So it's been a little while since I tried to experiment with lucid dreaming. I still analyze my dreams and remember them when I wake up, but I've never been lucid through the induction techniques, it's only happened on its own.

Last night I was completely conscious throughout my sleep, without trying. From the moment I went to bed at 11, to when I woke up at 6. I wanted to share what happened in case any of you were interested.

So I went to bed at 11, and had the usual "I can't immediately fall asleep because I'm thinking about too many things and I'm tossing and turning." After a while, I sort of had those weird dream-like thoughts, then I accidentally snapped out of it. So I continued to toss and turn as if I had just gone to bed. Funny thing is, I didn't even notice I was tossing and turning until later. This was annoying me. I really wanted to sleep because I had to wake up somewhat early in the morning. No matter what I tried, I couldn't sleep. I kept switching positions. At this point it was probably around 3 in the morning. I got up and used the bathroom, then went back to bed. I guess about an hour later, strange stuff started happening.

I'm going to try to explain this as best as I can.
At first, it felt like I was entering a dream (I don't know how this feels, but I'm assuming this is what was happening). Something would happen and I would be entering, but my brain wouldn't let me and I sort of jolted back. Then, you know how when you yawn, you can hear your brain stretch? Or hear whatever's going on in your head? (I don't know exactly what it is, but it's just what you hear when you yawn). Well, that was happening to me, except it was happening without me yawning, and it wouldn't stop. While this was happening, my heart was beating extremely fast. I don't know if my heart has ever beat this fast, I thought I was dying. So it would beat really really fast, then slow down, then I would try to relax, then it would start beating fast again. I kept thinking "Oh, this must be sleep paralysis!" So I started thinking "Think lines and shapes..." I tried to get a vision, but I didn't. I think the rapid eye movement started, and I'm pretty sure I had some muscle spasms.

After all of this, I couldn't move. I tried to move my arm, but I couldn't. I thought, "Oh my god. What if there's a fire or something? How am I supposed to get up?" So I tried to go with the flow. On the bright side, I could try to attain lucidity. Too bad I forgot the techniques. I ended up having a "dream." It wasn't very vivid. I just remeber a bath tub. And there was a set of twins, except one was older than the other. But only by a few months. I was like, "How the hell is that possible?" I think this might have been something I was thinking, and I tried to make it into a dream so I could sleep.

Then something about a glass of milk. And I saw myself in the mirror, in my own bathroom. It actually looked like myself, and my own bathroom. Nothing weird. Then the sun started coming in. At first I thought, "Damnit, I didn't get any sleep." But then I just woke up.

I saw this whole experience as something positive, because I actually observed everything, I understood the sleep cycle a lot better, and how we actually dream hours each night (even though I didn't). I felt lucky, because this is something I was curious about, but I never had any first-hand knowledge of.

But it sucks because I didn't really sleep, and I could have slept in another hour if i wanted to