Need Help Falling Asleep

Hi all...

Im kinda new in the whole lucid dreaming world. I was introduced to it by the movie Waking Life. On that same day i had a lucid dream using the light switch trick. i was so fascinated by it, so i tried to do it in the next nights . However, I developed a very frustrating problem, much different to the problems most people have. The problem is : I cant fall asleep. Its very exhausting, i haven't slept in about a week. i mean, i get some sleep, but only for like 2 hours a night, then i wake up and spend the next 6 hours trying to go back to sleep. im very dedicated, i do reality checks all the time. i have no doubt that i can lucid dream (because i already had one, lol), but what good are reality checks if i cant fall asleep in the first place? Im positive that I have this problem because of lucid dreaming. Why? because before it i slept normally, and it only started after i found out about lucid dreaming.

P.S1: The reason I'm posting this here is.. well i don't know where else to, and also falling asleep is the first step towards attaining lucidity, right?

P.S2: I know that some people will tell me i should do the dream recall thing first. The reply is: I have a very good memory, i remember dreams for a very long time (ofcourse not all dreams, I'm not Superman, but I'm sure that if i have a lucid dream, i wont forget about it. I can still remember every detail of my lucid dream even though it was a week ago).

Hello there, wellcome.

I think that health and sleep section of this forum (http://www.dreamviews.com/forum/index.php?showforum=45) is more appropriate for this thread but it can be surely discussed here, considering ,like you said, that sleep is required for lucidity.

I had this problem years ago too.
In my case it was my internal clock that was messed up.
The best proactice is to get much sunlight during the day.
That abdjust your internal clock and your body creates more melatonin at night for some reasons.
That helped me a lot.

Oh yes there is another trick.
Don't you ever use your bed for anything else except sleep and sex.
Don't read in your bed, dont watch tv. Nothing than sleep or sex.
This way you link your bed with sleep in you subconsious.

These thinks worked for me.
It could be a good idea to read a book on the subject too.

Welcome to DV!!! :yumdumdoodledum:

Since it only started happening lately, I'm guessing its because you're getting too anxious about having a lucid dream, especially since you've already experienced it and know how great it feels. If your mind is rushing when getting ready to go to sleep, try to relax.

There is a relaxing techniques on the tutorial section that you may find helpful:
The 61 Point relaxation technique

I know there's also a few induction mp3's on the forums, but I don't know where they're at. You may want to try doing a search.

As for the dream journal, of course you can remember your LD from last week... I still remember my first lucid dream from over 2 years ago. :) Keeping a dream journal is not just about remembering your dreams, it does much more than that. On the long run, your recall gets a lot better, it helps with vividness, and best of all, it helps you find a few patterns in your dream that can make it easier for you to lucid dream. Also, its really fun to look back on your journal and read some of the dreams from months ago... when you read it, all the little details pop right back in your head as if you just had the dream yesterday. But yeah, keeping a dream journal requires a lot of dedication.

Good luck on falling asleep...

Other tips:

1. Take a normal dosage of melatonin. It promotes sleep.
2. Get excercize throughout the day, so that you will be tired later on.
3. Do not sleep more than 7-8 hours in a night, and take no naps.
4. Decaf tea of some sort. (It always helps me..)

Hope these might help!

I have a couple of questions:

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Originally Posted by tyrantt23

Welcome to DV!!! :yumdumdoodledum:
As for the dream journal, of course you can remember your LD from last week... I still remember my first lucid dream from over 2 years ago. :) Keeping a dream journal is not just about remembering your dreams, it does much more than that. On the long run, your recall gets a lot better, it helps with vividness, and best of all, it helps you find a few patterns in your dream that can make it easier for you to lucid dream. Also, its really fun to look back on your journal and read some of the dreams from months ago... when you read it, all the little details pop right back in your head as if you just had the dream yesterday. But yeah, keeping a dream journal requires a lot of dedication.

Good luck on falling asleep...
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Does that mean that I won't be able to have a lucid dream without doing the dream recall first?

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Originally Posted by tyrantt23

1. Take a normal dosage of melatonin. It promotes sleep.
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How can I take it? Is it some type of drug?

Thanks for everyone's help.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body. It has many uses, but here it applies to falling asleep and REM sleep. You can buy it at the drug store as a sleeping aid, but don't rely on it every night. If you use it too often your body will rely on the drug and not properly produce its own. It should definatly help you fall asleep though, its possible your lack of sleep may even be due to lack of melatonin in your body.

However, I've heard that Melatonin supplements can have negative effects on people who aren't done with puberty, since their hormone levels are different, so you probably shouldn't take it if you're under 21.

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Originally Posted by Tarek

Does that mean that I won't be able to have a lucid dream without doing the dream recall first?
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I don't understand if you mean dream recall, or dream journal...

As far as dream recall, for having lucid dreams, its best if you are able to remember at least a couple of dreams every night. If your dream recall isn't that good yet, then its very possible that you may have a lucid dream, but completely forget about the dream by the time you open your eyes.... if this happens, you won't even know you had a lucid dream. Because of this, its best to have a good dream recall when attempting to lucid dream.

As far as keeping a dream journal, it helps with dream recall on the long run, A LOT. If you already have a really good dream recall, then you don't need to keep a dream journal, but its still very nice to at least keep a few short notes about each dream.Like I said before, it can make it easier for you to find some patterns in your dreams that you otherwise wouldn't notice.

