams

One method for becoming lucid in a dreamscape is to recognize cues that one is in fact dreaming, since typically an individual is unaware of their state in a traditional dream. Noting dream elements upon awakening can help in the training process — that is, establishing specific things personalized to your mind that may reappear in future dreams.

Sleep Hygiene & Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming typically occurs towards the end of a sleep period (3-4 sleep cycles of 90 minutes each). Sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, sleep apnea) can disrupt sleep architecture and preclude someone from achieving restorative sleep (i.e., slow-wave sleep, stages 3 and 4). The brain will keep trying to achieve slow-wave sleep and never reach the ideal point in the sleep period for lucid dreaming (i.e., REM sleep).

Healthy sleep hygiene and treatment for sleep disorders can help to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming. If you think you may have a sleep disorder, ask your primary healthcare provider for the best way to have your sleep evaluated or search an online directory for sleep specialists.

Some ways to practice healthy sleep hygiene include:

• Install blackout shades
• Minimize screen time starting 1 hour before going to bed
• Avoid caffeine and other stimulants after 2 pm
• Avoid eating close to bedtime
• Avoid alcohol before bed
• Avoid napping for more than 20 minutes during the day
• Keep the ambient temperature on the cooler side
• Keep a consistent, reasonable bedtime each night
• Create a bedtime routine for the hour before you intend to sleep
• Do not do work or other stimulating activities in bed
• Do engage in relaxing activities like mild stretching, yoga, and meditation

How to Wake Up From a Lucid Dream

There are no scientific studies on methods to wake up from a lucid dream, only anecdotal reports from experienced lucid dreamers. While some lucid dreamers may be able to terminate a dream intentionally, others may need to wait for an external source to wake them, such as an alarm clock or light.

Here are some tips for waking up from a lucid dream:

• Blink: People can be trained to intentionally move their eyes in a specific pattern during a lucid dream, and researchers use lateral eye movement patterns in electrooculogram recordings to confirm self-reports of lucidity. Similarly, intentionally moving eyes up and down in a blinking motion may help one to trigger the eye movement usually associated with waking up.
• Go to sleep: Some lucid dreamers have reported that falling asleep in their lucid dreams actually wakes them up in reality.
• Yell: Yelling “wake-up” or screaming in your dream can perhaps tell your brain it’s time to wake up.
• Fall: Do you ever wake up from a dream after falling? As long as you are 100% positive that you are dreaming. The dream sensation of falling may activate your arousal mechanisms and help you to terminate the dream state and wake up.¹⁸
• Set an alarm: Set an alarm before going to sleep for a specific time.
• Use light: Replace bulbs with smart bulbs that can turn on at a specified time in the morning. Leaving curtains open to allow natural light to enter the room can help the wake-up process as well.

Benefits of Learning How to Lucid Dream

There are several potential benefits to learning lucid dream techniques. At the very least, even if you can’t attain the elusive lucid dream, several methods offer time for self-reflection and self-care. For some people seeking adventure, lucid dreaming is an exploratory venture, while for others, it serves a therapeutic role, helping to overcome fears or engage in problem-solving.

Potential benefits of lucid dreaming include:

• Reduced nightmares: By empowering the individual with the ability to recognize that the dream is just a dream and then be able to change the course of the dream, lucid dream training has shown potential as a treatment for frequent nightmares.¹⁹
• Skill enhancement: Dreaming, in general, is believed to help with rehearsing skills, learning, and memory. Lucid dreaming, in which one intentionally practices a specific skill, has been shown to enhance motor performance and creative problem-solving.^{20, 21}
• Improvements to mental health: Lucid dreamers have reported reduced stress and higher life satisfaction and self-esteem the day after lucid dreaming compared to unsuccessful lucid dreamers.²² One study found that lucid dreaming therapy can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with non-lucid dreaming.²³
• Reduced insomnia: While some sleep experts warn that the methodology used to invoke lucid dreams can result in poor sleep and fragmentation of sleep patterns, other research suggests that it can help treat insomnia.^{24, 25}

Drawbacks of Learning How to Lucid Dream

While lucid dreaming can be therapeutic and enjoyable for some people, it may not be a good idea for everyone. Fascinating as it may be, blurring the line between waking reality and dream mentation can present certain drawbacks and risks.

