Could lucid dreaming be dangerous if you have heart disease?

**13WAR08T** · 09-03-2014 01:07 PM

If you have heart problems and you have a high awareness lucid dream, would you be more likely to experience higher blood pressure and have a heart attack due to the vividness and emotional content of the dream, or the surprise of realising that it is a dream? Would it be safe to continue lucid dreaming?

I don't have heart problems now but my doctor has told me my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are slightly higher than normal. I am eating healthy and exercising more to deal with this.

**Oneironaut Zero** · 09-04-2014 01:29 AM

To be honest, I would imagine a non-lucid dream would be more detrimental to heart conditions, being that you would be perceiving everything going on to be really happening. I suppose it would depend on the dream content. I know I have awoken from more feverish non-lucid dreams than heart-pounding lucids. I'm no medical expert, though.

**Hukif** · 09-07-2014 03:40 AM

What ^ said.

You have the same risk of having problems with non and lucid dreams. In fact the lucid one might be lower, considering if something becomes too ugly or too awesome that you feel your heart may be at risk, waking up is always a solution while in the non-lucid there is no real escape.

**Wolfdog** · 09-07-2014 05:22 AM

Just to add a bit more to this, the case is that lucid dreaming will most likely become a benefit for you more than a risk. Lucid dreaming teaches first and foremost how to modulate your emotions so that you don't lose the grip of lucidity or the dream entirely. So, it's a win-win for you.