Thread: Does being lucid stop you from resting.

Imagine, someone became so good at lucid dreaming that he/she would be lucid through his/her entire sleep, would it be harmful to the reason that each day we sleep: Resting/ recovering/ Reload our energy... ?

It's not that I'm worried that it might but whenever I tell someone they tell me that anybody that lucid dreams is gonna go pshyco after a while because if they're conscious during their sleep, they are not resting, therefore they will be tired at all time, go crazy or all the rest that happens to people who do not sleep. When they tell me that, I don't know what to say to prove that its not true. The only thing I find to say is:

You're body is what needs to rest and even if your lucid, its still resting so it doesn't matter.

And then they say: "Your mind has to rest too"

And my answer is: "The way your mind rests is by dreaming. When your lucid, you're still dreaming, so your mind is still resting."

I actually just guessed that. It was the most logical answer that came to my mind (no pun intented). I wanted to know if there's a more "scientifical" explanation to this. (Or if, it actually stops you from resting)

Thanks

Well, from what I know, the mind doesn't need rest. Although, of course, if you decide to live out a second life, THEN you might go insane.

But my answer is: That's why we don't have lucids every night.

EDIT: Just read the FULL post

Imagine, someone became so good at lucid dreaming that he/she would be lucid through his/her entire sleep, would it be harmful to the reason that each day we sleep: Resting/ recovering/ Reload our energy... ?

Well, while you're dreaming, you're using your SUBconscious, and the regular conscious is resting. You use your regular conscious throughout the day. It's like running on two different gas tanks, you can refuel one when you're using the other.
At least, that's what I know.

First of all, it's physically impossible for you to lucid dream all night because you are only dreaming during REM. As I understand it, most of the actual resting takes place during deep sleep.

Also, you're going to dream regardless of whether or not you're lucid. That means your mind is inventing a vivid world and running around in it. Compared to creating a whole environment, knowing that you're dreaming seems like nothing.

I don't know whether the whole conscious/subconscious mind thing makes a difference, but some people (natural LDers) do have only lucid dreams, and I've yet to hear a single story about them being more tired than the rest of us.

Originally Posted by Hidden

First of all, it's physically impossible for you to lucid dream all night because you are only dreaming during REM. As I understand it, most of the actual resting takes place during deep sleep.

I read that there is evidence that shows people do sometimes dream in non-REM sleep, just not as vividly as REM.

Originally Posted by Noodles

I read that there is evidence that shows people do sometimes dream in non-REM sleep, just not as vividly as REM.

Oh right, I forgot about that... Still, dreams are mostly in REM. Darn exceptions. =P

I must say the curiousity of this subject has struck me a couple of times, but considering what we know about the REM cycle it wouldn't be possible to do unless you inexplicably managed to alter the various dream stages, prolonging the effect of the latter.
Then again I don't think it would be exactly healthy to carry through.

Originally Posted by Noodles

I read that there is evidence that shows people do sometimes dream in non-REM sleep, just not as vividly as REM.

how long does it take to get into rem? cos i fell asleep in a german test like a couple of months ago, my mate said i was only sleeping for about three minutes, but i remember someone throwing rocks at me and then when i woke up i like put my hands up so the 'rocks' wouldnt hit me

Originally Posted by Portalboat

That's why we don't have lucids every night.

Speak for yourself.

It is entirely possible.
Everyone who is LDing likes to tell people there's no way it can harm you, even though there's not a lot of research out the proving that to be true. They assume becuase they've never personally gotten sick that LDing can't ever be harmful.

I know that personally after a night of Lucid Dreaming I -always- feel more tired. In fact I feel more tired just from having super intense dreams even if I'm not entirely lucid. In fact I always take breaks from practicing LDing because my body isn't well suited to keep it up without going a little loopy during the day. If you're fine though, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Different people are differently affected, I would think. But I'm pretty sure it does take away a certain element of rest from EVERY person, just some people have it on a small unnoticeable scale and others on a larger scale. I mean think about it, some people can function perfectly on 4 hours a sleep a night, oddly enough. So even if Lucid Dreaming does disrupt rest (and I'm sure it does) some wouldn't even notice or feel it.

