Exercise's effect on lucidity?

[Catbus]

Recently I've returned to running and basic strength training, and though my recall has been good for the last month or so, my over all vividness has increased and I had my first lucid dream in over a month last night. Is the exercise effecting this at all, or is it just a periodic increase?

[detroitLions1970]

Exercise definatly helps with lucidity/dream recall. Exercise gets the chemicals going in your body and brain, so it will make you more tired, etc (easier to sleep). You should also notice it makes you more aware and alert - a pretty much essential tool for getting lucid. Good luck =)

[Shift]

After lifting crazy weights for about 8 months, I noticed nothing whatsoever. I'm back to being a lazy shit and I've been having lucids. I don't think there's a correlation other than general lifestyle changes that may accompany working out. I didn't have any of those, I just worked out, and nothing changed. It may have actually gone down. I really haven't kept track long enough though, and even so that's just little old me. http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...47&postcount=3 (worked out about 8/25-12/05, 2/15-3/25)

[ninja9578]

Healthy body = healthy mind = better dreams. You also sleep deeper after a workout, so you get a REM rebound

[Shift]

Healthy body = healthy mind = better dreams. You also sleep deeper after a workout, so you get a REM rebound Have you got sources for this? I'd like to read up on it

[BigFan]

Healthy body = healthy mind = better dreams. You also sleep deeper after a workout, so you get a REM rebound Really? It does make sense. I noticed that when I started to work out before bed, I get vibrations pretty fast. Maybe if I kept at it, I'll eventually get a full SP However, as shift pointed, I would also like to have a source for more info

[CaLeB-]

I thought it was pretty obvious that exercising results in better sleep.

[Shift]

Except for hearsay, I've never heard of anything saying that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, that a healthy body leads to healthy sleep or changes dreams at all- let alone changes your sleep cycles and the types of sleep. I'd like to read any legit sources anyone can provide. They may sound like common sense, but many things are spoken of and propagated without the slightest bit of truth and spoken of in laymen's terms or dumbed down. Before we continue that, I'd like to get to the bottom of it. Especially when it gets technical and sleep cycles are supposed to have been changing as a result of exercise.

[Jackalhead]

I can testify fitness and weight training really do help. I am not sure why, but I think it has something with the chemicals released in the brain during an intense session. Also, healthy diet can help too. It makes me feel more alert and focussed, let alone more confident and all of these things greatly help the chances of obtaining lucidity.

[Shift]

Yes but I'm asking for actual empirical evidence, not just anecdotal.

[Jackalhead]

I am sure if I did some research into the chemicals that were released during an intense exercise, I would be able to also find that some of the chemicals boost awareness, relaxation and more attributes conducive to lucid dreaming. I don't have the time though, so maybe some day.

[Catbus]

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...59996/abstract This site says that sleep cycles are effected by long term changes, and not by day to day changes. It has been suggested, on the basis of phylogenetic and ontogenetic data, that the length of the REM sleep cycle is negatively related to metabolic rate. However, experimental studies have not consistently found this relationship. We report the effects of two variables, the level of physical fitness and the amount of daytime exercise, on sleep cycle length. Since both physical fitness and exercise involve increased levels of energy expenditure, and thus increased metabolic rate, it was predicted that they would he negatively related to cycle length. The sleep of 46 subjects (20 fit and 26 unfit) was assessed on nights following both exercise and non-exercise conditions. The cycle length of fit subjects was found to be shorter than that of unfit subjects. However cycle length on a night following daytime exercise did not differ from that on a night following a no-exercise day. We conclude that sleep cycle length is responsive to relatively long term variations in energy expenditure, but not day to day changes.

[Lady Grimbones]

I think that it is more the individual than the work out. The motivation to work out making it easier to dream especially when you notice results and feel better about yourself? Anecdotal, sp?, I know. Sorry. :-)