Lights on vs. lights off: Vivid dreams?

**SuperFob** · 07-18-2011 03:41 PM

Normally I sleep in a very dark room with no lights on. Recently, I started turning a light in an adjacent room on while going to sleep, and leaving the door to that room only slightly open so that some, but not all of the light from that room spills into my room. My room remains relatively dark, but still much lighter than it normally is.

On the third night I did this, I had a significantly more vivid dream than I usually have, and I woke up two hours before I normally wake up. Is it likely that the light is responsible for this?

**LucidTux** · 07-18-2011 06:16 PM

I have experienced this too.
For the last 3 days , i've been sleeping with the lights on for some time ( my brother works on his pc ...... he shuts off the lights when he goes to sleep, 3-4 hours after me) ,
and i've been having vivid dreams and i also can remember them easily. One night i remembered About 4 dreams .... ( i woke up after each of them)
and i also had an LD

(prior to this one i had only 2 LD's about 2 months ago , but they were for only 2-3 seconds...... .... but this one lasted for about 10 mins )

**quassom** · 07-19-2011 04:08 AM

Typically when you go to sleep in a brighter room you will have a brighter dream and the same with in a dark room. Of course most things that have to do with lucid dreaming are very subjective so it may depend

**MischiefManaged** · 07-19-2011 05:26 AM

I think you sleep lighter with the lights on (even if there is not much light), so it's easier to wake up->remember dreams and also this awakenings are pretty noticeable, so you do sort of a few short WBTBs during the night, therefore increased vividness.

**Puffin** · 07-19-2011 06:49 AM

Your mind, when you're asleep, will take things from your physical surroundings and incorporate them into your dream. If you listen to loud music and happen to fall asleep while listening to it, for instance, you might hear distorted noise in your dream. I've noticed that when I take naps, my dreams are often much lighter because it's light outside, and the blinds on my windows are bad at keeping the light out. As for actual vividness, my dreams that come during naps tend to be easier to recall but I'm sure that has something to do with the stage of REM I'm in, not the light.

**faceonmars** · 07-19-2011 01:50 PM

The best dreams come in the dark of night as light signifies to our brain that it is time to get up. Consequently, deep sleep and REM dreams are hard to come by in a lighted room. However non-REM dreams, which are very vivid, can be plentiful. This would include non-REM lucid dreams. I try to keep my bedroom as dark as possible simply because it is a better quality of sleep. But if something works for you I say go for it!

**SystemsLock** · 07-22-2011 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by faceonmars

The best dreams come in the dark of night as light signifies to our brain that it is time to get up. Consequently, deep sleep and REM dreams are hard to come by in a lighted room. However non-REM dreams, which are very vivid, can be plentiful. This would include non-REM lucid dreams. I try to keep my bedroom as dark as possible simply because it is a better quality of sleep. But if something works for you I say go for it!

What are you talking about?! Please learn a little neurology before you spread misinformation. First of all, there is little (if any) NREM (non-REM) dreams. Mostly they exists in the forum of night terrors and sleep walking and are generally the least vivid and the least likely to be remembered. Contrary to popular belief dreams occur when the body is at its lightest stages of sleep and closest to being awake. You're deepest sleep occurs early in the night and your high REM periods occur early in the morning (when you are the most rested and most awake). This is backed up by EEG tests.