what does it mean to have lucid dreams often

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I'm fascinated by dreams. I know I'm not solitary in this. As a sleep proficient, I'm constantly beingness asked about dreams. People want to know what their dreams hateful (I'thousand frequently as stumped as anybody else about the strangeness of dreams). People want to know what purpose dreams serve (scientists who study dreams are notwithstanding searching for an respond to that very big question).

I'm especially fascinated by a item blazon of dream: lucid dreams.  In lucid dreams, the dreamer is aware of the fact that he or she is dreaming. During lucid dreams, dreamers often can fifty-fifty manipulate or control their dream equally it's happening.

Dreams have preoccupied humans for equally long as we've been dreaming. And we've always been interested in how to control our dreams, to use them for creativity and insight. Thinkers and discoverers from Aristotle to Edison to Einstein have tried to harness the power of dreams to take reward of this costless-flowing, no-boundaries course of consciousness. That interest continues today, equally we explore new ways to intentionally cultivate lucid dreams.

Let's have a await at some of the latest science on lucid dreaming—what it is, why information technology happens, and how we might exist able to train ourselves to become lucid dreamers and take greater control of our dream worlds.

What'due south it like to have a lucid dream?

Have y'all ever been in the midst of a dream and found yourself thinking well-nigh the fact that you're dreaming? Maybe you've had a moment of self-enlightened laughter at the oddity of a dream, or been able to temper your fear of a frightening dream episode because your mind grasps that what y'all're experiencing isn't "existent." Have you always been able to control the circumstances or the action of your dream—as though yous were the director of your dream "movie" and non only an player in it?

Self-awareness of dreaming and the power to control dreams are 2 central characteristics of the experience of lucid dreaming. They don't always occur together, notwithstanding. People who feel lucid dreams may take self-awareness within their dreams, but not the power to command dream content. And the lucidity of our dreams can exist fleeting—that'due south to say, bursts of self-sensation inside dreams may be very cursory.

If you've never had a lucid dream, it can be tricky to imagine what this is all like. Recall for a moment nearly what "regular" dreaming is similar. During not-lucid dreams, we experience dream experiences as though they're actually happening to us. Information technology's simply later on we awaken and recall our dream—even if that recall lasts for but a moment before we lose our dream retention—that nosotros proceeds an awareness of having been dreaming.

The difference betwixt this commonplace, non-lucid type of dream and a lucid dream is the power to reverberate on what'due south happening in our minds every bit it is happening. That cocky-awareness of our thoughts is what's known every bit metacognition. It's mostly understood that metacognition—an agile ability of the human being mind while awake-all but disappears during sleep. Lucid dreaming appears to be an exception.

In lucid dreams, at to the lowest degree two states of consciousness—a wake-like, metacognitive state and a dreaming land–appear to be mixed together. In this extraordinary mixed country of consciousness, we can both experience our dream and see ourselves dreaming—and maybe even control those dreams every bit they unfold.

Why do we have lucid dreams?

Non all of united states of america do dream with lucidity. It appears to be pretty common for people to experience a lucid dream at some point in their lives. Research suggests that more than half of us may have at least 1 lucid dream during our lifetimes. Just regular lucid dreaming is much more rare than that. And in that location appear to be a very pocket-sized number of people who not only feel lucid dreams regularly, only also tin exert some command within those dreams.

Scientific studies have shown that our brains acquit differently during lucid dreams than in other states of sleep and dreaming.  Enquiry has found lucid dreamers displayed significantly college encephalon wave frequencies than not-lucid dreamers.

Lucid dreamers too appear to take increased activity in regions of the brain's prefrontal cortex, areas of the brain that are typically inactive during sleep. These parts of the brain are deeply involved with witting awareness, a sense of self, also equally language and memory. Recently, for the first time, scientific study documented that the brain activity of lucid dreams shares several characteristics with the waking state of metacognition.

