By Oliver Martinez, Middle-Schooler with an Opinion and a Dream
If you don’t live under a rock then you probably have heard the phrase “everything is possible.” This is partially true, as some things like going back in time or reviving the dinosaurs are impossible. But, there is one way to make it possible–in our dreams. Anything is possible in our dreams: we can fly, go back in time, be rich; the list goes on. But how can we do this? It’s called lucid dreaming. You may remember Levi’s post on Astral Projection and Lucid Dreaming in “Has Levi Been to Area 51?” Lucid dreaming is the act in which you become aware of what you’re dreaming and you’re sometimes able to control the dream.
How can you have a lucid dream? According to healthline.com, there are a couple reliable ways to test if you’re lucid dreaming. Here are a few:
- Test reality. Testing reality is the process of asking yourself if you’re dreaming, or if what’s happening is real. Experts suggest doing this every 2-3 hours. Wake up; ask yourself “am I dreaming?”
- Get a good sleep routine. Try to sleep a good amount of hours each night. Around 8-10 hours of sleep is ideal. Also, try not to take in caffeine and peer into a computer screen before sleeping as both can affect dreams in a negative way.
- Keep a dream journal. Keeping a journal with all the dreams you’ve had is a good way to force the brain into remembering each dream. This can affect your dreams as it increases the chances of you realizing you’re in a lucid dream.
Sadly, there is a downside to things we find good. According to WebMD, lucid dreams can lower your sleep quality. They can also make it harder to fall back asleep if you’ve woken up. Imagine waking up after having a lucid dream about somebody chasing you, or falling from a cliff. This can seriously make it hard to fall asleep again.
I have personally experienced a lucid dream, and I found it really interesting and crazy how real it felt. In the dream I was running through some mountains, but after going so fast I fell into a river. Right before touching the water I woke up. I was nervous, but around 10 minutes later I fell asleep. In my opinion, you should definitely try these methods to have a lucid dream yourself as they are very exciting and are definitely an experience you would want to live through and share with others.
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