Thread: Staying still after waking

My recall is starting to get good now so I'm trying DEILDs but I'm struggling with staying still after I wake up at night. Any tips?

Don't worry too much about not moving, but instead try to keep yourself in a sleepy and relaxed mindframe. Worrying about moving will make it harder to stay calm and relaxed, at least that's what I've found. It isn't the moving that kills it, just the waking up. It'll take some time to get used to, too. I failed a DEILD last night just give it time, and remember not to stress over it too much!

Originally Posted by Shift

It isn't the moving that kills it, just the waking up.

I completely agree with this. I've also come to realize that gentler movements are obviously better than abrupt ones, but in the end you should aim for comfort in order to fully focus on recalling your dream : )

DEILD is my main induction method and I would have to agree with Shift; the point is not to stay completely still, it's to keep your body relaxed. Don't worry too much about whether or not you're moving too much: move around as much as you need to keep yourself comfortable. Worrying about staying still is worse for the DEILD than just doing it. I've sometimes tossed and turned for minutes and still managed to slip into a dream in matter of seconds after finally having settled down.

Hell, staying still isn't really necessary. I've had about five accidental DIELDs.

Here's the irony of the situation. Even if the goal WERE to stay in sleep paralysis, even if the frequency of the average person awakening in SP were that high, why the hell would you have to remind yourself not to move in SP?

YOU CAN'T, so that whole notion is just pure rubbish. "Hey, I know you're completely paralyzed and can't move. Well, it's critical that you remember! Don't move!"

Honestly who propagates this stuff.

The point is to fall back asleep quickly, keeping yourself tired and on the verge of sleep. People shift around in sleep, and moving makes you more comfortable and lets you fall asleep easier. Move around minimally to get comfy, and fall asleep. Don't stress out about it, or you will be waking yourself up, tensing your muscles, and freaking out and ruining it.