Have you ever been sitting at home watching television and suddenly realize that something was wrong; the cartoons on the TV were in black and white and then notice everything’s black and white? Well, one explanation could be that you’ve gone color blind, but more likely, you’re dreaming. Well, now that you know you’re dreaming, you’re conscious while sleeping. Some say, “Hey! That’s an oxymoron,” but the truth is: you are having a lucid dream.
What lucid dreaming is, exactly, is when you know you are dreaming in a dream. You gain a certain amount of control over what happens in your dream. Lucid dreaming can be practiced, if you practice enough, then you become more and more likely to realize you’re dreaming during the dream. Although they can be very positive experiences, lucid dreams can also be positively horrifying. But don’t be afraid, students at a college did an experiment to test the effects of lucid dreaming on nightmares. People said that they felt better, or the dream got better 60% of the time. It was also discovered that lucidity made nightmares seven times better.
There are a few ways to induce lucid dreaming. Doctors and researches have shown that if you stare at your hands or one specific wall during the day, when you dream, you’ll probably see that. However, in dreams, things get distorted, so your hands might look mutated or the wall might be the wrong color. Another strategy is to ask yourself if you’re dreaming throughout the day. It will become a sort of habit, and when you’re dreaming, you’ll ask yourself if you’re dreaming which may be enough to make you realize that you’re dreaming.
Once in the lucid state, it is very hard to stay there. Even a few seconds of lucid dreaming can be very exciting, though. If you can stay lucid for long enough, almost anything is possible. You can do things you’ve always wanted to like fly, climb Mt. Everest, or star in your own movie with your favorite actors and actresses. Lucid dreaming is also a good time for working out problems, like asking your boss for a raise if you have a job.
It has also been shown that if you are having too many lucid dreams, you may not be getting enough quality sleep. You see, you’re conscious while you’re sleeping, so it’s similar to just being awake, but with your eyes closed, kind of like daydreaming. “All things in moderation,” as a great person once said.
Try to have a lucid dream, it is a lot of fun, and can be very rewarding as well. But, all things in moderation! Have fun!