Yesterday night I was reading by a post by spiritofthewolf about meeting his Dream Guide on Fall of 2006. At the time, she told him she already knew him and had tried talking to him "a year ago." He went back to his journals and found an entry on the previous year, Fall of 2005, where the same girl had whispered on his ear "I already know who you are, I just dont want them to know, that I know you...."

Its really mazing when you read back on your journals and find some things like that, or when you can see very explicit the way that dreams were and how it related to your lifestyle at the time. You can only do that if you keep a dream journal or some sort, or at least a few notes... :)

Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by Serith

However, I've heard that Melatonin supplements can have negative effects on people who aren't done with puberty, since their hormone levels are different, so you probably shouldn't take it if you're under 21.
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I am under 21 :(.

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Originally Posted by Serith

There is a relaxing techniques on the tutorial section that you may find helpful:
The 61 Point relaxation technique

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I tried to do it tonight, I fell asleep, but I woke up 4 and a half hours later. I then tried it again but with no success. I'm not even sure I'm doing it right. Any help?

First of all -- P.S (Post-Script) P.P.S (Post-Postscript) -- this is proper. It bothers me.

Now that you have a bad first impression of me I'll try and help you with your sleeping problem using practical methods which will save you money. Maybe it won't...

Method Number 1: Spend some time in the sunshine, playing around and using a lot of energy. This is obviously to wear yourself out. If you don't like the sun, or playing, or being outside, run in place in your room for a long time. Just work out so your body gets tired.

Method Number 2: Drink some warm milk before bed. This works, despite how uncomfortable you might feel about making/asking for some warm milk.

Method Number 3: Have a long, hot shower before you get into bed. This doesn't make you sleepier, it just relaxes you.

Method Number 4: If you're feeling really adventurous, combine all of the methods. It gives you an awesome challenge. Well, no it doesn't. I was just trying to get you excited.

I've never read the 61 point relaxation technique but I'm sure it talked about "proper" breathing. Take slow, deep breaths. Sometimes, when I can't get to sleep, I just keep my eyes open for as long as I can until they become to heavy. Reverse blinking is good too.

Well, that's my little article about sleeping.

Go sleep. (Sorry, that's my motivational speech...I know..not much.)

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Originally Posted by White

Reverse blinking is good too.
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What is reverse blinking?

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Originally Posted by White

First of all -- P.S (Post-Script) P.P.S (Post-Postscript) -- this is proper. It bothers me.
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I doff my cap. Bonus points for identifying an appropriate response out of Hamlet.

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Originally Posted by White

What is reverse blinking?
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You can find it as part of a relaxation tutorial here.
I think that this tutorial may be very helpful.

Maybe a better tutorial would be 'How to maintain a proper sleep cycle'. If you get a regular sleep pattern going, you can get decent sleep every night regularly, and it makes waking up in REM cycles much more effective. Problem is, busy lives means that you have to stay up now and then, and then EVERYTHING fucks up.

Yesterday was really amazing. I went to sleep very very tired (I did the 61 point thing again, only with deep breathing) i dont remember reaching point 30! so i guess i fell asleep before that. Anyway, i woke up about 5 hours later (remembering 0 dreams) and thought to myself "Oh not again, now i wont be able to go back to sleep". Ths time I tried something different, i got up and started walking till i couldnt walk anymore. i then went to bed and i think i fell asleep almost immediately. i then had this strange thing going on for a long time. it goes like this:
i fall asleep, almost immediately i get a dream, then i do an RC (light switch) the moment it doesnt turn on/off, i blink(in the dream), wake up, then i fall asleep again and the cycle repeats itself. this happened over and over and over. i mean, its like i had 10 lucid dreams that lasted 3 seconds each! i think i tried spinning a couple of times, but it didnt work. (maybe i understood the word spin wrong). this is both good news and bad news. its good because i get many lucid dreams (obviously) but its bad because i apparently have a serious problem with maintaining lucidity. Any help with that?

P.S: I remember in my first lucid dream (the one i had a week ago) the same thing happened, only the 'blink' didnt cause me to close my eye fully, so i didnt wake up.

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Originally Posted by Tarek

Yesterday was really amazing. I went to sleep very very tired (I did the 61 point thing again, only with deep breathing) i dont remember reaching point 30! so i guess i fell asleep before that. Anyway, i woke up about 5 hours later (remembering 0 dreams) and thought to myself "Oh not again, now i wont be able to go back to sleep". Ths time I tried something different, i got up and started walking till i couldnt walk anymore. i then went to bed and i think i fell asleep almost immediately. i then had this strange thing going on for a long time. it goes like this:
i fall asleep, almost immediately i get a dream, then i do an RC (light switch) the moment it doesnt turn on/off, i blink(in the dream), wake up, then i fall asleep again and the cycle repeats itself. this happened over and over and over. i mean, its like i had 10 lucid dreams that lasted 3 seconds each! i think i tried spinning a couple of times, but it didnt work. (maybe i understood the word spin wrong). this is both good news and bad news. its good because i get many lucid dreams (obviously) but its bad because i apparently have a serious problem with maintaining lucidity. Any help with that?

P.S: I remember in my first lucid dream (the one i had a week ago) the same thing happened, only the 'blink' didnt cause me to close my eye fully, so i didnt wake up.[/b]

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I suggest finding one of those sleep mask things that cover your eyes while you are sleeping. I used to have one and it was great. Just that little bit of pressure makes alot of difference. If you don't have one just use a blindfold.