Thread: Napping with the TV on

This has happened to me several times, but without lucidity. My dream usually just involves me being in the show, or something that's happening thats also happening in the show.

I once slept over at a friends house, and he had the TV on all night. It was early in the morning and Dora the Explorer was on... I then had a dream that I was doing all the things Dora was doing, based entirely on what was said in the show. Was quite funny actually.

I wonder if its because those commands of hers were hypnotizing

Originally Posted by Conzo

This has happened to me several times, but without lucidity. My dream usually just involves me being in the show, or something that's happening thats also happening in the show.

I once slept over at a friends house, and he had the TV on all night. It was early in the morning and Dora the Explorer was on... I then had a dream that I was doing all the things Dora was doing, based entirely on what was said in the show. Was quite funny actually.

What a waste of electricity

this is from my journal but yeah its my experience with the tv while dreaming!


I was in a big house at a party. When I heard screaming from down the road, (really the whistle in a footy game) I just continued partying when suddenly it got louder and closer. Again, And again. Suddenly the screaming is right outside. The door bangs when I hear a man trying to get in (and kill me as usual) he was swearing and banging. I jump against the door and lock it I knew it was a not long before he got in. I instructed every one to get into the man hole. Then he got in and I woke up.

Yea, never thought about that. I can only remember one not-so-scary nightmare in the last 10 years, although for most of those years I didn't recall any kind of dream so who knows.

Originally Posted by Xedan

I don't know if anyone's posted this, but it seems like something pretty obvious. Most of us know that light can induce a lucid dream if it's powerful enough to get over to your dream world, well, sound can too.

This is... Wrong.

External lights and sounds are still analyzed by our minds in sleep, including dreams. The reason for this is so that we will wake up if we hear something dangerous. It doesn't induce lucidity.

You're getting it confused with the novadreamer, which is a machine that emits light patterns during REM sleep only. If in the dream (REM), the user remembers that that light pattern is supposed to signal that they are dreaming, they will become lucid.

What you're suggesting doesn't have the same selectivity of sleep stage. Also, what you're suggesting is completely passive. Lucidity is active thought. Lucidity is conscious effort. There's no way around it--that's the definition.

And now, onto the reason I clicked on this thread in the first place, to remind everyone that sleeping with the television on is bad for your health and concentration (because your mind is constantly interpreting the signals, it doesn't get a proper rest).

well, whether they are facts or not, I disagree with everything but the last paragraph, because I have been repeatedly induced into lucidity in the past by a TV, and this was only suggested for naps which are in no way vital to getting enough sleep.

All I try to do is remember what show it is I will do this with, and whenever I open my eyes while doing this I do an RC, in case of FA. Left that out because I never went RC lucid in these.

I don't know why it doesn't work for most people, or some, whatever it may be, but you can't refute somethings there when a fourth of my LDs have been to a TV dream. All initiated in the same way.

And your last paragraph and your 4th paragraph contradict each other. How can you be in a passive mind set if you are continuously processing information? I become lucid BECAUSE I'm processing the information, so it's hardly passive. Clear it up to one of those and I'll try to understand you.

Edit: and I was not thinking of the NovaDreamer, I only referenced it as something that could be similar in a way.

Just a question, but how often do you sleep with the television on?

And your last paragraph and your 4th paragraph contradict each other. How can you be in a passive mind set if you are continuously processing information? I become lucid BECAUSE I'm processing the information, so it's hardly passive. Clear it up to one of those and I'll try to understand you.

Your subconscious is processing information. You do not actively process information as you sleep. Your sensory-processing backburners are on just in case you see a flash of lightning, or feel someone strangling you, or hear the howling of wolves.

true, but could it not also be said that in the case you become slightly aware, it would be ever so much easier to see/hear this and think you must be dreaming? Normally I am tipped off by the fact that "Wait, that's not how you play Jeopardy!" as that is the show I watched/heard two times.

And I used to nap with the TV semi-loud a lot in the summer, because with no enforced curfew I would get caught up in too many things to fall asleep. Once I even pulled an all-nighter of just watching tons of episodes of "The Outer Limits", the new version anyways, but that only resulted in a really weird, long dream because I wasn't near a TV when I finally conked out.

Originally Posted by Xedan

true, but could it not also be said that in the case you become slightly aware, it would be ever so much easier to see/hear this and think you must be dreaming? Normally I am tipped off by the fact that "Wait, that's not how you play Jeopardy!" as that is the show I watched/heard two times.

So really, you're using the television show as a logic-based dream sign. Reality-checking in this way is an active process. Leaving the television on is an alright way for increasing the chances of the show appearing in your dream.

This is different from saying "light and sound induce lucid dreams," which is what you said in your first post.

And I used to nap with the TV semi-loud a lot in the summer, because with no enforced curfew I would get caught up in too many things to fall asleep. Once I even pulled an all-nighter of just watching tons of episodes of "The Outer Limits", the new version anyways, but that only resulted in a really weird, long dream because I wasn't near a TV when I finally conked out.

I was looking for more of a "how many night per week" type of response.

oh, well in summer my time concept goes down the crapper, but I'd say maybe once a week. Normally I would do the contrary and sleep in.

There is a ghost in my house and i feel comfortable knowing that i have some light in my room, the problem is i have no lamp, so i use my tv.

Is it still going to affect my sleep if i turn the volume off?

really? well I know my sister has like a 5" screen tv in her room and she uses it pretty much as a night light.