Hi everybody! This is my first post here so forgive me if I'm asking stupid things

Well, I've been having this problem with going to sleep. I remember from my early childhood (ok, I'm just 16y old atm..) that if I fell asleep while lying on my back I'd get pretty bad nightmares. I remember actually testing it by trying to fall asleep in different positions. In my childhood I had a pretty good dream recall (which I would love to get back.), compared to now.
Well it's a problem that's not really hard to solve, but lucky as I am, I actually find lying on my back a comfortable position, if it weren't for my fear to have nightmares.

So I guess my question is: Is this a known issue, is it solvable, or does someone experiencing the same thing?

Furthermore I am starting in my journey to have lucid dreams, the thing that actually brought me here, and have some questions about that too.

First of all, I know it is said that in early childhood people remember dreams better/more often. This was the case with me too. But I actually remember having (what I think are) lucid dreams in that period (to a certain extend).
I wish I had written the memories down, but still have some vague memories:
-I was swimming (actually just keeping my head out of the water) in the water and got dragged into a stream. The evironment was not a river or sea, but rather water flowing in a man-made environment, maybe something industrial. I'm not sure why but I got aware of the dream. Then I tried to get out of the stream and somewhere there it faded away.

and probably the most amusing thing I succeeded in:
-The whole dream is a blur but I remember that I injected myself with something that could make me fly. (atleast I think it was to fly. whatever it was, it was great!) Anyway, the dream was slipping away and I felt I was getting pulled away to reality. I guess at that point it was quite clear it was a dream . But unlike before I just wasn't willing to let go of it. I think I actually "went" to my real bed in my head, but I kept my eyes closed and thought of nothing but the dream. Somehow I managed to plug in to the dream again, now lucidly (if that even is a word) it's kinda blurry from then on
(I have to add that the fact that i injected myself with something just came to my memory again... I thought I could only remember flying..)

Now, is that lucid dreaming or merely part of the dream?

I'm going to try to get lucid dreams again and will be around this forum.

oh, i kinda forgot to ask, but do hovering(2 or 3) hoola hoops that are spinning around their axel in a dream have some sort of meaning?
I've had that scene in a start of a nightmare once (I was not really in control of my body and I had to go through the hoolahoop to "continue". The trick was that if I entered the hoola hoop on the wrong side, bad stuff would happen... I got in through the wrong side.) and it has made such a strong and deep impression on me, but I just don't know why...