Trouble relaxing

Hi, I'm new to this whole lucid dreaming thing (about 2-3 days into it) and I have discovered extreme difficulty in the relaxation portion of a WILD. My first attempt was a DILD and I realized that would occur at extreme random, so i tried a WILD. I went to bed at 11 and woke up at 3, now I realize this isn't the recommended pre-sleep of 6 hours, would this affect my relaxation when I begin WILDing? :eek: I layed there for 40 minutes counting my breaths but for the life of me just COULD NOT get to the point of transition or even relaxation for that matter. Any tips?

Once you wake up during your WBTB, it is important to note whether you have dreamed thus far. If you wake up in the night and are pretty sure you haven't dreamed, go back to sleep for another hour. Your good REM sleep hasn't started to cycle. If you wake up and can remember that you have dreamed (even if it is bits and pieces), then you are good to go with the WILD attempt. You could always try Reverse Blinking to get you relaxed and sleepy. It seems to work really well for many dreamers on the site. I have had some personal success with it as well.

This is one of the hardest parts about WILD. You have to get yourself into a deep state of relaxation. Some people can do this easily, or even automatically, other people can lay there all day without ever feeling relaxed. I like to imagine myself sinking into the mattress. I don't just imagine it, I really try to feel like I am sinking. Without actually moving, I try to push my feet into the bed, then my head, then my feet. I alternate, like I am rocking. Again, I'm not really moving, just imagining the sensation.

Another thing I do is reverse blinking. I close my eyes, and start counting my breaths like you mentioned. Every time I exhale, I count the breath, and blink my eyes open for a brief second. Just like blinking, only... in reverse. This launches me into a trance like magic. In fact, it works too well most of the time, and I end up falling asleep.