A couple questions....

How long does it take you to become lucid after you wake up in the middle of the night(WILD)?
My friend says it only takes him about 15 minutes. It took me an hour or two. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

What is the easiest way to become lucid after you wake up in the middle of the night(WILD)?
I tried using a couple different methods. I tried counting my breath, just counting,and I focused on the ticking of the clock.

When performing the WILD method, do you have to go into sleep paralysis while being aware?

How long does it take to get into sleep paralysis after waking up in the middle of the night?

Why do I always end up waking up earlier than my alarm clock?
I set my alarm clock and i always wake up a hour or two earlier and usually I'm not in that tired, dreamy state.

Hey! Just so you know, WILD is typically much harder to accomplish, so if you have made any progress you are doing fine. The time it takes you to WILD will vary, but as you get more experienced you should be able to cut it down, just make sure you aren't thinking about the WILD too hard or your expectations will keep you awake. As for sleep paralysis, yes you do go into it but a number of people report that they do not feel or notice it at all, so if it doesn't happen for you it does not mean it failed. Lots of times SP only takes a few minutes for more experienced people, and if you have to wake up early in the morning I do not recommend you lose hours of sleep trying to WILD.

Also, you mentioned that you wake up in the middle of the night before your alarm. If you want to try it, it sounds like the FILD technique would work great for you. The hardest part is to wake up without moving, which is why being able to wake up without an alarm clock is extremely beneficial for this. After you do that, move your fingers back and forth in very small movements as if you are tapping two piano keys without pushing them down. Do this for approximately 20 seconds without counting, and then do a nose plug RC. Your fingers act as an anchor as you essentially go through a WILD, but since you did not move you fall into SP and the dream much faster.

wow thanks for the info man. So to do the FILD should I fall asleep on my back?

Siuol provided some excellent information. You can fall asleep in any position when using FILD, as long as you're comfortable.

When doing a FILD you fall asleep in the position you woke up in. The hardest part of it is to wake up without moving at all, except for very minor movements in your fingers. By not moving at all your body thinks you never even woke up and falling back to sleep should only take a few seconds.