Have you ever wished you could control your dreams? Scientists know how to do it — it’s called lucid dreaming, which is “a state of being aware in your dream that you are dreaming,” The Washington Post reports.
How does lucid dreaming work?
According to WebMD, our bodies will enter an REM state about 90 minutes after falling asleep. The body during this state will have lots of eye movement, faster breathing and more brain activity. “(REM sleep) lasts about 10 minutes. As you sleep, each REM period is longer than the one before, finally lasting up to an hour,” per WebMD.
According to The Washington Post, lucid dreaming often occurs during periods of high activity in the central nervous system (when the body has a higher heart rate, faster breathing and more eye movement). Most people don’t have lucid dreams (up to 50%), while 20% have them monthly and a small percentage have them weekly.
Scientists have several theories as to why lucid dreams occur. Per, WebMD there are three theories neuroscientists have produced based on several studies:
- People who have lucid dreams have a bigger prefrontal cortex than those who don’t have lucid dreams, suggesting that those with lucid dreams tend to be self-reflective.
- Lucid dreaming could be a state where someone isn’t fully awake but not fully asleep either.
- Lucid dreams probably occur outside of the REM state, which is when dreams normally occur.
Certain drugs have also been seen to stimulate lucid dreaming, according to The Washington Post. Benjamin Baird from the University of Texas at Austin found in a collaborative study that the drug galantamine stimulated lucid dreams, with participants taking the highest dose of galantamine reporting lucid dreams 42% of the time.
How to take control of your dreams
There are several ways to potentially reach a lucid dream state. The Washington Post suggests doing the following exercises:
- Keep a dream journal, where every morning you write down what you remember from your dream the night before.
- Identify common themes in your dreams and remind yourself of them as a sign you are in a dream.
- Do a reality check — such as asking yourself what you did 10 minutes ago — and if you can’t remember, you’re most likely in a dream.
- Use lucid dream aids, such as specialized REM night masks, to help you recognize if you’re dreaming.
According to WebMD, there are drawbacks and benefits to lucid dreaming. Benefits include less anxiety, improved motor skills, better problem-solving skills and more creativity. The drawbacks could be poor sleep quality and hallucinations or delirium.