Magnetic Poles Gives Vivid Dreams?

[Super Duck]

Somebody told me today that if you sleep facing exactly towards magnetic North or South you dreams will be more vivid. His reasons were something along the lines along the magnetic field of the Earth (those things that you can see if you sprinkle iron filings around a magnet) have some kind of effect on the electrical impulses in your brain or something (probably making them more active causing vividity). I may have the totally wrong explanation so if this sounds wrong there may be some other reason. Or the entire theory could be utter stupidity. Is this far-fetched or is there any logic to it? I might try it some time although any effect may be caused by changing the position I sleep in and have nothing to do with magnetism at all. Does anyone who sleeps facing North or South have particularly vivid dreams? P.S. If I'm right here and there is a way to harness it for lucids, I call tibs on the credit and tutorial ... but that's a big if.

[Scatterbrain]

Perceived effects on dream's vividness from sleeping facing magnetic north will be due to the placebo effect

[Super Duck]

Yeah I did consider this. I'm not sure. I just worked out that I've always slept facing magnetic North. When I get the recall, my dreams are pretty vivid. Still, having only experienced my own dreams (of course) I have nothing to compare it to. I may try sleeping facing West or East for a while and see if it has any effect.

[Scatterbrain]

Seriously, where your head is pointing won't make any difference what-so-ever.

[bassbird]

this could be tested if the sleeper was unsure which direction they where facing and then rated the vivedness. I personally find very unlikely that there would be a noticeable differance

[Super Duck]

I'm sitting on the fence on this one. I'm not trying to argue that it is true, but I'm just saying that there are some weirder techniques out there. There has to be some kind of research before you can say "No." If you slept in a different position every night for four nights but didn't know which way you were facing you could see whether a certain one gave further vividity and then work out which way you had been sleeping.

[Marvo]

I've heard this technique before, though in another argumentation. The argument, was that because we face a different direction, than we normally would, like if we sleep somewhere else than me normally would, we're more aware of our selfs, 'because it is not as safe'. Now, some people claim, that we get this hightened awareness, because we lie differently that we normally would, compared to the magnetic fields of the earth. I can certainly see how sleeping differently will make you more aware. I think there's even research to back that up, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I doubt that magnetic fields have a play in it though.

[psychology student]

Presumably to attempt this you may have to alter the position of your bed or bedroom. If you tried to Wild after this, your bedroom (in the dream) may be in its original setting and you may be more able ot tell that it is dream (being aware of the fact that you changed the setting of your bedroom before sleep). So it could forseeably help when Wilding.

[Super Duck]

I've heard this technique before, though in another argumentation. The argument, was that because we face a different direction, than we normally would, like if we sleep somewhere else than me normally would, we're more aware of our selfs, because it is not as safe. Now, some people claim, that we get this hightened awareness, because we lie differently that we normally would, compared to the magnetic fields of the earth. I can certainly see how sleeping differently will make you more aware. I think there's even research back that up, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I doubt that magnetic fields have a play in it though. Yeah, that sounds more realistic. And you have a reason to back it up, rather than me saying, "Oh...something to do with magnetism...not sure what...hmm..." Presumably to attempt this you may have to alter the position of your bed or bedroom. If you tried to Wild after this, your bedroom (in the dream) may be in its original setting and you may be more able ot tell that it is dream (being aware of the fact that you changed the setting of your bedroom before sleep). So it could forseeably help when Wilding. Very clever indeed!

[Jonathan]

According to the hawthorne effect, any change in environment will change performance, so it could help by just changing something about the way you sleep every night. Making yourself more aware is a plus too. I know this because I just took AP psychology exam.

[Scatterbrain]

I've heard this technique before, though in another argumentation. The argument, was that because we face a different direction, than we normally would, like if we sleep somewhere else than me normally would, we're more aware of our selfs, 'because it is not as safe'. Now, some people claim, that we get this hightened awareness, because we lie differently that we normally would, compared to the magnetic fields of the earth. I can certainly see how sleeping differently will make you more aware. I think there's even research to back that up, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I doubt that magnetic fields have a play in it though. Now that makes a lot more sense. The earth's magnetic field making your dreams more vivid depending on the direction your pointing is just silly.

[Cn]

You have no iron filings in your brain.

[Golden Son]

Key #2: Sleep with Your Head to the North Sleeping with your head pointing true north puts your body and its corresponding chakra system in alignment with the polar magnetism of the earth. Yogi masters, mystics, and psychics have long recommended this position for healthful sleep. We have found that sleeping with our head to the north strengthens our connection to the higher, intuitive self; promotes the health of the body and the central nervous system; enhances restful sleep; and stimulates the highest and most vivid level of dream recall. A simple compass can assist you in determining true north in your bedroom. Sleeping with your head to the other three compass directions will also affect your sleep experiences. For example, sleeping with your head to the south grounds you to the earth. This helps to reduce the occurrence of nightmares and invasive dreams. However, the downside of the south position is that it tends to dampen dream recall. http://www.eso-garden.com/index.php?/weblog/C37/ I think know there is more to the topic then you guys are giving credit. You do realize how very little we know about the human brain?

[Jimmehboi]

You have no iron filings in your brain. LOL that's true, I agree with Scatterbrain's first comment, this will be a placebo effect, think about all the hundreds of tutorials for gaining lucidity/vivid dreams most contain hypnotising techniques like- "Say to yourself that you will gain a lucid dream until you fall asleep." "Be confident that you WILL wake up and remember your dream." Then apply this sort of thing with going to sleep and KNOWING that because you're facing south, you WILL have a lucid dream. There's no scientific evidence of course, but still, what is it going to matter which way you're facing? Jim.

[Super Duck]

You don't need iron filings in your brain. That is not nearly the point I'm making. The only reason I mentioned iron filings is because they move into lines around a magnetic field like this: And the lines you can see there supposedly affect brain activity. I did not mean that the magnetic field moves around the non-existant iron filings in your brain. I'm personally not convinced by this. Like I said, someone else told me about this. But as the one who brought this topic to attention, I feel obliged to defend it even if I'm pretty sure there's not a lot of truth to it.