Are lucid dreams dangerous? How to have one?

Have you ever thought about having dreams as if they were reality? Or have you ever thought about being able to control your dreams and thus prolonging this experience when it is a good dream or even ending a bad dream? Well, although it is common for us to only realize that we are really dreaming when we wake up, there are people who manage to control their own dreams through lucid dreams.

The person who has lucid dreams can identify when they are dreaming and this allows them to have much more vivid sensory experiences compared to an ordinary dream. It is also common for those who have lucid dreams to be able to better control the events within the dream, such as being able to fly, control the weather or even travel to a place they have never been before.

If you want to know what lucid dreams are or how to have lucid dreams read on to discover these and other lucid dreaming characteristics, benefits and dangers and techniques.

What are lucid dreams?

What are lucid dreams? The definition of lucid dreaming may seem quite simple at first, it is about the conscious experience of your dream as the dream occurs.

Since ancient Egypt, lucid dreams have fascinated us and that’s why it still attracts the most diverse types of people from psychologists, psychophysiologists to writers, filmmakers and artists in general. The film Inception of Christopher Nolan with Leonardo DiCaprio provides a good example of this fascination with lucid dreams.

The dream experience for humans is divided into phases representing different levels of intensity and brain activity during rest. For some specialists, lucid dreaming constitutes a particular stage of sleep, because it is only during lucid dreams that the dreamer becomes aware of his state, and a clearer memory even than that caused by nightmares may result from this experience.

But why and how do lucid dreams occur? Is there any danger? Are there any benefits for the brain? That’s what we’re going to find out from now on.

How to have lucid dreams

Studies from the University of Adelaide in Australia have classified and grouped the most efficient techniques for inducing lucid dreams. These techniques helped a group of participants to experience lucid dreaming with different levels of success.

Below we will introduce you to the techniques of how to have lucid dreams, so that you too can have this experience.

Technique 1: reality test

This technique consists of consciously checking during the day whether we are in a dream or awake. It’s the technique displayed in the movie Inception, when Leonardo DiCaprio’s character checks the behavior of a top as a reality check.

In the case of the film, if the top does not stop spinning, it is because it is in a dream. But you can create your own reality test, for example turning a light on and off and verifying that the behavior is as expected. In a dream, the simple act of turning the light on and off can cause unexpected effects such as different colors among others.

By building the habit of testing reality often, the chances of remembering to test reality also during a dream increase.

Technique 2: wake up and go back to sleep

Set your alarm clock to wake you up 5 hours after your sleep starts. When you wake up, don’t get out of bed, and mentally prepare to go back to sleep in 5 minutes. As a result, you are likely to wake up during the REM stage of sleep, when you are more prone to lucid dreaming.

Technique 3: mnemonic induction

Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) is a much simpler technique than the name makes it sound. This technique consists of using technique 2 of waking up and going back to sleep after 5 hours, and in addition, repeating a sentence to yourself that expresses your intention to have a lucid dream, for example: “I will go to sleep and know that I am dreaming.” ”.

The odds of successful lucid dreaming increase when the three techniques are combined. But in addition to these three main techniques there are other complementary strategies, for example, having a dream journal. Strategies for better sleep also tend to contribute to those looking to induce lucid dreaming.

Another factor that influences the ability to have lucid dreams refers to food. Scientists discovered in 2006 that taking vitamin B6 can contribute to more vivid, intense or inventive dreams. Vitamin B6 can be found in brown rice, whole grain breads, potatoes, avocados, garlic and milk. But it is important to remember that excessive intake of vitamin B6 can cause numbness problem in the extremities of the body. The WHO recommends a daily intake of 100mg of vitamin B6.

It is important to remember that these techniques do not directly affect the quality of sleep the next day for the people who use them. Next, we’ll see if there are any dangers in having lucid dreams.

Are lucid dreams dangerous?

Experts at the Lucid Institute generally agree that the practice of lucid dreaming can bring some dangers. The first of these lies in the inability to distinguish between wakefulness (when you are awake) and sleep. This problem, however, would be more related to memories than to the present moment, making it difficult for the individual to be sure if he lived something in the dream or in real life.

In addition, another common problem related to lucid dreaming occurs when the practitioner tries to get more sleep than necessary, affecting the quality of their sleep as well as their quality of life in the real world.

Despite this, lucid dreams can also have some benefits. Below we will discover some of these benefits of lucid dreaming.

Benefits of lucid dreams

Lucid Institute researchers also linked the cognitive ability needed for lucid dreaming to real-world problem-solving skills. That is to say, the necessary skill of investigating the world around us that we use to detect a dream can also be used in the world to find solutions to problems that require the famous “outside the box” thinking.

Added to this, there are also studies that point to benefits for patients with motor problems since lucid dreams can be used as part of the treatment and training of their motor functions.

Lucid dreams constitute a very broad topic within human knowledge about dreams, and about the human mind. Would you like to understand yourself better or seek explanations for your dreams? has a team of dedicated dream experts who can help you with queries via chat, email or phone.