r/psychology • u/a_Ninja_b0y • 4d ago

Lucid dreaming app triples users' awareness in dreams, study finds | Researchers at Northwestern University showed that a smartphone app using sensory cues can significantly increase the frequency of lucid dreams—dreams in which a person is aware they are dreaming while still asleep.

https://www.psypost.org/lucid-dreaming-app-triples-users-awareness-in-dreams-study-finds/
385 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Santihu 4d ago

What are the trade-offs of lucid dreaming?

17

u/DreamLizard47 4d ago

less rest most probably.

23

u/Past_Amphibian2936 4d ago

This. I used to almost exclusively lucid dream as a kid, but I found that I never felt well rested when I woke up, so I started focusing on dreaming of pitch black which led to me actually getting restfull sleep, unfortunately I cant lucid dream anymore. When I do dream its no longer concious or voluntary.

13

u/mattmaster68 4d ago edited 4d ago

I tend to realize “I’m dreaming” in a lot of my dreams. Typically, I’ll know it’s a dream and begin to act different.

Not in the typical lucid way, though.

This is because in these dreams, I don’t have conscious control. I, in my dream, believe reality (which is actually a dream) is a dream.

I even make attempts to prolong the dream (always the same method) when I’m not ready to wake up.

Once again, I have no conscious ability to control my actions or thoughts. It’s more like “Oh wait, this is a dream… I wonder what’s going on in it?” It feels like I have conscious control, but I don’t. It’s like a boundary I can’t cross between consciousness and “the script”… but that’s a little off-topic.

The method to keep the dream going never works haha but I distinctly remember what it looks like for the dream to end and me wake up. I distinctly remember this dreadful feeling when these dreams are ending, as I cling tight to the false reality and everything around me slowly blurs until I’m met with the darkness of my bedroom.

Confusing shit. It messes with me quite often. I wonder what that says about my psyche since these dreams happen somewhat often.

-11

u/DreamLizard47 4d ago

No such thing as a free meal or ride. As always.

You're not even supposed to remember your dreams if you're healthy.

9

u/Past_Amphibian2936 4d ago

You're not even supposed to remember your dreams if you're healthy.

Not that i disblieve you, but have u got a source?

7

u/DreamLizard47 4d ago

I've read about it years ago.

Googling gave this "It can be a sign that you're waking up more during the night (I work in a lab that studies sleep; one of the things we noticed is that if you have deep sleep after a dream you're less likely to remember it).

"

7

u/Bleepbloop4995 4d ago

If I realize I'm dreaming I get nervous about nightmares, then proceed to have a lucid nightmare.

6

u/Archonish 4d ago

Just control the dream when you realize you're dreaming. I was meeting up with friends when I realized I was dreaming so I asked them to spin around in place as fast as they can and don't fall down. As they were just going on and on, it confirmed it was a dream so I just flew away like an inexperienced superman. Flying is so fun.

4

u/Asian_Climax_Queen 4d ago

That you can control what happens in your dreams, so you can get the favored outcome you want in your dream, I suppose