After having a spontaneous lucid dream (which I found really awesome of course), I googled for the phenomenon and came on this site. Last night, I primed myself to wake up after each dream so that I could write in my dream journal. I already recorded 8 dreams (although most of them were very short)!

1) I woke up about four times, and I wonder if waking up four times a night impacts my memory, seeing sleep is crucial for long-term memory? Anyone having experiences with this? I have exams within three weeks, so I've been thinking about postponing my dream journal until I finished my exams.

2) I've noticed that in my dreams, the environment is noticeably different from the real world. I still recognize the places I visit however. Could this form a good reality check to induce lucid dreaming? Anyone having experiences with this sort of reality check?