Stavya Week 10: Lucid Dreams

                    

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I recently read the article Unlock the Power of Your Dreams: A beginner’s guide to lucid dreaming, and I found myself fascinated by the concept. I had heard of lucid dreaming before, the idea that a person could be conscious in a dream, but I was completely unaware of its various benefits.

To begin with, according to the article, people perform intellectual tasks far better while lucid dreaming. A 2018 study from Frontiers in Psychology found that participants who were actively engaged in a lucid dream were more successful in solving the puzzles presented to them than those who were awake. A similar study in 2014 from Consciousness and Cognition determined that lucid dreaming enhances creativity. Participants lucid dreaming were able to come up with far more creative solutions to a problem than those who were awake. Again, the participants were in a lucid state! Furthermore, a 2015 study in Sleep found that participants had better motor skills while lucid dreaming; they were able to perform a finger-tapping exercise much quicker and more precisely.


The power of lucid dreaming also lies in the fact that our conscious minds can control it. As a result, we can use it as a space to do whatever we want. It can be used to reduce our anxiety about something by simulating an environment with it; many people have treated their phobias through lucid dreaming. It can also be used to confront any issues bothering us from the day. In a lucid dream, we can work these problems out in a calm, tranquil environment without any external pressure. The uses for lucid dreaming are effectively infinite: we could use it for anything that puts us in a better mental state.


The idea of lucid dreaming is indeed appealing, but there are some safety concerns that you should be aware of. Sleep paralysis is a concern and it occurs when we are conscious in a dream but unable to move. Furthermore, the unpredictable emotions often associated with lucid dreaming reduce the quality of sleep we get. Lucid dreaming every day for an extended period of time could potentially have negative long-term effects. Nevertheless, lucid dreaming is truly a great tool that we can all use to leverage the power of our subconscious, and I highly encourage you to try it!


Comments

  1. Jessica HungFebruary 5, 2024 at 11:01 PM

    Hi Stavya! The article that you mentioned at the beginning of your blog was an interesting read. When I first heard about the concept of lucid dreaming for the first time, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical that such a power existed — it seemed too weird to be true. I never thought that someone could be conscious during a dream; I normally forget all of my dreams when I wake up. But with all the studies that you mention, lucid dreaming is definitely real. Overall, I liked the structure of your blog, and it was easy to follow. You began by discussing some of the benefits that come with lucid dreaming and provided examples from various studies. The study that I found the most interesting was the one where the participants that were lucid dreaming were able to come up with “more creative solutions to a problem” compared to people who were awake. Lastly, you concluded your blog by including the safety concerns that come with lucid dreaming, but you ultimately ended with a powerful statement of how lucid dreaming can be “a great tool” if we harness “the power of our subconscious.”

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  2. Arushi February 7, 2024 at 7:44 PM

    Hi Stavya. I've always found the concept of lucid dreaming to be very interesting. I appreciate that you thoroughly explained the science behind lucid dreaming and its benefits. Since you broke down your information into digestible paragraphs, your blog was an easy, educational read. The first time I heard about lucid dreaming was in ninth grade. Towards the end of the year, in English 9H, we were asked to choose a topic to deliver a speech on as part of the public speaking unit. I remember that one of my classmates chose to speak about lucid dreaming. As she revealed her findings about lucid dreaming, she also explained to us that she had tried it out while preparing for her speech. She walked us through her idea of trying to see if lucid dreaming would help her get better at drawing with her left hand, her non-dominant hand. She showed us a picture she drew before she began lucid dreaming about improving and practicing her art with her left hand and one after. There was a clear difference! I genuinely found it so cool that that scope for improvement existed through lucid dreaming. Your blog reminded me of my past fascination with learning about lucid dreaming, and I feel inspired to learn more and will definitely be looking into trying it out myself.

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