First LD in months...advice needed.

Hi DV members,

I am an infrequent visitor of these boards but I do love this place as it finally helped me established what my childhood LD's were. Anyways, just a quick recap of what happened today. I came back from work around 1 AM and went to bed around 2 AM. I got up around 6:15 am to help my mother get ready for work. After she left (@ around 7:15) I smoked a cigarette (pls no judgments) did lazy internet searching, watched a Steven Universe episode that focused on Lucid Dreaming/Dream communication (Chille Tid in case you are interested) then went for a 20 minute nap (I set my alarm for 9:00 AM at 8:40).

I fell asleep almost immediately and started dreaming. Towards the end of my dream I was in a grayish living room when suddenly I thought to myself "this is a dream". Then I felt a slight transition that I can't really describe and I was able to become Lucid. I got a rush of happinesss since I hadn't had a LD in months so I had a bunch of happy emotions. However, almost instantly my body was instantly paralyzed. My vision of the dreamscape started dissolving into static and my eyes got super heavy forcing me to close (this is typical to how my LDs end). After a few moments of being disoriented, I was able to open my eyes again but I was in my normal living room at this point.

So my questions to all of you are:
-Why do I always get paralyzed and have the heavy eyes upon losing control of my LD? The paralysis prevents me from spinning to stabilize the dream and the heavy eyes make it almost impossible to try any other technique in that short time frame.
-Since all my past and recent LDs have been DILDs, is it worth trying for WILDs or do I just have to settle for what usually works for me?
-Does the nicotine help with LD realization? Read conflicting accounts of it.
-Did my focusing on the Steven Universe have any effect on my consciousness being triggered to having a DILD?

Sorry for such a long post! I'd really appreciate some advice and answers! :)

Hey ey!

Most of my LD comes from DILDs, usually to make my dream last long I have some kind of a ritual: 1. Rub hands; 2. Feel any wall next to me; 3. Focus on the first thing that gets my attention; 4. Do RC to not lose Lucidity.
The paralize thing i'm pretty sure is the way your mind "dismantle" your dream, mine is super difficult to realize because it fades slowly and a light surge... then i'm awake :undecided:
I've tried WILD but without success, it didn't worked for me at all and i don't know why.. well, to don't say never, it worked out for me one day when somebody started snore like a stone crusher in my home at night BUT that night i achieved a DILD and when I woke, I returned to sleep and WILD.
I don't smoke so i pass that question xD
I will try that Steven Universe thing, maybe i can DILD too :D hahahaha

"We are the crystal gems and we'll always save the day" :tunes:

Yo! Congrats on your first LD in a while, bet it feels good. I definitely know the feeling. :D As for your questions:
1. This paralysis effect could be happening because of your excitement upon going lucid. Different people have different effects happen when they become lucid (mine for example being a slight shakiness of the dream world). Being very excited or emotional upon going lucid can multiply these effects, or add on completely new ones, a lot of which can cause the dream to de-stabilize. The best thing to do, IMMEDIATELY when you go lucid, is to stay calm and collected and focus on stabilizing the dream around you. Paying close attention to it, heightening your awareness, rubbing your hands, etc can all help with this. It takes practice to stay calm when you go lucid, but you'll get the hang of it. :goodjob:
2. It's totally worth giving it a shot. It's easy to try one technique for your first time (DILD in this case) and stick with it and only it just because it works. However, there's no harm at all in trying out other techniques. It helps you figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Who knows, trying something like WILD or DEILD may work better for you than DILD, and if it doesn't work out too well, you can focus more on DILD. :P
3. Can't help with this one, I don't smoke and I haven't done much research on the subject.
4. It probably did! Random things like that can have an influence on your dreams; lucid-dreaming related stuff in media has affected my dreams too.