Information technology'southward not clear why some people have lucid dreams, while others do not, or why some people feel lucid dreams quite often, while well-nigh of us may just have this experience a handful of times in a lifetime.

But there are some interesting clues about what may distinguish lucid dreamers from non-lucid dreamers. Some enquiry indicates that sure personality traits and cognitive styles may be linked to lucid dreams. Imagination and creativity accept both been associated with more frequent lucid dreaming. Introspection, and a trend to rely more than heavily on internal thoughts (rather than external data) have also been linked to lucid dreams. Research shows that people who tin can finer split their attention betwixt different tasks, or points of focus, may be more apt to have lucid dreams. There's also some indication that people who experience nightmares more often may be more prone to lucid dreams.

And some enquiry suggests that stronger overall dream recall—a greater ability to remember all types of dreams after waking—may be linked to a greater chapters for lucid dreaming.

Recently, studies have shown lucid dreaming is more mutual in people with narcolepsy. In narcolepsy, encephalon activity is atypical, and some of the neural activeness that promotes wakefulness and suppresses sleep are altered. This results in poor sleep control, intense and persistent daytime sleepiness, difficulty sleeping at night, and dream-like hallucinations. People with narcolepsy tend likewise to have more nightmares and amend dream recall than people without the disorder.

Some fascinating recent research conducted past scientists in the Britain has also linked lucid dreaming to sleep paralysis, another striking sleep feel. Sleep paralysis occurs when we wake from sleep unable to move or to speak. Both sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming appear to be related to transitions in and out of REM sleep. During REM sleep, the body is largely paralyzed (a condition known as REM atonia). And REM sleep is a slumber stage characterized by brilliant, active dreaming.

This inquiry showed an association between the frequency of sleep paralysis and the frequency of lucid dreaming. It likewise highlighted some of import differences between the ii sleep phenomena. Sleep paralysis was connected to higher stress and to lower slumber quality. That's non surprising to me, given how upsetting and scary episodes of sleep paralysis can be. On the other hand, lucid dreaming appeared to be a much more positive slumber experience. In this study, lucid dreaming was not associated with stress or reduced sleep quality. It was linked to more positive waking heedless experiences, and to more bright waking imagination.

Can we induce lucid dreaming?

This a big question, for dreamers and scientists alike. How tin we encourage lucid dreaming?

You might be request: why would people want to encourage lucid dreaming? We don't know the fundamental purpose of dreaming. But dreams have long been thought to be vehicles for emotional processing, problem solving, idea exploring and creativity. Since aboriginal times, dreams have been thought to exist a forum for both healing and discovery related to our waking lives. In our modernistic age, rigorous scientific written report has given united states of america information to support all of these long-held thoughts about the usefulness of dreams.

Scientists, sleep experts and therapists (including me!) are interested in the specific potential of lucid dreams a therapeutic tool. Working intentionally with lucid dreams can be constructive in reducing the intensity, frequency and emotional disruption of nightmares. In a lucid dream setting the dreamer has the capacity to push back confronting negative and disturbing dream narratives, emotional content and events. In a existent sense, the dreamer may be able to re-script a cream to create more positive, empowering, calming outcomes. That makes lucid dreaming potentially useful in a range of psychological situations, including the treatment of waking-life phobias and traumas, problems with mood, and in relationships.

Lucid dreams accept besides long been sought as a mode to raise inventiveness—and that continues to exist truthful today. People are understandably curious well-nigh how to mine their dream worlds to unlock creative powers, likewise equally to raise other cognitive skills. And permit'southward face it: it's pretty thrilling and cool to contemplate being able to control our dreams, and bring about cocky-awareness and self-reflection inside them. The experience alone is enticing and desirable for many people.

Means to promote lucid dreams

In that location are a number of techniques and tools being explored by scientists as ways to increase lucid dreaming. Studies bear witness that the drug galantamine, which is used to treat dementia, may exist effective in increasing the frequency of lucid dreams. Galantamine works to finish the breakup of acetylcholine, a encephalon chemical that is an of import facilitator of reflective thinking, reasoning, and memory. Acetylcholine also is involved the the regulation of REM sleep. Research is too exploring how sensory and environmental cues might be used to stimulate lucid dreams.

