Thread: Lucid Dream Time Limit?

I was watching Inception again the other day and I was wondering, have any of you had dreams or lucid dreams that go on for hours or an half an hour?

Every lucid I have only lasts about what feels like about 5 minutes if I can keep control of it.

How long can you lucid dream?

The time spent in lucid dreams is directly equivalent to the time spent in the waking world (give or take a few minutes from time 'distortion'), so it's not possible to go for more than a few hours. You can make it seem like you've been in the dream for years by creating a succession of different events that seem chronological, but that's about it.

My own lucids have gone up to 15 minutes, most of them being around 5.

Originally Posted by Puffin

The time spent in lucid dreams is directly equivalent to the time spent in the waking world (give or take a few minutes from time 'distortion'), so it's not possible to go for more than a few hours. You can make it seem like you've been in the dream for years by creating a succession of different events that seem chronological, but that's about it.

My own lucids have gone up to 15 minutes, most of them being around 5.

Do you remember the thread about that guy who's lucid's went for "years" because he just wanted to think, so he'd put a digital clock down, stare at it, and think. Eventually his dreams stretched from days, to weeks, to years? Do you think that was legit?

Originally Posted by yuppie11975

Do you remember the thread about that guy who's lucid's went for "years" because he just wanted to think, so he'd put a digital clock down, stare at it, and think. Eventually his dreams stretched from days, to weeks, to years? Do you think that was legit?

No. I doubt it.
Being conscious in a dream that long, with no way to keep records of who you were when you woke up, how to do your job, and how to behave, you'd probably have major difficulties after waking up.

And besides, cramming full years into a few-hours-long REM period is next to impossible.

But that's just me.

My average is around 14minutes, give or take. I think I've had some going over 30minutes and eventually the dream world just collapsed and I was brought back into the waking world. In fact, I was just researching whether prolonging lucid dreams for a significant amount of time would lead to deterioration in physiology.

Most of my lucid dreams are around 5 minutes long. They usually vary between around 1 minute and 30. I've had a few that felt about an hour long and one that seemed to last for hours. I've heard of others claiming they have had dreams lasting much longer than this but haven't experienced it personally.

Alot can happen in 5 minutes, As far as I know thee is no limit.

Originally Posted by Puffin

The time spent in lucid dreams is directly equivalent to the time spent in the waking world (give or take a few minutes from time 'distortion'), so it's not possible to go for more than a few hours. You can make it seem like you've been in the dream for years by creating a succession of different events that seem chronological, but that's about it.

My own lucids have gone up to 15 minutes, most of them being around 5.

What about those dreams where it seems like you've been in them for an hour, and you wake up and it's only been 10 minutes? I believe that some kind of time distortion is possible

Originally Posted by b12

What about those dreams where it seems like you've been in them for an hour, and you wake up and it's only been 10 minutes? I believe that some kind of time distortion is possible

There's definitely some distortion going on, although going for days or months on end in a dream (at least in my book) isn't possible.

Originally Posted by Puffin

There's definitely some distortion going on, although going for days or months on end in a dream (at least in my book) isn't possible.

From personal experience I know for a fact I re-lived my childhood in one night.
I was experimenting with melatonin and took a rather large dose. I was able to relive my childhood life completely lucid,
and it allowed me to do different things in places that I wished I had. However, the end result of my current life could not be displayed after all the different decisions I made, which was sad. I was looking forward to see what kind of life my brain would recreate.

I wish I could induce that out of my own control! But to answer OP's question, lucid dreams could be potentially limitless. However, it will take up the span of your REM period. To clarify fully, I'm not saying the dream is forever, it just feels like forever during REM sleep.

I agree. You can go up and about for as long as the REM that's there. but i think with some "dream boosters" could control how long the time distortion is actually being distorted. like a drink that raises your REM significantly. that would be pretty badass.

I've had many long lucid dreams. Atleast 30mins + and i remember wanting to end my lucid dreams because they were seeming long to me. I don't think there is a time limit, i believe it has more to do with ones perception of time.

The largest dream I've had was 20-30 minutes two days ago.

A few hours is my limit.
Also, if you want to stay for longer periods of time, don't try to change how time flows, instead try changing your own time perception, it won't be any longer in reality, but in your eyes it will be.

The only way I have been able to be really sure of how much time I was lucid was when I'd check the clock before and after WILDing, taking into consideration the time it took to get to WILD. The longest lucids I've had with that were up to 40-45 minutes. On average right now my lucids are like 10 minutes, mainly because I've let myself get too lazy about trying to get lucid early on in the dreams (i.e. inducing false awakenings).

How would you go about changing perception?

Originally Posted by yuppie11975

How would you go about changing perception?

Depends, what I do is imagine time going slower as I count from 1 to 60, also focus on my body/a part of the dream while counting. Just invent something that will let your unconcious know you want to change perception and then try it out, should be the easiest way.

See it for yourself.

THanks alot, I'll try this

Is it possible to have it the other way around? (dream time passes faster than waking life time) Because in my first lucid, which was WILD, I woke at 5:30, entering the dream through hypnogogic hallucinations felt like 15-30 minutes, and the dream itself felt like 5 minutes but I woke at 6:30. So the dream probably lasted around 30 minutes, yet it felt like 5 minutes. Then again, I know that I forgot a lot of the dream when I awoke from it, so I don't really know.

The study says that dream-time = waking time, however you know when we are having fun, an hour can feel like 5mins or so, or when we are bored it feels like 5mins are 2 hours, thats what I mean by altering time perception, you make it feel/seem different, but it is still the normal, so yeah it should work both ways.

The longest I have had has been a hour and a half.

A bit less than a minute is my experience in lucid dreaming.