Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming is knowing that you’re dreaming while the dream is still going on. Some people can then steer the dream a little. A review of 50 years of studies found about half of people have had at least one lucid dream, and about a quarter have one in a typical month.

Also called: lucid dreams; conscious dreaming; “waking up inside a dream”.

How it works

In ordinary dreaming you accept whatever happens. In a lucid dream a part of your mind notices the absurdity and realises you’re asleep. Researchers have tested more than a dozen ways to bring it on, from mental habits practised before sleep to devices and medicines; the mental techniques worked best in a 2023 review.

Uses

The main medical interest is nightmares, which trouble roughly 2% to 8% of adults. In lucid dreaming therapy, a therapist teaches you to recognise a recurring nightmare as a dream and change its ending. A 2006 pilot with 23 people found one two-hour session cut nightmares at 12 weeks, without changing PTSD symptoms, and people improved even without becoming lucid. A 2023 review found four small trials, most positive. The evidence is early; our guide to recurring nightmares covers better-tested treatments for nightmare disorder.

Risks

For most people lucid dreaming is harmless. Two cautions: techniques that interrupt the night cost sleep; and unusual sleep experiences that feel intrusive rather than controlled go with distress, so a sudden run of them is worth a look.

In Nigeria

Dreams here are often read as messages, and a vivid, controllable dream can feel meaningful. We don’t rule on that. But waking unable to move, with a presence in the room, isn’t lucid dreaming: it’s sleep paralysis, which many Yoruba speakers call ogun oru. Our sleep paralysis guide explains it.

Lucid dreaming vs sleep paralysis and nightmares

In a lucid dream you’re asleep and know it. In sleep paralysis you’re awake, can’t move, and dream images spill into the real room. A nightmare is a frightening dream you believe while it lasts.

When to get help

If nightmares or broken sleep are affecting your days, or follow a frightening event, talk to someone. You can book a licensed therapist on Mytherapist.ng for trauma and PTSD or general mental health and wellbeing.