Had a 5 second lucid dream/false awakening this morning?

on my second night of attempting MILD, I set my alarm for 6 and woke up for 20 mins, then laid flat on my back repeating "I will realize I am in a dream" in my head over and over again. I did start to feel a slight amount of pressure on my chest so I began to think it was working, but after a half hour I decided to sleep on my side since its easier for me to fall asleep that way. when I woke up around 7:30 in my own bed, it was dark in my room which I found odd because my room is light in the morning. the first thing I did was look at my left hand. if I'm not mistaking, I had 6 fingers on my left hand (an extra next to my pinky). after that, the dream started to fade and it was getting blurry so I quickly tried to get up out of bed. I then heard a sound similar to the sound your ears make when they pop after getting off an airplane.

that being said, I have several questions:
was that a lucid dream, a false awakening, or both? has that ever happened to anybody else? what can I do to make my dream last more than 5-10 seconds? what caused me to wake up? and what would you suggest I do if I have trouble keeping unrelated information out of my head (music stuck in my head or other stuff going on in life) while trying to perform the MILD or any other method? and if I am a beginner, what method of lucid dreaming would you suggest? I am 100% dedicated and have been doing reality checks and sleep journals so please don't suggest that.

sorry this post was on the long side but I appreciate anyone who reads this and comments

Welcome gknief!

First of all, congratulations on your lucid dream. Even though it was short, it seems like it was a quite nice experience ^^ Now let's clear your doubts shall we :)?

Quote:

---

was that a lucid dream, a false awakening, or both?

---

Both. A false awakening refers to an episode where you dream about having woken up, but are still in a dream. Many people (like yourself) manage to achieve lucidity when they have a false awakening. Doing a reality check every time you leave bed is a simple trick that helps a lot!

Quote:

---

what can I do to make my dream last more than 5-10 seconds?

---

You can learn to calm down and stabilize the dream. You can refer to this tutorial in order to learn what methods you can use to perform it. You'll see that once you get the hang of it, most of your lucids will last way longer ;)

Quote:

---

what caused me to wake up?

---

Sometimes it's excitement, sometimes it's not stabilizing. Important thing is: you can learn how to prevent early awakenings :)

Quote:

---

and what would you suggest I do if I have trouble keeping unrelated information out of my head (music stuck in my head or other stuff going on in life) while trying to perform the MILD or any other method?

---

Meditation can help you with intrusive thoughts. It's not like you need to suppress any thought, you just need to let it come and go naturally. This is especially true when you try to perform WILD. Practicing exercises of mindfulness also helps tremendously.

Quote:

---

I am a beginner, what method of lucid dreaming would you suggest? I am 100% dedicated and have been doing reality checks and sleep journals so please don't suggest that.

---

Okay we won't, but only if you promise that you're already doing them :P They're vital in all steps of your journey. I'd suggest keeping up with MILD if you're already into it, but it will mostly the habit of reality checks and awareness (you can try ADA). I suggest you using this guide by Mancon to find the best technique for you :)

Good luck, and post away if you got any more questions!