Does lucid dreaming make you smarter?

[Laurelindo]

Do you think lucid dreaming can have a direct effect on your brain in some way? I once read a rumour that lucid dreaming makes your brain cells work harder and therefore allegedly would have a positive effect, kind of like how using your brain regularly in waking life can make you smarter, and this sounds sort of reasonable to me. It would be great if this were the case. One thing I believe we can all agree on is that lucid dreaming at least make you cognitively smarter in the sense that you understand that you are dreaming. You will obviously also have much better possibilities to learn from your dream experiences and your own subconscious mind, and taking control over nightmares can be an effective way to increase your self-confidence in waking life and realize any of your irrational fears. However, does lucid dreaming actually have any direct effects on your brain?