All about lucid dreams

Having a lucid dream means being aware that you are dreaming while you sleep, which leads you to be able to control what happens. It's that simple to understand. However, science has something more to say about this.

What are lucid dreams?

The simple definition is the one mentioned above. 

Lucid dreams are a type of conscious daydreaming that appears during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of rest . During this phase, the mind is very active and the brain waves that occur are very similar to those of the waking state, so it is much easier to be aware of what is happening. 

It is also in this phase where sleep paralysis can occur, which is more associated with stress and negative emotions accumulated during the day.

They help in many ways

The practice of lucid dreams helps in many aspects of our lives: inspiration and creativity; to overcome mental barriers; to face fears and problems of our daily lives such as stage fright or arguments with other people...

It's not for nothing that we humans have been trying to induce lucid dreams on ourselves for millennia.

Numerous studies affirm that having lucid dreams translates into a higher quality of rest and a “fresher” awakening, causing feelings of euphoria and self-realization. Yoga and other meditative sports have been using the induction of these dreams to improve mental balance and provoke a great feeling of peace for centuries.

Experts in the field confirm that this type of dreams can be and are used as therapy to cure symptoms of post-traumatic stress (by being able to control nightmares in which the patient's experiences reappear), anxietyand different fears and phobias. The great advantage of dreaming lucidly is that we can direct our actions and environment as we wish, avoiding negative situations that directly affect our mood.

It is also proven that lucid dreams increase and improve memory, creativity and imagination, and the ability to concentrate and reflect, traits that increase our general intelligence.

How to induce these dreams

If they offer so many advantages and no drawbacks, it is normal for us all to wonder how we can have lucid dreams. Science has found four simple practices to increase your chances of having lucid dreams while sleeping.

External stimulation

The difficult thing when it comes to becoming aware that you are dreaming is precisely that: realizing it. Therefore, the use of external stimuli that can notify you that you are dreaming or that you have entered the REM phase can be very useful. It has been proven that using a light or signal programmed to turn on when entering REM can warn us that we are dreaming.

In addition, binaural wave sounds when we go to sleep, help change the frequency of our brain waves to induce the desired state to dream lucidly. The waves that help the most are gamma waves.

Wake Back To Bed (WBTB)

This practice (in Spanish “Wake up and go back to bed”) consists of setting an alarm that sounds when it is estimated that we will enter the REM phase, to wake up and go back to sleep at that moment. In this way, the mind awakens and the body remains relaxed: when you fall asleep again, you enter directly into the REM phase while your mind is still active, which will make you aware that you are dreaming. .

Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD)

Inspired by Tibetan yoga that tries to put the body to sleep and keep the mind conscious through meditation, WILD tries to do the same: induce sleep while awake, visualizing what you want to dream of and building a scene and environment that allows us to interact with them.

Question your dreams and your reality

Another of the best ways to realize if you are dreaming or not is constant questions. If when you are awake you wonder if you are dreaming and try to find out (remembering what you had for breakfast, looking at the time, looking at your surroundings...), it is most likely that this attitude will also be transferred to your dreams, generating these questions as well. while you sleep, which will facilitate your awareness.

What if you are dreaming right now?