Exploring the Multifaceted World of Lucid Dreaming:

What a Dream Analyst Has to Say About Lucid Dreaming

According to Matthias Dettmann, MSc, a psychologist who uses dream interpretation in his therapy practice, the duration of sleep needed to have a lucid dream can vary among individuals. 

How Much Sleep Do You Need to Have a Lucid Dream?

“Generally, it is believed that longer periods of uninterrupted sleep, especially during the latter half of the night when REM sleep is more abundant, increase the likelihood of entering a lucid dream state,” he says. 

A good night's rest

The 4 stages of sleep(Nrem and rem sleep cycles). Verywell Health.

is made up of two different cycles of sleep—non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). This is further segmented into additional stages known as N1, N2, N3, and N4 to represent a continuum of varying sleep states. 

NREM sleep, otherwise known as "quiet sleep," accounts for 75%-80% of sleep and is associated with muscle relaxation, memory consolidation, and bodily relaxation. REM sleep accounts for 25% of sleep and is associated with rapid eye movement, intense dreaming, and an active brain.

Generally, it is believed that longer periods of uninterrupted sleep (especially during the latter half of the night when REM sleep is more abundant) increase the likelihood of entering a lucid dream state.

The body usually progresses through the various stages four to six times a night, with each cycle lasting between 90 and 110 minutes. Each phase is characterized by the intensity of rapid eye movements, changes in muscle tone movement, and their corresponding brain wave activity–alpha, theta, and delta.

• NREM Stage 1: When you nod off, your body relaxes, and your heartbeat and breathing begin to downtrend. The beta waves that predominantly make up the wakefulness patterns slow as the alpha and then theta wave activity increases, creating a feeling of drowsiness and then light sleep.

  Alpha waves and sleep. Sleep Foundation.

• NREM Stage 2: Your breathing and heart rate sync up, eye movements stop, and the brain begins to produce quick bursts of brain wave activity, known as sleep spindles. The bursts of brain wave activity help with memory consolidation which converts short-term memories into long-term memories.

• NREM Stage 3: The delta-wave brain period is associated with the deepest sleep in all the cycles. This phase is when the body releases proteins for cell regeneration and tissue repair, and optimizes the neural pathways needed for memory retention

• Stage 4 REM Sleep: REM occurs 90 minutes into the sleep cycle and this primary dream stage of sleep is associated with heightened brain activity, the storing and encoding of emotional memories, and the limbs becoming temporarily paralyzed as you vividly dream.

Many research studies show that REM sleep aids emotional processing during your waking life. Additional neuroimaging studies also show that the brain processes responsible for regulating dreams and emotional significance in sleep thoughts share similar neural structures to those involved in controlling emotions while awake.11

How Do You Trigger Lucid Dreams?

There are a number of ways to trigger lucid dreaming and this involves mental training. To determine the most effective approach for you, it may be necessary to try out different methods. 

Once you are able to enter an advanced state of lucidity, you can literally control anything which presents itself as part of your dream. You can decide to completely change your scenery, the direction of the dream, who you are interacting with, and ultimately the outcome of the dream.

Reality Testing

Reality testing is the practice of questioning reality during your waking hours which can carry over into your dreams and trigger lucidity.

In other words, reality testing requires you to perform a particular activity much as possible during the day so that when you're dreaming, you can evoke lucidity by replicating that same action while you're dreaming.

By cultivating awareness, it aids with metacognitive ability which stimulates the prefrontal brain region. This helps with the development of critical awareness to better distinguish between wakefulness and the dream state. 

Try observing yourself, the environment, and people’s behaviors throughout the day to check for anything unusual or out of place. Whenever something is inconsistent, strange, or different from your environment, get in the habit of asking yourself if you’re dreaming. 

The most effective techniques are the methods where it has a specific action in real life and a different reaction in a dream. So, the following are meant to be done during the day and during the dream. According to Dettman, for example, in the real world when you push your finger through your palm, it meets resistance but in a dream, the finger will pass through.

Examples of Reality Tests You Can Try

Dettman shares other examples of reality testing that you can try during your day. Then, at night the same action during the day will produce a different outcome in your dream:

• Look at a clock: Can you read the time or are the details of the numbers unintelligible? 

• Look at the mirror: Can you see your own reflection or something else in the mirror? 

• Examine your hands: Do your hands look normal or do your hands look odd the longer you look at them? 

• Turn on a light switch: Does the light turn on normally or is the light malfunctioning?  

• Plug your nose and try to breathe: Can you not breathe or are you able to breathe normally although your nose is plugged? 

It’s important you try these techniques several times throughout the day. To reap the benefits, perform the reality tests with full mindfulness not when you’re going through the motions of your day.

Keep a Dream Journal

To help induce lucid dreams, Dettmann recommends recording your dreams immediately upon waking. 

Why Does This Help?

This practice reinforces your intention to remember dreams, capture vivid details, and identify recurring themes or symbols.

Dettmann notes a dream journal is highly beneficial for dream recall to recognize dream patterns, and enhance self-awareness within dreams.

“Over time, this practice strengthens your dream recall abilities and helps you become more attuned to the subtle nuances of your dreams,” he says. 

MILD Technique

The MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique is a popular step-by-step approach for inducing lucid dreams. 

How to Use the MILD Technique

“[The technique] involves setting an intention to become lucid while falling asleep and using a mnemonic phrase or visualization to reinforce this intention,” Dettman says. For example, he advises repeating the phrase ‘I will realize I'm dreaming’ and mentally imagining yourself becoming aware of a dream right before you sleep so it remains top of mind. 

If you awaken from a dream, this is a good moment to practice visualization by thinking about how you would rescript the dream. Then rehearse the new dream in your mind until you feel like you are back in the dream state while being completely lucid. 

For the last step, remind yourself of your affirmations and visualizations that you will remember you are dreaming. 

“MILD combines the power of intention, visualization, and prospective memory to enhance the likelihood of achieving lucidity,” Dettmann says. 

The relationship between your dreams, waking life, and emotional processing is more intertwined than we think. There are many proven benefits in cultivating your awareness and learning how to engage with your mind intentionally.

Why not make use of an activity that takes up one-third of our lives?  With practice, you can conquer this useful skill and reap benefits to your emotional health and cognitive function. As you lucid dream, you can learn how to explore your subconscious and develop new skills.