Hey there, congrats on the LDs you already had! Sleep deprivation can really lead to some crazy dreams, including lucids. I don't know how far you've read into the Lessons yet, but when you get to WBTB, you might find it helpful. By waking up early, you are in essence a bit "sleep deprived" which allows you to get right back to sleep. But you're also somewhat more aware from having woken up, that you're more likely to induce a lucid dream. Easily 90% of my lucid dreams occur after a WBTB of some sort.

Anyway, glad you started your journal, definitely keep that up. It helps with recall, as well as finding more dream signs to help you become lucid more often.