If you lot're interested in cultivating your own lucid dreaming abilities, in that location are some techniques you can effort on your ain.

Reality testing . This simple technique involves checking in with your environment throughout your waking mean solar day. As you observe your waking environment, ask yourself: am I awake or am I dreaming? This practice may spur the mind to enquire this question inside your dreaming consciousness.

Wake back to bed, or WBTB . Using WBTB, a person sleeps for v-6 hours, and so deliberately wakes for a menses of fourth dimension—equally lilliputian as 10 minutes, or upwards to an hr—earlier going back to sleep. The idea here is to send yourself immediately into REM slumber (which occurs almost abundantly in the final third of the night), where nigh, if non all, lucid dreaming occurs. (Ane note: don't employ WBTB if it shortens your slumber amounts or leaves y'all feeling tired and shortchanged on rest. Lucid dreaming isn't worth actually losing sleep over!)

Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams, or Mild . This is one of the all-time studied lucid dream techniques. It uses intention to stimulate cocky-sensation in dreams. Before going to sleep, say to yourself: "The next time I'm dreaming, I will remember I am dreaming." You can also use MILD with specific dream recollections. Take a moment to retrieve a dream you lot had recently, and call up specifically about an oddity or anomaly in that dream. (Maybe street signs were in a strange language, or the furniture in your living room was all rearranged.) Visualize yourself returning to that dream and recognizing that anomaly, while also saying to yourself the aforementioned intention from above.

A 2017 report investigated these techniques and found that using all 3 together was constructive in stimulating lucid dreaming.

Enhance dream remember . Strengthening your ability to remember your dreams is i mode to potentially develop your ability for lucid dreaming. Keeping a dream journal is one fashion to increase dream retrieve. Go on the periodical at your bedside. Every bit soon equally you wake, write downwardly everything yous remember about your dream. At that place's also some pretty interesting contempo research showing that Vitamin B6 tin can aid heighten our memories of dreams.

Scientists at Australia's University of Adelaide plant that taking a high-dose (240mg) of vitamin B6 supplements before going to bed for five consecutive days led to greater dream remember. You can increase your vitamin B6 intake by eating whole grain cereals, legumes, fruits (such equally banana and avocado), vegetables (such as spinach and potato), milk, cheese, eggs, red meat, liver, and fish.

Meditate . Meditation is a exercise of mindful sensation, of attending to the present moment. Practicing meditation during your waking day will aid you develop your capacity for sensation of where your mind is in the moment. That skill may translate into the dream world, increasing your ability for self-sensation—aka lucidity—in your dreams. A 2015 study establish that meditation and mindfulness were connected to more frequent lucid dreaming. Other inquiry shows meditation has benefits for dreaming every bit a whole. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce negative and disturbing content in dreams. And as I've written about before, mindfulness practices, including meditation, can assist you sleep improve overall.

Permit me know your experiences with lucid dreaming, and any questions you have about our dreaming lives! I'll continue to talk nearly lucid dreams every bit nosotros learn more well-nigh this extraordinary form of dreaming. Until then, hither's a link to all of my articles nearly dreaming.

Sugariness Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM

The Sleep Doctor™

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Dr. Michael Breus

Michael Breus, Ph.D - The Slumber Doctor is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and one of only 168 psychologists to pass the Sleep Medical Specialty Board without going to medical school. Dr. Breus is a sought later on lecturer and his knowledge is shared daily in major national media worldwide including Today, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and for 14 years as the slumber adept on WebMD. Dr. Breus is the bestselling author of The Ability of When, The Sleep Doctor's Diet Program and Good Dark!

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Source: https://thesleepdoctor.com/2019/02/26/are-you-a-lucid-dreamer/

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