How to Lucid Dream: 10 Techniques, Benefits & Cautions

How to get a lucid dream? Here are 11 different ways to lucid dream:

Reality Testing/Reality Checking

A technique for improving metacognition is reality testing or reality checking. Doing this can teach your mind to become aware of its own awareness. When you are awake and when you’re dreaming, your metacognition is similar. Higher levels of metacognition during waking hours will result in higher levels of metacognition during dreaming. How to lucid dream every night should start with a reality check in the morning.

Different exercises to perform a reality check are as follows:

Continually check the clock time, then look away, and then again look back. Do you see the same time as before?
Keep a close eye on your hands and feet. Do these appear fairly normal?
Examine your reflection in the mirror to make sure it appears normal.

Make Your Bedroom Comfortable for Dreaming

At the end of your sleep cycle, known as REM, lucid dreams occur. The REM stage increases with every sleep cycle. How to lucid dream fast? How to practice lucid dreaming? It will help if you need a peaceful sleep environment to experience lucid dreams more quickly and with more awareness. Keep your bedroom dark, calm, and peaceful as much as possible. To block any further light, use eye masks or blackout curtains. Set the white noise machine to play soothing music and the room temperature to mid-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep a Dream Journal

Keeping a dream journal is the best way to initiate lucid dreams. How do dreams work? How to trigger a lucid dream? How to lucidly dream about your goals? All these questions require a journal to know exactly what you dream about while sleeping. As soon as you awaken, journal everything you remember about your lucid dreams during a REM cycle or in the morning.

Awoken, Dream Journal Ultimate, and DreamKeeper are a few dream journal apps that you can download. This dream journal will make it easier to keep track of your dreams.

Recognize Your Dream Patterns

More than just keeping a journal, notice the types of dreams or people that occur repeatedly. This shows your inner psyche and the growth you require to control your dreams. The most significant change is that you will begin to recognize the times of your lucid dreams and sleep cycles. The answer to how to lucid dream tonight will become super easy. Additionally, lucid dreaming helps overcome the state of viewing nightmares.

WBTB Lucid Dreaming (Wake Back to Bed)

The Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) technique increases the likelihood of waking during the REM sleep stage. You can set the alarm for 4.5, 6, or 7 hours later to awaken while you are still in the REM sleep period. The second half of the night’s sleep is when the REM phase lasts the longest; therefore, the likelihood of being in it increases in the last two.

After waking up, stay awake for the next 30 to 60 minutes. Either prepare your dream journal, read a book, or do something that requires alertness and brain activity. This will help your brain become alert during lucid dreaming and keep your body restful. Hence, you’ll be able to remember what you see in your dreams afterward and even control them. How to practice lucid dreaming? This dream journal and WBTB technique boost your control and power over lucid dreams.

MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams)

The MILD (Mnemonic Induction to Lucid Dreaming) technique is the first and best way to lucid dream. In 1980, LaBerge developed this technique, and other lucid dreaming tips are also boosted with this method. A Stanford researcher said he could visualize 18 to 26 lucid dreams every month, up to four per night, and the other 13 dreams involved using suggestions.

Here are the steps to lucid dreaming with this technique:
Consider recalling your most recent dream as you begin to nod off.
Keep in mind something unusual that would only occur in a dream. For instance, “flying in the sky.”
As you go back to sleep, keep in mind this sign.
“I’m dreaming, and I’m aware of what I’m dreaming,” tell yourself. Say this sentence aloud 20–30 times in your mind.

WILD (Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming)
The WILD (Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming) technique enables you to go directly from the waking state into a dream. Dreaming while awake, lying down, closing your eyes, and relaxing until you enter the hypnagogic hallucination (hallucination that occurs only while sleeping). WILD is the simplest and best way to lucid dream, but learning it is pretty tricky. Other lucid dreaming methods will make it easier to adapt this technique. Creating a pleasant sleeping environment, keeping a dream journal, reality testing, and adhering to other tips will also aid in learning this.

Go Back to Sleep

Try falling back asleep if you wake up in the middle of a dream. Focus on the dream and this time keep in mind that you are dreaming. You will learn how to have a lucid dream through this method.

Power of Suggestion

According to scientist Waggoner, “using the power of suggestion appeared to be one of the most common practices to induce a lucid dream.” Recite phrases to yourself such as “Today I’ll realize whenever I’m in dreams and become aware of what I’m dreaming.” Giving suggestions to your mind helps it focus better on those things.

Try Devices That Induce Lucid Dreams

Nowadays, it’s possible to carry portable devices that induce lucid dreams. Devices such as sleep masks, headbands, flashing lights, white noise machines, and other things help achieve a lucid dream.

Try Some Gaming

Playing video games is another best way to have lucid dreams. This is because video games are fictitious and under our control with the devices used to win the game. Similarly, dreams are unusual, and controlling your dreams is also in your control.