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Lucid Dreams [Final] By H-Night [PORTABLE]
Surveys show that roughly 55% of adults have experienced at least one lucid dream during their lifetime, and 23% of people experience lucid dreams at least once per month. Some research has pointed to potential benefits of lucid dreaming, such as treatment for nightmares. However, other studies argue lucid dreams may have a negative impact on mental health because they can disturb sleep and cause dreamers to blur the lines between reality and fantasy.
Lucid Dreams [Final] By H-Night
Lucid dreaming has been studied extensively, but much is still unknown about the phenomenon. Some researchers believe activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain Trusted Source National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source is related to the development of lucid dreams. During non-lucid dreams, people are cognizant of objects and events within the dream state, but they are not aware of the dream itself and cannot distinguish being asleep from being awake. This has been attributed in part to lower levels of cortical activity.
While normal dreams can occur during different stages of the sleep cycle, studies have shown most lucid dreaming takes place during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep constitutes the fourth and final stage of a normal sleep cycle; the first three stages consist of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. The general consensus among researchers today is that lucid dreams originate from non-lucid dreams Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source during the REM sleep stage. In this sense, lucidity is an aspect of dreams that can be triggered using different means.
Spontaneous lucid dreams are rare and difficult to foresee. To study these phenomena, researchers typically induce lucid dreams Trusted Source National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source using different methods. Some of the most common techniques include the following:
The popularity of self-induced lucid dreams has grown in recent years. The most common reasons for inducing lucid dreams include wish fulfillment, overcoming fears, and healing. Some studies have also shown a link between inducing lucid dreams and overcoming the fear and distress associated with nightmares.
Some researchers have introduced another problem with lucid dreams: they are potentially disruptive to sleep. Since lucid dreams are associated with higher levels of brain activity, it has been suggested these dreams can decrease sleep quality and have a negative effect on sleep hygiene.
The study of lucid dreams is fairly new and largely incomplete. More research is needed to better understand these types of dreams and pinpoint why some people are predisposed to more frequent and intense lucid dreams.
Other techniques may be used to induce lucid dreams. These include transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which painlessly applies electrical currents to different areas of the brain, and certain types of medications. There is little scientific research to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods. These techniques are also only conducted in controlled clinical laboratory settings and should never be attempted by an individual unless under the supervision of a doctor or another credentialed medical or psychological professional.
One challenge in lucid dream research executed in a laboratory setting is the reliable induction of lucid dreams. A possible way to solve this issue is the combination of already known and effective induction techniques (Stumbrys, Erlacher, Schädlich, & Schredl, 2012). The present study combines the wake-up-back-to-bed sleep protocol (WBTB) with reality testing and acoustic stimulation by music. The following question was posed: would repeating the same music presented during the waking dream work session during the subsequent REM sleep increase the chance of a lucid dream experience. In total 21 participants spent a single night in the sleep lab. The whole procedure induced in 3 participants a lucid dream (14.3%), however none of those lucid dreams were verified by LRLR eye signal. The success rate of a combination of auditory stimulation with reality testing thus lies below the success rate of other induction techniques. The incorporation of music as a theme was found in 9 (19.6%) out of 69 dream reports which is in accordance with previously reported incorporation rates. Beside the music presentation, other methodological adjustments were made (e.g., shortening of the first part of the night to 4.5 h), which will be discussed and hopefully help further research to increase lucid dream induction rate.
Lucid dreaming is an essential element of Tibetan Buddhist dream yoga, as well as the ancient Hindu practice of yogic sleep. Both practices encourage the control of dreams as a pathway to enlightenment. In dream-related yoga, the lucid dreamer may be encouraged to change the size of objects that appear in the dream, and to eliminate fear in the dream by touching fire or other normally threatening substances.
In normal dreams, consciousness, control, and self-awareness are typically absent. In lucid dreams consciousness and dreaming overlap, creating the unique sense of awareness during sleep. This awareness may allow the dreamer to direct events, perform impossible physical feats such as flying, and control the actions of characters.
Though it may not be possible to understand exactly why lucid dreams occur, some research reveals that dreams of this type may be associated with times of stress and anxiety, as well as with particular personality types. People with a propensity for lucid dreaming may be more likely to score highly on self-assessments of creativity, and to see themselves as capable of influencing events, also known as possessing an internal locus of control. (3)
Gamma wave activity in the brain appears to be a strong trigger of lucid dreaming. In a German study, 27 people who had never experienced lucid dreaming received a weak electrical current to the frontal lobe of the brain during REM sleep. The gamma wave frequency stimulated lucid dreaming in 77% of volunteers, while the alpha, beta, delta, and theta brain wave frequencies did not create this effect. Other volunteers received no electrical current during the study, and none reported experiencing lucid dreams. (4)
False awakenings differ from lucid dreams in that the dreamer dreams they have awakened and are going about their normal waking life, when in reality they are still asleep. False awakenings may be associated with sleep fragmentation, as well as the overlapping of the sleep and wake states. Fragmentation may occur as a result of a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, or due to another disturbance to sleep such as noise or light.
Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett studied the dreams of 200 subjects, and discovered that false awakenings were more likely to occur before, during, or after a lucid dream. Because a false awakening is a dream and not bound by narrative limits, more than one false awakening may occur within a false awakening dream. This is called a double dream, or a dream within a dream.
Lucid dreaming may be beneficial as a type of therapy, for nightmares in particular. Some studies have shown that using lucid dreams along with guided imagery and relaxation techniques can lead to a significant reduction in the frequency of nightmares.
In these studies, lucid dreaming was induced through the practice of certain awareness techniques, such as questioning the dream while it was in progress, and attempting to recognize the frightening elements of the dream as a nightmare instead of reality. Study participants were trained to alter certain parts of disturbing dreams as well as their endings. (8)
Most study participants reported improvements in recurrent nightmares, and some reported improved sleep overall. Interestingly, while some participants were unable to experience lucid dreams, they, too, reported an improvement in recurrent nightmares. This may support the idea that simply the notion of exercising control over nightmares could be sufficient to reduce their frequency and intensity in some sufferers.
Lucid dreams may sound like something from fiction, but studies and reports from lucid dreamers show that they are quite real. These types of dreams offer a tantalizing glimpse into the world between consciousness and REM sleep, when brain activity allows awareness to penetrate the sleep state.
For many people, lucid dreams offer a feeling of power over the mind (9) during a time when consciousness and awareness are typically absent. The more we understand about lucid dreaming, the better we may understand the connection between the waking and sleeping psyche, and the more accessible our deepest reveries may become.
Two key changes in the brain appear responsible for these states. The frontotemporal cortex, which controls our higher cognitive abilities and is inhibited during normal dreams, shows higher activation during lucid dreams. Researchers also observe an increase in gamma waves, synchronised firing by groups of neurons at a frequency implicated with conscious awareness and executive functions such as voluntary action and decision-making.
Cognitive techniques are activities that are performed during the day or while falling asleep. Thus far, this type of approach has been most successful at inducing lucid dreams. According to a recent study of 169 Australian participants, a combination of three techniques induce lucid dreams most successfully: reality testing, Mnemonic Induction Lucid Dreaming and Wake-Back-to-Bed. 041b061a72