During a dream, we are usually completely immersed in it and do not remember anything about our real life and do not even understand that we are sleeping. However, it has long been known that a dream can be lucid, that is, a person can realize that he is sleeping and is in fictional worlds. In this case, a dream turns into a kind of virtual reality. According to scientists, anyone can master the technique of lucid dreaming. Moreover, a recent study has shown that during lucid sleep, people can not only control dreams, but also maintain contact with the real world and even control technology.
According to scientists, each person can control their dreams after certain training. Photo source: riamo.ru
Contents
- 1 Lucid dreaming – what is it?
- 2 What is the difference between a regular dream and a lucid dream?
- 3 How people drove virtual cars in their sleep?
- 4 How to learn lucid dreaming?
Lucid dreaming – what is it?
Lucid dreaming is an altered state of consciousness in which a person understands that they are dreaming and can sometimes even control its content partially or completely. Lucid dreaming is considered to be a borderline state between REM sleep and wakefulness.
The term “lucid dreaming” was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, scientists officially confirmed this phenomenon for the first time in 1975, and have been actively studying it ever since.
During lucid dreaming, a person can completely control their dreams. Photo source: dzen.ru
As mentioned above, this skill requires training. Having mastered this technique, a person can simulate any situations in a dream that are impossible in life. Of course, lucid dreaming allows you to avoid nightmares. It must be said that, according to scientists, half of the world's population sometimes experiences lucid dreaming spontaneously. True, without proper training, it is not always possible to fully control your dream, but you can force yourself to wake up.
And lucid dreaming can also be incredibly exciting. After training, as mentioned above, it turns into a kind of virtual reality, only with much greater possibilities, since there are no restrictions. A person can change storylines, perform any actions in a dream, for example, fly.
What is the difference between regular sleep and lucid dreaming?
Lucid dreaming differs from regular sleep even on a physiological level. For example, during REM sleep, most muscles are actually paralyzed. This is necessary so that a person does not repeat the movements that he makes in a dream in reality. However, the eye muscles remain mobile, so in a dream a person makes rapid eye movements. This phase is called the REM phase, or BDG (rapid eye movements).
During REM sleep, almost all human muscles are paralyzed. Photo source: news.day.az
During lucid dreams, a person cannot fully control the muscles, but micro-contractions can occur. Scientists have even developed special equipment that detects micro-twitches in the muscles of the legs and arms. In this way, communication with the real world can be established.
How People Controlled Virtual Cars in Their Sleep
In a recent experiment, volunteers were able to control virtual cars on a computer screen during lucid dreams using the above-mentioned equipment, which records muscle movements. However, before the participants could do this in their sleep, they were taught to control virtual cars in reality, but with their eyes closed.
Of course, to control a car, at least some feedback is needed, since it is necessary to go around obstacles. Scientists implemented such feedback using light that was directed to the volunteers' left or right eye. This allowed them to understand which way to turn – left or right. The car was controlled by twitching the right or left hand. Tension in the legs allowed control of virtual pedals.
During a lucid dream, a person maintains contact with the outside world. Photo source: people.onliner.by
The experiment began after the equipment recorded that the person was in the REM stage of sleep, and the volunteer himself sent a signal indicating his readiness to begin performing the tasks. It should be noted that the task was difficult even for experienced “dreamers.”
As the authors of the experiment report in the International Journal of Dream Research, one of the participants was able to make 17 controlled turns to avoid virtual obstacles during sleep. However, during one of the attempts, he “lost” control of his leg muscles and was unable to control the pedals.
During the experiment, volunteers were able to drive virtual cars in their sleep. Photo source: sciencealert.com
Some participants made several correct turns and several unnecessary ones, apparently under the influence of a dream. In addition, participants often woke up from flashes of light. Nevertheless, overall the experiment was successful, and showed that people can control not only their own sleep, but also devices in reality.
According to the authors of the work, most people can be taught lucid dreaming to the extent that they can maintain full connection with the real world. For example, in one study, volunteers were able to send voice commands to a smart home while sleeping.
This technology is still in its early stages of development. But just imagine that one day you will be able to not only “order” your dreams, but also make yourself coffee when you wake up or even cook breakfast.
To experience lucid dreaming, you need to practice. Photo source: faktodrom.com
How to learn lucid dreaming
There are many techniques that allow you to experience lucid dreaming, but each of them involves a certain amount of training. One of the most common is the “I am sleeping” technique. Its meaning is that a person asks himself many times during the day – “Am I sleeping or in a dream?”.
In this case, a person gets used to checking the reality of what is happening, and at some point begins to do this in a dream. There is also a technique according to which a person should wake up in a dream to an alarm clock, remember his dream and concentrate on realizing himself in it. Then a person should visualize himself in a future dream, and so on until he falls into a lucid dream.
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But keep in mind that controlled night awakening will worsen the quality of sleep. This means that your risk of depression and anxiety may increase. Therefore, it is hardly worth doing this without consulting a specialist.