Effect of Age on Lucid Dreaming?

[beachgirl]

Hi All, Often I hear people talk about this. And there do seem to be a lot of students on this board. Of course, there are a lot of really good LDer's who have been around a long time, too! they seem to just get really great as they get older. i'd ask people's ages but... generalities are just as helpful, probably moreso. if someone knows the answer. I wonder, to what extent.. and how fast... does age impact our ability to LD and to what extent can/does practice offset this apparent tendency to lose ability? Specifics appreciated. Like, do older people even dream? (Stepen LeBerge probably does...) Can middle agers regain abilities they feared lost? are supplements needed? etc... i have been trying things out.. the b vitamins, melatonin and 5 htp. like them all. plus "serenity" (has passionflower, mugwort, more in it, tried a few times, very nice, i posted on it), but, can't say i have consistent results. plus my mood and intent to LD goes up and down. sometimes i think just my confidence and psychological wherewithal is the most important thing. so i wonder about all of this. i think some facts would be really great. many thanks, beachgirl

[ExoByte]

Everyone dreams, regardless of age, except for in very severe cases of sickness and disorder. Dreaming is not only a natural, but necessary bodily function. Without it, insanity, derangement and even death can set in. We don't fully know why we need to dream yet, just that we do. Its a matter of remembering dreams. As age goes on its only natural that such abilities will eventually begin to falter. I've noticed most of the dreaming crowd tends to be in the younger ages, teens, young adults and those who haven't quite reached middle age yet. I don't know whether this is due to the questions you raised, or merely a generational thing. It seems the idea of dreaming is a much more popular idea today and with this generation. Not quite out there yet, but gaining ground. But at any age, the basic methods and tricks are still the same, they just may take more or less effort.

[sheogorath]

I dont think it would effect it once you know how to do it, but i have heard that it gets harder to change mindset the older you get, and LDing seems to be more newly "accepted". That being said, in old age, it may be hard to remember your dreams as well as everything else.

[Lucidness]

Its not that there older, its because they have had so much experience, thats why they are old. Lol.

[Rodulf]

Well, we know for a fact that melatonin production slows down with age thus making long periods of sleep difficult. It seems logical this would adversely effect REM sleep. I remember as a teenager being able to sleep for ten or more hours, late into the morning. I rarely do this now. I also work twelve hour shifts for four days straight at this point so maybe what I'm experiencing is just more responsibilities in my life interfering with sleep patterns. Rodulf......

[Amethyst Star]

I dont think it would effect it once you know how to do it, but i have heard that it gets harder to change mindset the older you get, and LDing seems to be more newly "accepted". That being said, in old age, it may be hard to remember your dreams as well as everything else. The time you spend in REM sleep decreases with age, so there's that factor. As others have mentioned (in so many words), as people grow, most of them find dreaming to be less important than so many other things that begin to crop up in their lives such as school, friends, work, chores, etc. There are so many other things to focus on and remember, that recalling dreams takes a backseat to everything else. Those who choose to recall their dreams, and especially those who choose to pursue lucid dreaming make dreaming important to them. You're more likely to remember things that are important to you, so as time goes on and you make it part of your routine, it (usually) becomes easier. At least, that's my theory