Thread: Preventing becoming lucid?

Originally Posted by Grommet

Is there anything that you can do in waking life that hinders or prevents you from having a lucid dream?

Why would you want to do this?
If you ignore lucid dreams, you probably won't get them. Works for me anyway. Otherwise when you get lucid in a dream just sit there and do nothing. Surely after a while you'll become non-lucid, or just wake up.

I mean like things you do in your ordinary life. For example, taking a sleeping pill before you go to bed.

I'm not sure personally. Maybe tell yourself "this is not a dream" all day. I know if you tell yourself "I am asleep" all day, it helps with your lucidity.

What, just ordinary habits/behaviors/actions that may carry unintended, negative consequences?

Smoking weed improves your odds of becoming lucid (or so some claim...I'm not prepared to back up or defend that claim), but tends to wreak absolute havoc on your recall.

Staying up too late/not getting enough sleep can halve your odds of becoming lucid.

Obsessing over lucid dreaming can be negative, too. If it is all you can think about, etc, you'll actually be hurting your chances. The thrill wore off after about a month for me. Sooner the thrill wears off, the sooner you can start doing some serious lucid dreaming.

Those are the biggies that I know of...

Originally Posted by Grommet

Is there anything that you can do in waking life that hinders or prevents you from having a lucid dream?

Alcohol.

Anything that affects your REM cycle, such as antidepressants, alcohol, caffeine. Also if you sleep the whole night without ever waking up, this can also hinder your chances.

i have heard the smoking pot is a no-no!

but how does caffiene afftect REM? isn't that unique for everyone? some people actaully take some to stay more alert for LDs.

Yeh it can be helpful in some cases. Caffeine suppresses REM, so you will have less dream time. You will also wake up more frequently, which can be bad or good depending on how much and when in your sleep cycle. For people who use MILD or DEILD, it can be useful in this regard. I personally find it to be hinderance and avoid it. But I have trouble sleeping through the night, so I need all the help I can get.

Wow... i never knew that caffeine actually supreses REM
thanks for telling me.

http://altmedangel.com/melaton.htm

More specifically, caffeine lowers your levels of melatonin, so you don't become sleepy/stay asleep for as long, which is why it's bad. Messes with your sleep schedule. A small amount, however, can keep a person a tad bit more alert when falling asleep...say, a cup of green tea or so. So, it may very well be beneficial to WILD in small doses.