Thanks lenscaper, inspiring advice as always.

I too allow myself to wake up naturally, usually several times but I don't try WBTB techniques until it's about 5 or 6 hours into the night (by that time sunrise now). Maybe it'd be more effective to disrupt an REM cycle, but I'd rather not build a dependency on that and am happy to go this more natural, maybe slower, route.

I love how SSILD is such an effective way of relaxing and clearing my mind - I used to have difficulty falling asleep with too many thoughts and it has helped that enormously. It's been great for improving my sleep, and as you said, that is an essential component of having lucid dreams.

Gotta be well rested people to get results!