Quality of Sleep affecting LD?

Hi all,

I'm just now getting through reading enough previous threads to feel comfortable enough to post myself... outstanding site you have here, btw.

My first question is going to be about sleep itself and its effect on LD. Thanks to you all, I've trimmed my intervals between lucid dreams from about two months to one week. I'm curious about whether I might be trying too hard, though.

When I thought this was all purely spontaneous and uncontrollable, I didn't give a thought to how to induce one. Now that I see that this can be accomplished with disciplined effort, I've dedicating all of the past two weeks to nothing but the pursuit of LD, and I fear my "overindulgence" may have reduced the quality of these LD's (forcing myself to sleep up to 12 hours a day, and frankly, thoroughly screwing up my normal sleep cycles in the process).

This morning's LD was practically a complete wash because the moment I realized I was lucid, I lost control, awakened, and re-entered a non-lucid dream. This has never happened before, and even the previous, purposely-induced LD that occured during an afternoon nap, lacked some intensity.

Now, granted, this last LD was only number 5 for me, but do you think that perhaps I should cut back to a normal 8-hour sleep cycle in the hopes of better LD's? Does anyone else have experience in this sort of situation?

Thanks,
Legend

You should let your body dictate how long you sleep. It will let you know what is appropriate for you. Most people need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Too much sleep is as detrimental as too little sleep.

For higher quality LDs, you want an uninterrupted REM cycle. Is your room free from distractions like lights and noise?

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Is your room free from distractions like lights and noise?[/b]

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As much as I can make it, being situated in an urban environment. Would you suggest sleepmasks or earplugs, perhaps?

Thanks, Seeker
Legend

I would definitely recommend earplugs -- they've worked wonders for me.