Caffeine + WILD

**Pipedream** · 09-16-2010 08:56 PM

Has anyone tried this?

I've read a couple of places that taking a little caffeine after between waking up and going back to bed part of WBTB can increase your ability to remain conscious, which is what I'm currently struggling with.

Has anyone tried this? Coffee, chocolate, soda, anything? I can imagine that too much would make it difficult to go back to sleep at all, but I drink too much caffeine as is so I think my body would adapt alright.

I was just wondering if anyone had tried this with any results.

**Alsroge** · 09-16-2010 09:58 PM

Hello, Pipedream!

I think you'll find more luck in the Lucid Aids forum, which is just a subforum of this one.

Caffeine has been said to help lucid dreams by keeping your body active during the night. My ignorance comes from my lack of coffee appreciation, but coffee apparently makes one need to urinate frequently through the night, which can help in getting up after your REM/dreaming cycle. Waking up at the right time will most likely help you WILD/WBTB.

If you're having trouble remaining conscious while attempting to WILD, then you're likely letting your mind drift too far.

This always keeps me pretty occupied: Repeat your mantra in your head while visualizing numbers increasing. Your brain should actively be repeating your mantra, but you should be passively watching numbers increase. I like to sometimes imagine cloud-numbers, and as they go up, imagine them changing and morphing in the sky (all while repeating my autosuggestion). This actually keeps me too preoccupied and I usually have to end up dropping the mantra, visualization, or numbers in order to fall asleep within the hour. I would suggest reading up on some V-WILD tutorials; visualization's a great tool to keep yourself from falling asleep, but can also work the other way!

I wish I knew more about the effects of caffeine on the body. I think I might do a few searches....

**Pipedream** · 09-16-2010 10:15 PM

Ah, thanks. If a mod wants to move it, that'd be great.

When you say it's supposed to "help lucid dreams" do you mean dream recall, or lucidity in dreams?

Thanks for the advice about visualization, I might have to try that. I've tried a bit of visualization but, like you said, I probably am letting my mind drift too far. I guess I'm just afraid of keeping myself too awake, does that make sense?

**sisyphus** · 09-16-2010 11:45 PM

I've heard this too and it interests me. But recently I spent a great deal of effort quitting caffeine altogether. So I'm hesitant to even experiment with this.

But if I were going to try, I think a lovely mug of hot chocolate would be the way to go. Yum.

**Brunor2** · 09-17-2010 12:32 AM

Don't think it would work if you drink coffee, for example, and go straight to bed. Caffeine takes 40 minutes to enter your blood stream, but if you wake up, drink coffee and wait a couple of minutes, like 25 minutes and then go to bed, could work.

**Pipedream** · 09-17-2010 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by Brunor2

Don't think it would work if you drink coffee, for example, and go straight to bed. Caffeine takes 40 minutes to enter your blood stream, but if you wake up, drink coffee and wait a couple of minutes, like 25 minutes and then go to bed, could work.

I'm glad you said this. I wasn't planning on gulping down a mug of coffee before bed, but this is definitely good to know! Haha.

I might try taking some sort of caffeine in a WBTB-type situation, but I'm currently experimenting with the CAN-WILD technique, so I might put this on hold for awhile. Thanks for all the input, everyone!

**Brunor2** · 09-17-2010 01:56 AM

Originally Posted by Pipedream

I'm glad you said this. I wasn't planning on gulping down a mug of coffee before bed, but this is definitely good to know! Haha.

I might try taking some sort of caffeine in a WBTB-type situation, but I'm currently experimenting with the CAN-WILD technique, so I might put this on hold for awhile. Thanks for all the input, everyone!

Just create a good timing, might work. Try waking up for the WBTB and taking some coffee, wait like 20 minutes and go back to bed. The remaining 20 minutes should be enough for you to relax and start your WILD, maybe even attain SP.

**Pipedream** · 09-17-2010 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by Brunor2

Just create a good timing, might work. Try waking up for the WBTB and taking some coffee, wait like 20 minutes and go back to bed. The remaining 20 minutes should be enough for you to relax and start your WILD, maybe even attain SP.

I'll definitely try this. Thanks for the advice.

If anyone has had any success with this, I'd love to hear about it.

**SirPsychoSexy** · 01-15-2011 08:23 AM

i tried the caffiene thing last night, it didnt work out so well. i woke up early, had a cup of black tea, wrote down my recall of my dreams and lied back down for a "wbtb". even though i use caffiene regularly and i have quite a tolerance i could not hypnotize myself into sleep or a lucid dream for that matter. instead i got up, made breakfast, and watched early morning cartoons (it beats watching the news!). however to each is their own, give it a try lemme know how it works out.

**WarBenifit156** · 02-22-2011 09:14 PM

I tried to drink some diet coke and WILD last night and I didn't even go through sleep paralysis. I don't have much memory of the dream but that is because my laziness towards a dream journal recently. I'm going to try this again tonight.

**SystemsLock** · 02-26-2011 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Brunor2

\ Caffeine takes 40 minutes to enter your blood stream\

That's not true at all. I'm a pretty avid caffeine drinker and the effect starts within 5 minutes. I'd say it reaches full effect in about 20 and starts going down after two hours.

**BluePhoenix** · 04-14-2011 08:09 PM

I downed a cup of cold coffee lastnight and it was the closest I've ever been to WILD. I'm going to give this more consideration.

**Reamous** · 04-17-2011 03:49 AM

Sounds like a good plan. I always fall asleep during WILDs. Will try!

**Waterknight** · 04-20-2011 02:22 AM

well I wasnt trying to WILD or anything but I do remember this morning at about 2:45 waking up and knowing that I had a dream but not remembering any details so I went downstairs and I drank a glass of tea and then went back to bed. I was out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow again and I was barely even conscious to get the tea haha. I woke up at 5 and I knew I had another dream that I couldnt remember. I quickly fell back asleep and woke up at 7:17 and couldnt even recall having dreamt that time.

I had caffeine but I didnt have enough awareness to hold onto until I fell asleep. Those waking actions were basically an autopilot to cure a thirst without needing any actual thought.

**lefty97** · 04-29-2011 01:56 AM

A few days ago i drank a bottle of NOS like an hour or two before bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and while going back to sleep I WILDed without even trying... really vivid dreams that night.

**thepractice** · 04-29-2011 02:38 AM

Caffeine stimulates the Medial Reticulate Formation in your brain, which mediates attention and consciousness, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is true.

**Dreamzz** · 05-01-2011 02:02 AM

I just realized after reading these posts that monday Wednesday and Friday I have 815 class for college and as I sit through this class I drink a medium size coffee andafter class I go back to bed..this is when I've had most of my wild LDs. Maybe the coffee has something to do with my high rate of LDs at this specific time..