Just saying hello. =-) (And a newbie question.)
I've recently been turned on to the notion of lucid dreaming, and the more I read about it the more absolutely fascinated with it I've become. After doing a lot of reading up on the whole thing I decided that I would give it a go. So, here I am. ^.^ Today marks only my first real day of dream journaling and reality checking, so I've no real experiences to share yet. That said I really wanted to find a good home/landing pad where I can discuss and read about the whole thing. After a quick Google search, you fine folks were the unlucky ones that got stuck with me. :P
As of now I'm just using the journal and the reality checks. I want to get a feel for the whole thing and for using those methods before I branch off and start trying other methods. I've been checking randomly throughout the day, as well as every time I notice anything that seems weird or out of place, and also every time my surroundings change (like when I enter or leave a building). Seems a good habit to get myself into if I wanna catch myself dreaming, so it's what I'm going with.
Well, that I can constantly tell myself that I *will* remember my dreams. Especially as I'm falling asleep. I've always had trouble with that, some times going weeks without remembering one. So it worried me. But after just one day of telling myself that I will, I in fact have remembered and written one down. Ah the power of suggestion, even to yourself.
Question for you folks while I have you here, and pardon me if it's been done before. I don't usually sleep much. Nor do I have a set sleep schedule. Obviously, I'm looking to remedy this. But I'm finding it hard to fall asleep (and stay asleep) as the designated time 'cause I'm not used to doing so. In fact I'm using part of my scheduled 9am to 6pm sleep time right now to write this as I woke up and can't fall back asleep. Anyway, question is.. Let's say I take a sleep aid. One pill of Diphenhydramine/Benadryl. Is that going to mess with my lucid dreaming ability and/or my dream recall abilities? I thought that maybe I could use the pills to help me get more used to the sleep schedule, but if they're going to mess up my recall then maybe it's better that I just tough it out and get used to this schedule the old-fashioned way. Anyone with experience in this department that can toss me some input?