And people saying your mind doesn't need rest are RIDICULOUS.
Your mind is everything you are, how you function, how you think properly, bodily AND mentally.
When we sleep, (and this hasn't been proven but many scientists speculate) there are many different options for why we need sleep mentally. And their main lead is that our memories and events of the day are being sorted out while we sleep, ect. If we're still busy thinking as hard as possible even while we're asleep then that gets disrupted. Not only that, most people report having better rest after a night that seemed dreamless. If being mostly in our subconscious when we sleep wasn't in some way important, then it wouldn't be a natural occurrence. Lucid Dreaming is not natural, even though we do it by accident sometimes, the extent practitioners of LDing take it to is not natural for our minds. I love Lucid Dreaming but people tend to just say its 100% healthy just because they don't want to believe their hobby could ever harm them in any way.

I know at least two people who are lucid in most or all of there dreams every single night, and they both seem to get enough rest. Anecdotal, I know, but I don't believe being lucid intereferes with your rest.

[QUOTE=Yume.no.ato;1234913]

I know that personally after a night of Lucid Dreaming I -always- feel more tired.

Not only that, most people report having better rest after a night that seemed dreamless.
QUOTE]

That's funny because its the complete opposite for me. Whenever I wake up from an LD and wake up, I feel so energetic that I can immediately jump out of my bed while normally, I find it very hard to get enough energy to sit on my bed when I just woke up. And also, last night, was the only day since a month that I haven't remembered any dreams (and if I say 'since a month' is that I haven't recorded my dreams before that so I wouldn't know but I've always remembered a lot of dreams), so I was saying, last night I didn't remember any dreams but that's because I had the most horrible night since a while, I was insomniac or something.

But your right, I actually don't like the fact that you've said that it was sort of harming, i don't want this hobbie to be harming to me, well, actually, I sincerly feel as if it is healthy for me.

However I do not think that lucid dreaming is 'unatural'. It is simply a skill of awarness. I see practicing lucid dreaming as practicing my mind to be more aware a bit like soccer players practice their legs to be quicker.


Thanks for your responses, all of you.

Does anyone have some scientifical explaination, though? 'Cause, I feel as if this is all your opinions which isn't bad but the people I'm trying to prove that lucid dreams are real and good do not want opinions.

lol...

That's funny because its the complete opposite for me. Whenever I wake up from an LD and wake up, I feel so energetic that I can immediately jump out of my bed while normally, I find it very hard to get enough energy to sit on my bed when I just woke up.

I agree 100% with this.

Originally Posted by Yume.no.ato

I know that personally after a night of Lucid Dreaming I -always- feel more tired.

I dunno about this, as I don't have that much LD experience to draw on (maybe 8 to date), but I can sure say that TRYING to have an LD has produced many, many sleepless hours, as any type of visualizing tends to wake me up very thoroughly. For instance, when I'm awake during the night and picture myself becoming lucid in a dream, I'm often up for hours or for the rest of the night.

(I'm actually on the verge of giving up trying to have LDs because of it, alas. I feel like I'm losing my mind from lack of sleep.)

Well, the way I think about it is, it wouldn't be enough to make a difference. I mean, your body is resting regardless, and your mind is resting during non-rem sleep. Your brain might be a tiny bit more active during a lucid dream than a regular one, but it shouldn't affect you much at all.

I would believe that some lucid dreamers find ways to extend their REM sleep. I have found myself wondering about whether it is unhealthy to spend too much time in REM, and not enough in the other phases? Perhaps if it got to a point were you REM for 7 hours and then all the other phases take only an hour or so combined, that would be unhealthy. Who knows though?

I dont think so, because your sub concious mind is always doing something all the time. Whether your dreaming or not. But as someone has said, trying to live a second life in your dreams all the time, might make you go a bit insane.

