Some observations on levels and length of lucidity

I had a very long (seemed like 45 minutes to an hour) lucid dream last night in which I flew around to different locales, levitated objects, transformed objects and engaged in numerous conversations with dream characters - explaining to them that either they were themselves dreaming or weren't aware that they were mere figments of my own imagination. While I was pleased to experience my longest LD to date, my level of lucidity or awareness and logical thinking was not as high as previous lucids. I didn't experience the intensity of previous lucids either.

In the past, I recall being MUCH more rational in what amounted to short, intense, incredibly real seeming experiences. The most intense lucid experiences ever seem to the those most people characterize as "OBE" type experiences. These, at least in my own LD history, seem of much shorter duration.

I'm wondering if the length and intensity of lucid dream experiences might be inversely proportional? Could long, low-level lucids be happening in the early or middle stages of a REM period while the more vivid, intense, high-level lucids be happening near the end of the REM cycle when our brains may be functioning closer to their "awake" capabilities? This could account for length and level of awareness variations.

I'd like to hear other's opinions, thoughts and experiences in this regard.

I am still a beginner but I think you are right. My lucid dreams are very vivid and short(but bear in mind that I am not that experienced and so they are difficult to control) and they always happen after 5-6 o'clock in the morning during the late stages of the REM cycle. Almost everything in my LD looks like in real life but sometimes furniture can be at a different place. So I feel them more like OBEs. Sometimes I even know things which will happen in real life e.g. once I knew in my lucid dream that the alarm clock would ring in a few minutes and after I woke up I checked it and I was right.