To be lucid in a dream means to be fully aware of the fact that you are actually dreaming. During a lucid dream, you have some degree of control over the people, setting, and events that take place in the dream.
Lucid dreaming has been around for a long time. This behavior has been seen for a very long time, in the thousands of years range. In fact, it wasn’t until roughly 30 years ago that experts were able to scientifically confirm the reality of lucid dreams. There is still a great deal unknown regarding lucid dreams, including those that are sexual in nature.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the most common stage of sleep in which lucid dreams occur. It is possible to have lucid dreams while you are not in the REM stage of sleep.
Lucid sex dreams can be as stimulating as real-life sex, according to those who have experienced them. Some dreamers like scenarios in their dreams that they wouldn’t necessarily want to experience in real life despite the fact that the sensations might be very genuine in a lucid erotic dream.
If you’re looking for a way to produce lucid sex dreams, you should keep in mind that there isn’t enough data to support the often advocated ways. If these erotic dream strategies don’t work for you, don’t worry.
As long as you don’t damage yourself by attempting to produce these kinds of dreams, you’ll be fine. As even if they don’t have any effect on your sex life, they can still help you discover and understand your sexuality and desires. A terrific method to spice up your sexual life, they may actually work as described.
How does lucid dreaming work?
At night, your brain continues to function. Researchers don’t know exactly what your brain does while you sleep, but studies show busy patterns of brain waves all night long.
Four stages of sleep are involved in the process of falling asleep.
Only a few minutes in length, Stage 1 transitions you from a state of wakefulness to a state of sleepiness. As your heart rate and muscles relax, you drift off to a light slumber in Stage 2. You’ll wake up feeling rested after completing Stage 3 (deep sleep).
However, the fourth stage, REM, is the most enjoyable one.
As your heart rate rises and your eyes move around during rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep), your brain becomes almost as busy during the daytime.
In this state of brain activity, most dreams and lucid dreams take place. Even if you’ve completed puberty, you’re unlikely to have a wet dream during the REM stage.
There is no evidence that lucid dreams are more vivid than non-lucid ones. The exhilaration of lucid dreaming comes from the fact that you’ve taken control of a fictional universe.
Alternatively, it can help alleviate reoccurring nightmares by reducing tension, worry, and dread. Lucid dreaming, like regular dreams, varies from person to person and night to night.
Lucid dreams do not include dreams that are so vivid that the narrator is able to walk out of the dream. Mainly due to the fact that you aren’t conscious of the dream as it occurs. Different from hypnagogic hallucinations (when you have auditory or visual hallucinations while falling asleep), they are also distinct.
Lucid dreams are reported by 23% of people as occurring at least once a month, with 55% reporting at least one in their lifetime.
Repetitive nightmares can be alleviated by the use of lucid dreaming. Practicing motor abilities in a lucid dream has been shown to improve those skills in waking life.
Tips for achieving lucidity in dreams
There have been few studies on the subject of lucid dreaming. There is some evidence that lucid dreaming is real, according to Stephen LaBarge, who has been at the forefront of lucid dreaming research.
During a sleep study, individuals were able to signal when they reached a particular level of consciousness. A number of people were able to display these signs, indicating that they were aware when asleep.
During lucidity, brainwaves were discovered to be a mix of waking and dreaming brainwaves, according to researchers in 2009. Despite the small sample size, the majority of researchers believe that lucid dreaming is a real phenomenon.
There are even less research on how to lucid dream, which is unfortunate. There are, however, a few techniques that may help you achieve your goal of controlling your dreams.
Getting more sleep
Getting more REM sleep is the best strategy for achieving lucid dreaming. Unfortunately, listening to “Automatic for the People” isn’t going to do the trick. To improve your REM sleep, you’ll need to sleep more hours per night as a whole.
In order to achieve this, make sure you’re getting enough sleep at night.
Sleep and eat at around the same times each day. The temperature and lighting in your bedroom should be ideal. Construction sites and insomniac opera singers should be avoided at all costs. The essentials, as you can see.
Daydream about dreaming
To induce lucid dreaming, LaBerge devised a slew of methods. Dreaming a much and becoming more aware of the world around you are two of the most common ways to do this.
You’re more likely to recognize a dream when you’re asleep if you think about it all day.
‘Reality testing,’ too, follows the same rationale. Some commonplace items or tasks take on a bizarre appearance in dreams. Look at a digital clock or a book, for example, in your dreams. The words or numbers are more likely to be strange symbols that shift every time you look at them.
Unfortunately, this potential lucidity trigger is squandered because we don’t think to glance at digital clocks and books in our dreams. That’s why lucid dreaming proponents advocate performing “reality checks” when awake.
Remind yourself to read the words on the page or the time on the clock twenty times a day. Keep an eye on the clock and don’t just assume you’re awake. This is supposed to happen naturally in your sleep, and you’ll be able to tell right away if you’re dreaming or not.
As a result of this increased awareness of dreams, keeping a dream notebook helps.
The best way to remember your dreams is to write them down in full. Keep a pen and paper by your bedside since even the most bizarre dreams fade quickly.
Get MILD
Before you go to bed, use the MILD (Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) approach to begin inducing lucid dreams.
Think of a “dreamsign,” which is anything odd that occurs frequently in your dreams, to assist you in this process (like flying). Think about this dreamsign and promise yourself that you will recall your next dream as you drift off to sleep.
While the dreamsign serves as a reminder that you are in a dream, your brain is primed to recognize that you are dreaming because of this increased awareness of dreaming.
In a tiny 2017 investigation, this strategy was shown to be the most effective by LaBerge.
Wake up to dream
You can use the Wake Back to Bed approach, which is one of the most frustrating lucid dreaming methods (WBTB).
After you’ve gone to bed, set an alarm for 5 hours later. Go back to sleep after a half-hour of snoozing. This improves your chances of experiencing lucid dreaming during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Wear a light-up mask
Several lucid dream masks have appeared on crowdfunding websites in recent years.
There are small lights around the eyes that appear like night masks. The mask flashes the lights as you enter REM sleep to tell you that you’re dreaming. Have you ever thought about flying?”
NovaDreamer, a mask designed by LaBerge, worked on 11 out of the 14 patients he tested. After being on the market for several years, the mask went out of production in 2004, and even though NovaDreamer 2.0 has been announced, it is only a dream.
However, there is no indication that these masks are effective.
Take galantamine
An investigation conducted in 2018 indicated that the drug galantamine, which is commonly prescribed to treat the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, may help people experience more vivid dreams.
Moreover, in this study, all of the LaBerge lucid dreaming techniques (such as waking up five hours after going to bed) and a dose of the drug were also performed by the subjects.
It’s not certain if taking galantamine for the sake of dreaming will have any negative side effects or if it will work as advertised.
A doctor should always be consulted before attempting something like this, but it is a fascinating study that may lead to further information on lucid dreaming in the near future..
There is no secret to lucid dreaming in the grand scheme of things. Some people may be able to achieve it, and others may be unable to. However, keeping a dream journal, paying attention to your thoughts, and getting more sleep can’t harm.
So, if you’d like to experiment with these methods for influencing your dreams, feel free! Because there is no known method of achieving lucid dreaming, avoid taking advice from anyone who claims to have the answer.