Seems like once you get into a dream, you could do all the tweaking to your dream cycle that you wanted.
Or does your subconscious fight back?
But I do have to agree with Portalboat: Your mind is still resting, and as someone else pointed out, you will dream regardless of whether or not you are lucid.

Even if it does, I think its worth it:

Moo

Our hearts generally beats almost one time per second. Our brain never is totally asleep. LDs shouldn't be much of a problem, since we just awake another part of the brain...

Dreams and lucid dreams are really the same though, except I read somewhere that in a lucid dream they believe the logic part of the brain becomes active or something.

Actually, I just watched a 7 minutes documentary about sleep/dreams/lucid dreams and it said that the brain was even more active during our sleep than during the day, well, during the REM sleep at least. It said that at that moment, the brain was more active than ever except for the logic part of the brain... So I don't think being lucid makes it so more active...

A few points. first of all babies spend what 50 to 75 % of their time in REM? so obviously (?) REM is supportive of growing rapidly. i don't think REM can be bad for you.

secondly i believe we are having levels of consciousness at many levels simultaneously. it's just that most people aren't conscious of their levels.

so in tibetan dream yoga i believe... or other forms of awareness practice... you learn to tap into what is already happening. you are already dreaming, already having multiple states of awarenesses.

hey everyone: YOU ARE GENIUSES! that's right. LD is teaching you to reclaim this and to function with optimal capacity! to wake up from your slumber and become superhuman.

you can do it...!!! i can do it... !!! (well, i'm trying, anyway.)

wish me luck, this is the direction i want to head.

i think the tiredness comes from waking up, and/or not getting back to sleep, the stresses of the friction of our emotions when we don't get it right, let go of potential ld's, not remembering dreams, etc... well, again, i know that's the part where i think i get tired or discouraged.

true LD nourishes my soul because i know i am coming home to my deeper/deepest levels of being.

Originally Posted by beachgirl

A few points. first of all babies spend what 50 to 75 % of their time in REM? so obviously (?) REM is supportive of growing rapidly. i don't think REM can be bad for you.

secondly i believe we are having levels of consciousness at many levels simultaneously. it's just that most people aren't conscious of their levels.

so in tibetan dream yoga i believe... or other forms of awareness practice... you learn to tap into what is already happening. you are already dreaming, already having multiple states of awarenesses.

hey everyone: YOU ARE GENIUSES! that's right. LD is teaching you to reclaim this and to function with optimal capacity! to wake up from your slumber and become superhuman.

you can do it...!!! i can do it... !!! (well, i'm trying, anyway.)

wish me luck, this is the direction i want to head.

i think the tiredness comes from waking up, and/or not getting back to sleep, the stresses of the friction of our emotions when we don't get it right, let go of potential ld's, not remembering dreams, etc... well, again, i know that's the part where i think i get tired or discouraged.

true LD nourishes my soul because i know i am coming home to my deeper/deepest levels of being.

I hope everyone see's your post. It is so important for us to become aware of what we are capable of. Although I have not attained lucidity yet; I have experienced many other spiritual highs. Trance comes innately to me for some reason; I usually have full fledged conversations while talking to others, and maintaining full attentiveness: If those of you reading this cannot do that; then you must believe that we are aware on multiple levels... that or I'm just special, which I don't think is true. Least not in that way.

First Question: No. Lack of sleep stops you from resting. NEXT

Originally Posted by Portalboat

Well, from what I know, the mind doesn't need rest. Although, of course, if you decide to live out a second life, THEN you might go insane.

But my answer is: That's why we don't have lucids every night.

Originally Posted by Lucidness

I dont think so, because your sub concious mind is always doing something all the time. Whether your dreaming or not. But as someone has said, trying to live a second life in your dreams all the time, might make you go a bit insane.

I have lucids every night. I live out a second life in dreams. I am going crazy, wanna come?