Can You Control Your Dreams? Science Says Yes

(Photo: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)
Can You Control Your Dreams? Science Says Yes

Most of us are unconscious when we sleep, so it's easy to believe we don't control our dreams. However, there's reportedly a way to do so when lucid dreaming.

Can You Control Your Dreams?

You dream most of the time without realizing it. When you wake up, you'll most likely discover you were dreaming. Even remembering dreams might be challenging at times. It may seem unusual, but you can have some control over your dreams.

When someone dreams while lucid, they are cognizant of their dreams. Although over 53% of individuals have had lucid dreams at some point, less than half of them can do so consistently.

The National Library of Medicine's publication on lucid dreaming explained the phenomenon, characterized by a hybrid state of consciousness with distinguishable and quantifiable distinctions between waking life and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Researchers discovered that the frontal lobes of the brains of those with lucid dreams exhibit greater activity than those without.

The dreamer may have influence over their activities and environment when experiencing lucid dreams. When lucid dreaming happens, the whole brain is most active during REM sleep, except for the pre-frontal cortex, which is in charge of planning and reasoning. While lucid dreams can happen to anyone, certain people are more likely than others to have them. Individuals who are prone to lucid dreaming frequently exhibit greater degrees of mindfulness and self-awareness.

They might also struggle to tell the difference between fact and imagination. When used as a creative and reflective technique, lucid dreaming can be quite effective. It can also be applied to get rid of nightmares, anxiety, and terror.

Some people can realize their most fantastical dreams through lucid dreaming.

Others employ it as a therapy to address health issues and resolve life's traumas and obstacles. People frequently use light or sound stimulation to generate lucid dreams during REM sleep. This improves the dreamer's awareness of their environment and raises the possibility of lucid dreaming. But there's no surefire way to bring on lucid dreams.

ALSO READ: Time-Monitoring Behavior While Trying To Sleep Could Worsen Insomnia [Study]

Tips to Control Your Dreams

As mentioned above, you can indeed control your dreams. However, to do so, you may need to practice some stuff, which may take some time.

Here are some ways to do it.

Reality Testing

Reality testing involves the practice of questioning and examining one's surroundings to distinguish between reality and dream states, commonly employed in lucid dreaming techniques.

Dream Journal

Keeping a dream journal entails recording and reflecting on one's dreams regularly, fostering self-awareness, and aiding in recognizing recurring dream patterns.

WILD Technique

The wake-induced lucid dreaming (WILD) technique involves maintaining consciousness during the transition from wakefulness to sleep, aiming to consciously enter a lucid dream state.

MILD Technique

The MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) technique is similar to WILD, but it doesn't require you to wake up first. The MILD technique involves using specific cues or reminders to trigger lucidity within dreams.

Visualization

Visualization is a mental practice of creating vivid images or scenarios in the mind's eye, often utilized for goal setting, relaxation, or enhancing performance in various activities.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility induced through guided relaxation that can be utilized for therapeutic purposes or exploring altered states of consciousness.