Possible drawbacks of lucid dreaming include:

Sleep disturbances

Research findings are mixed on whether lucid dreaming interferes with sleep architecture and quality. While it may seem logical that regular, premature awakenings could lead to daytime sleepiness, recent research suggests that overall sleep quality is not particularly affected by lucid dreaming.²⁶ This is likely because lucid dream episodes tend to happen towards the end of the sleep period after deep, restorative (slow wave) sleep has already occurred.

Derealization

Reality testing during waking life is one method that some people try to establish a mindset or routine thought pattern to use in a potential lucid dream. However, constant engagement in reality testing during waking life can lead to derealization and start interfering with daily activity, attention, and focus and possibly even lead to paranoia and anxiety, especially for some individuals with certain mental health conditions.

Depression Symptoms

While getting enough sleep is crucial to mental health, too much sleep can actually exacerbate depressive symptoms.²⁷ In fact, REM sleep deprivation has been used therapeutically to treat depression.²⁸ Being that lucid dreaming episodes typically occur after a healthy amount of sleep has already taken place, attempts to enter the lucid dream state may encourage one to sleep more than what is optimal.

Psychosis

While a typical person may be able to discern reality from dream mentation while awake, individuals with psychotic symptoms (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder) may experience sensory or perceptual incongruencies in daily life. Reality testing for these individuals may be dangerous and present a risk for themselves and others.

Sleep Paralysis

Similar to how lucid dreaming is a hybrid state between sleep and wakefulness, sleep paralysis is an arousal phenomenon in which one awakens from REM sleep but is still under the influence of dream mentation and REM-related paralysis (normal muscle inhibition that prevents you from acting out your dreams).²⁹ Methods that toy with the sleep-wake threshold also risk inducing an episode of sleep paralysis which can be quite distressing for the individual since imagery can be frightening (e.g., alien abduction, demon sitting on one’s chest).

Hampering Unconscious

While it may seem desirable to control the course of your dream, lucidity can stifle the natural flow of a dream, restricting your brain from working through thoughts, memories, and experiences freely and creatively. REM sleep is believed to be involved in memory consolidation and learning, and interference with this natural process may hamper such function.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you are interested in using lucid dreaming techniques to mitigate mental health symptoms like recurring nightmares or anxiety, consider seeking help from a licensed mental health professional also. Therapy for anxiety is available online, or you can consult an online therapist directory to find a therapist near you.

In My Experience

Over 20 years ago, I was loaned a pair of lucid dreaming goggles by a sleep laboratory colleague to test for a brief period. Though skeptical, I was intrigued and tried to achieve the elusive lucid dream. Similar to the majority of people who try these lucid dreaming devices without training, I was not successful. However, it did prompt me to review the scientific literature on lucid dreaming, and I discovered that there were, in fact, laboratory studies demonstrating the validity of this hybrid sleep-wake state of consciousness.

Existing methods for lucid dream induction are only mediocre in reliability. Validity tests are currently confined to detecting in an eye movement recording (electrooculogram) that a person moved their eyes in a predetermined pattern (e.g., left-right-left-right) to signal from the dream state that lucidity has been achieved. While sleep laboratories can confirm physiological measures, like eye movement and sleep stage, many of the field studies on lucid dreaming rely on self-report data, which hold less experimental validity.

Despite less-than-ideal reliability and validity, there does seem to be scientific evidence beyond error or chance in support of this somewhat elusive (but attainable by some with training) phenomenon. For the minority of people that are able to achieve lucidity in their dreams regularly and at will, it can be a powerful tool for personal exploration, growth, and even therapeutic intervention (e.g., to treat anxiety). I bid you sleep and perchance to lucid dream.