Okay, the following is a quote from a book I've just started reading, "Dreaming as Delirium..." by J Allen Hobson (I typed this up so sorry for any typos):

Of the three modulatory (M) chemicals, it is norepinephrine that is most essential for attention [...]

Norepinephrine levels fall whenever we become sleepy (or even bored); in these states we have difficulty focusing our attention. We lose sight of the words as we read a book at bedtime or lose sight of the road as we drive at night. … [remember] that in dreams we are never able to stop the action to focus on some detail; our ability to attend is disabled. ... during dreaming, the cortex is missing norepinephrine and the control that it confers.

WATCHING OURSELVES DREAM … AND HALLUCINATE

With practice, in our dreams, we can call up just enough norepinephrine to give us some control. At rare times we experience what is called lucid dreaming - while still in a dream, we become aware we are dreaming. This awareness is usually fleeting and more often wakes us up. But we know, for an instant, that we are dreaming. Certain individuals, like my colleague Ed Pace-Schott, can sometimes make themselves become lucid while dreaming. When he succeeds, he regains control of his attention. He does this in two ways. One is to notice and pay attention to the bizarre discontinuities and incongruities that label dreaming so clearly, instead of ignoring these obvious clues as we usually do. The second is to tell himself to make voluntary movements (that is, to seize control) of his eyes instead of letting them flit back and forth automatically as they usually do.

With some encouragement from Ed, I have renewed my interest in lucid dreaming. And I use a similar one-two punch. First I notice the obvious fact that I am dreaming, and then I will an act [i.e., wills himself to perform an action] that corresponds to what I am seeing in my dreams. If I am flying, I tell myself to flap my arms.

… what I am doing is engaging in volition. I am purposely starting a motor program. My theory is that by doing this I am engaging my frontal cortex to call for chemical help. My brain stem responds by sending up some norepinephrine - just enough to place me on the knife’s edge between REM sleep and waking. If I push the system too hard, I will wake up. If I let up a bit, I will become reabsorbed in the dream.[/b]
Sorry it's a bit long, but I thought the whole thing was interesting.

What seems to be being said, is that MOVEMENT is very important in terms of attaining lucidity (conscious awareness) when you're dreaming.

This is because moving your arms, consciously moving your eyes, or doing some other thing that involves ACTION will cause your brain to release more Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine), a neurotransmitter that is normally shut off (more or less) when we're in REM sleep, and which is crucial for being able to focus our attention, or (I guess?) think critically.

Okay, so does anyone have any thoughts about any of this? Have you tried deliberately doing something that involves movement when you start to become aware you're dreaming, and has it helped to increase your lucidity or control?

The only things I've kinda managed to 'programme' myself to do are look at my hands (which seems to work, in that I've atleast actually done this a couple of times) and pick up/ look at objects, but these seem like very passive things to do (which is maybe why I only get a very low degree of lucidity, which doesn't last too long?)

Anyway, anyone got any thoughts about this?