Lucid Dreaming - What It Really Is

Lucid Dreaming – What Is It Really? For decades, people have been asking this question. Originally, states like lucid dreaming were dismissed by science, with explanations left to mystics and spiritual practices.

However, with technological progress, many unusual and unexplained phenomena have started gaining scientific validation. Numerous human abilities once thought to be impossible are now recognized as real, though not all of them are fully understood.

The phase of lucid dreaming is no exception. Despite ongoing research and supporting evidence, there is still no clear understanding of how this process unfolds. Nevertheless, the scientific community remains committed to exploring it, with each study shedding more light on its uncertainties. And as more enthusiasts join, there’s hope that soon, the mechanisms underlying lucid dreaming won’t be merely recognized but also fully understood.

What Is Known So Far

Currently, the phenomenon of lucid dreaming has a few basic explanations. Although lucid dreaming itself hasn’t been extensively researched, regular sleep has been thoroughly studied. This makes it possible to draw certain parallels, as lucid dreaming closely resembles a phase state. The most widely supported hypothesis, based on indirect scientific evidence, is that lucid dreams occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase. The main feature of lucid dreaming that distinguishes it from regular sleep is the vividness and emotional intensity of what’s happening. Therefore, descriptions and definitions of regular sleep can help in understanding some principles and concepts of this phenomenon.

History of Study

The first study in this area was conducted in the 1950s by N. Kleitman, who initially studied normal sleep. Through observations of nerve impulses and biorhythms, the REM phase was identified. At first, this phase was only observed in infants and cats, but over time, volunteers were included. Although the REM phase had been noticed before, it hadn’t been linked to sleep stages.

Sleep, as a state, has always intrigued scientists, as well as poets, philosophers, and laypeople. This collective interest also initiated research. Many scientists, including neurophysiologists and psychologists, used electroencephalograms to determine that sleep could be divided into several stages and had a cyclical nature.

These studies clarified that sleep is a biological necessity. A person can go without food or water for up to seven days, forego socializing, ignore reproductive urges, and so on, but forgoing sleep has severe consequences. For instance, dogs die on the tenth day without sleep, while rats can survive only two days.

Experiments conducted in 1986 showed the following results for humans:

Three days without sleep led to hallucinations and wakeful dreaming;
Five days led to near-death experiences and madness.

Even after five days without sleep, only a few hours are needed for recovery.

Experiment Details

Many people conduct sleep experiments on themselves. Here’s what happens after three days without sleep:

Things around you, including inanimate objects, start talking to you. At first, you try to logically explain this, and it soon feels natural and normal.
You meet invisible characters and can interact with them (e.g., you can play games with them) without doubting their reality.
You hear voices, and this seems completely normal.

Sometimes these episodes of madness subside but then return if you continue to avoid sleep. After 3.5 days without sleep, 12 hours of sleep can be enough for recovery.

How Sleep Changes with Age

Infants sleep for long periods, as they need energy for growth and development. Children also sleep longer than adults and go through non-standard stages. After age 10, sleep’s duration and its stages stabilize. From age 40 onward, both your sleep and body “age.” Since you no longer engage in as much physical activity as in your youth, your body requires less rest. Sleep becomes lighter and more sensitive, with the deep stages shortening significantly.

A Scientific Perspective on Sleep

When you sleep, bodily functions needed for wakefulness slow down, while other systems remain active but operate in a slightly altered mode. Hippocrates once described sleep as “a state where external bodily functions weaken, while internal ones strengthen.” To study dreams, scientists use the following tools:

EEG (brain waves)
EOG
EMG
GSR
measurements of heart rate and breathing

Visual observations are also part of research, and studies using such observations have confirmed the cyclical nature of sleep. Simply lying down and closing your eyes shows relaxation on an EEG. If you’re not too tired, you might slip into REM. After fully relaxing, you will then enter non-REM sleep, where eye movements stop completely. This stage has four sub-stages:

The main rhythm slows down.
EEG takes on a sinusoidal shape.

3&4.Delta brain activity appears, and muscles fully relax. This is the deepest stage, during which energy and growth hormones are restored.

After completing these stages, one enters REM sleep, during which dreams occur. REM sleep’s characteristics include:

Rapid eye movements
Low EMG readings
Highly irregular EEG
Heart and respiratory arrhythmias
Increased physical activity (but less than in wakefulness)
Blood pressure fluctuations
Suspension of growth hormone production

This phase is sometimes called a “vegetative storm” due to its mix of opposing states. After REM, people briefly wake up, though they don’t remember it, and the 90-minute cycle repeats. Throughout the night, deep sleep dominates the earlier cycles, while REM takes over later. Techniques for inducing lucid dreaming can be applied not only to nighttime sleep but also to daytime naps. In fact, it may be easier to enter lucid dreams during naps since the deep sleep stages are absent.

Despite extensive scientific research, debates about what sleep truly is, its origins, and its purpose are ongoing.

The Most Common Theories

One theory suggests that the body tires throughout the day and needs time to recover. Critics argue that nerve cells can’t get tired, given that the heart and lungs remain active during sleep. Only the muscles fully relax, implying that sleep might simply ease muscle tension.

Another theory posits that sleep allows the brain to process information gathered during the day, retaining useful information and “forgetting” unnecessary details. Sleep is required for this task because, during wakefulness, the brain is too overloaded to process everything effectively. The truth may lie somewhere between these theories.

However, REM sleep remains a notable exception to these theories. In this phase, people often experience out-of-body journeys, and scientists believe these are simply lucid dreams. Nonetheless, the emotions and feelings that people experience during REM sleep are far more intense than those experienced in regular dreams. As such, there’s much more to explore.

Are There People Who Don’t Dream?

If you’re hesitant about trying lucid dreaming because you think you don’t dream, don’t worry. Research shows that everyone dreams—it’s just that not everyone remembers their dreams. You can have your first lucid dreaming experience even if you’ve never recalled a dream before. With time, you’ll start remembering not just the general storyline but specific details, and eventually, you’ll even control and change events.

Lucid Dreams, Their Features, and Terminology

Phase states have many names, such as “out-of-body experiences” and “the astral plane,” as the sensations felt during these states make people feel like they’ve entered another realm. Key features of phase lucid dreaming include the following:

Lucid dreams are limitless; anything you can imagine is possible.
Lucid dreams are beneficial for real life, as they help people overcome stereotypes and barriers.

Unfortunately, some practitioners treat these experiences subjectively, enjoying the idea of “leaving the body” every night (even though it’s just a phase). This mindset can fuel the ego and create authority in niche circles. However, the focus should be on using phase states for growth. Trust your experiences and needs in lucid dreaming without getting sidetracked by mysticism or dubious teachers.

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