A bombardment of questions

[Nathan-kun]

Hey everyone! I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Nathan-kun. I'm knew to the forums of course. I'm pretty interested in this lucid dreaming stuff. I've had some lucids before, usually nightmares though. I did have one nightmare I over-came when I was like 7 or something and it felt great. I've been reading stuff here for a week now and I have found sleep related tutorials about relaxing for sleep very useful, so I decided I'd finally join. I had heard of the term lucid dreams before but had no idea that people did it on purpose. I'm still a little hesitant about trying LDing because I have a bunch of questions about it. I thought I might as well stick them on one thread since they're kinda related. So, here it goes: This one I think was already answered on another thread somewhere, sort of, which is why I'm afraid to ask it: Do lucid dreams make you physically or mentally tired? I can be a spacey guy at times, although recently I've I tried to be more attentive. I just didn't know if LDing could cause that kind of stuff. I like to have restful, peaceful sleep so I thought trying to control dreams would put a strain or fatigue on my mind all night. Another question... well this might be kind of a dumb one but, if you start purposefully lucid dreaming like this, does it make you lose your appreciation for reality now that you have this dream world? I'm afraid of living entirely in my head all the time. I don't want to become bored with the real world in some kind of addiction. Then again, that might not happen at all, I can over-complicate things when I think about them. To me this stuff sounds like it could mess with your head... I guess I'm afraid of discombobulating my brain or something, lol. Well anyway, I'm sorry for asking so many questions and posting so many uncertainties. Good luck with answering them, and thanks!

[Snowy Egypt]

Hajimemashite, Nathan-kun! (Sorry, I went Japanese there for a sec...) Anyway, to DV. Let's see if I can help you out a bit. Q1) It depends on the person. After I have an LD, I always feel energized, and ready for the day. But there are some members that say they feel tired afterwards. Q2) Hmm...this is a new one...Well, for one, you won't be living in your head all the time, just when you sleep. About 1/3 of our lives are spent asleep, so we figure, why waste it?!? You can stop whenever you want, so don't worry about getting addicted. No, it doesn't mess with your head, and it's ok to have uncertainties. Just remember that it can't harm you in any way, and that it will be a fun experience when you have one! And again, welcome!!!

[Robot_Butler]

Nathan-Kun Lucid dreaming shouldn't interfere with your normal sleep. You dream every night anyways, so why not enjoy them? I'm with Snowy Egypt when it comes to Lucids. They always give me a great feeling the next day. The confidence and good feelings can stay with you for a while. Sort of like a fun vacation. I feel most tired after a night with poor, or no dream recall. I feel like I just went to bed, and then woke up without any rest between. Part of learning to lucid dream is learning to be more aware of your reality. You practice this in real life, so you learn to enjoy real life more also. You appreciate living in the moment, and avoid zoning out. Dreams have a very different feel from waking life. I find that the more I dream, the more I appreciate the unique things the real world has to offer.

[Nathan-kun]

Thank you Snowy Egypt and Robot_Butler for answering my questions! It's good to hear from people with experience. Now I feel much more confident about it. Now that all my major questions are answered, I think I'll give LDing a shot now.