Lucid dreaming later in life

[Spartiate]

Hey everyone, lately my father has taken an interest in dreaming. I was wondering if there is anything that makes lucid dreaming harder to learn later in life (just so I don't get his hopes up)? What if I told my grandmother, would she be able to learn too? How about the (relatively) older members here, have you noticed any changes or diminishing capacities in your dreams as you aged (so gracefully)? I really tried to phrase that last sentence nicely by the way :p...

[Wavefunction]

Unless they're developing mental "issues" (i.e. memory problems), I don't see why not. I'm not old at all, I can't provide personal insight :p

[Artie J]

I'm 51 (gracefully so), and didn't start having lucid dreams until about 5 years ago! In my case, I didn't even know what lucid dreams were, they just started happening spontaneously. I guess each person is different, so anyone interested should give it a try. Just keep a positive attitude.

[ladyowl]

I started having a few lucid dreams in my late teens. Now I am 48 and can still have an LD.It was hard to describe the phase of the buzzy cicada that seemed to preceed the HI. I guess I had a few WILD's back then too. I would mostly become aware in my dreams. Often flying was my first choice. Over cities and power lines. No one to really talk to back then about my experiences. It is really great to find the Dreamview Forums. I believe there are many many people that can learn to do it of all ages. Nice. There seems to be really useful and good advice on this site on how to acheive a lucid dream. I dont think dreaming becomes less intense with age.

[Moonbeam]

to DreamViews, Ladyowl! I'm in my 40's too and doing OK dream-wise; same with a few other older people here. I have heard that REM time decreases with age, but I think if people keep practicing they can make up for decreased quanitity wih increased quality. They effect may not be noticeable until extreme old age anyway.

[ladyowl]

Thanks Moonbeam, I will ask my elderly parents about the dreams they have. I had not heard about decreasing REM time with the aging. After I read your reply I went and searched for info. Indeed there are claims of a decrease. I am guessing that keeping up with a dream journal again is the route for me. Lady Owl

[Moonbeam]

My Mom still has a lot of dreams in her 60's, so that's a good sign I guess. (She also claims to lucid dream "all of the time" but I don't think she really knows what it is.)