Thread: The Physical Activity Experiment

I've been wondering if physical activity affects your dream recall or lucid dreaming abilities. So, I decided that I would start an experiment about the subject. If done right, this can provide tons of useful information about the effects of physical activity in dreaming aspects, and hopefully help people to get more LDs.

The idea is that the participants keep a daily journal of their training (physical activitiy) and dreaming. At the end of each week they send their journals to me for analyzing.

This is quite a big experiment, and I'm starting it in LD4all too, so that there would be a large number of participants. Anyhow, it doesn't mean that this experiment wouldn't need your help - actually it needs everyone who might want to participate.

So, the experiment idea is now open for discussion and further refining. Please tell if there is something missing or something I haven't considered. I would also like the people wanting to participate to sign up during May '05 - preferably with an e-mail or PM to me. If enough people volunteer, the experiment can be started at the beginning of June '05 and will last for at least two months.



Procedure:

1) Provide the initial information: (When signing up)

- Age, sex, occupation etc.
- Average physical activity in a week
- How do you usually spend your pastime?
- Physical activity backgrounds through your whole life
- Average dream recall per night and per week
- Average LD count per week
- Dreaming backgrounds (How long been LDing? Natural? Special problems or strenghts? Etc.)

2) Keep the journal: (while the research is going)

- Training journal (physical activity each day):
[list]*How much do you train each day? (in minutes)
*What do you train each day? (the sport, the excercise)
*How heavy? (use these: very easy, easy, moderate, heavy, very heavy)
*Other useful comments (eg. other activity than actual training)[list]

- Dreaming journal: (the following night)
[list]*How much do you sleep each night? (in hours)
*How many dreams do you recall at the morning?
*How many lucid dreams did you have?
*Other useful comments (the quality and lenght of dreams etc.)[list]

Other:
[list]*Mood (give two attributes - general (bad, normal, good, very good) and specified (happy, exited, sad, neutral, depressed etc.)
*Exhaustion (rested, tired, exhausted)[list]

- E-mail or PM me all the data in the journal at the end of each week.


Log sheet for the journal data:

Name:
Week beginning date:

Sunday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise:
The sport:
The heaviness:
Other comments:

Dreaming:
The amount of sleep:
The number of dreams:
The number of lucid dreams:
Other comments:

Other:
Mood:
Exhaustion:

Monday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise:
The sport:
.
.
.
etc.
[/b]

I'll sign up! This would be good for me and motivation to actually work out. I'm PMing you right now.

I will begin recording the information Monday 5/23/05

- Age, sex, occupation etc. ( 33 - Male - Landscape and design)
- Average physical activity in a week ( a lot. pysical labor work, Basketball)
- How do you usually spend your pastime? (DV, Reading ,outdoor activities B-Ball, House work, & The giutar.)
- Physical activity backgrounds through your whole life. (always have been very active and high strung. Active in many sports and some rock climbing & hiking)
- Average dream recall per night and per week ( 3 per night 21 week)
- Average LD count per week ( was three per week. Latley - 1 per month.)
- Dreaming backgrounds (How long been LDing? Natural? Special problems or strenghts? Etc.)
Lucid dreaming for close to three years. I have experianced many levels of lucidity, strong HI, What I thought was an OBE three times and two near death experiances.
*Not very efficiant at meditation. But This is an area I am working on currently.

* medication. I am currently on a medication that hinders my dream recall & abilities but helps me go to sleep. Preventoing me from carring out methods like WILDS or using HI to lead into a dream.[/color]

[quote]- Training:

*How much do you train each day? (95% of my LDs are DILDs.)
*What do you train each day? (type of training, the excercise etc.) - (reading about each technique and ettempting to put them into use.
*Other useful comments (eg. other activity than actual training)
I have knowledge of most all techniques but Not many have been useful.
* medication. I am currently on a medication that hinders my dream recall & abilities but helps me go to sleep. Preventoing me from carring out methods like WILDS or using HI to lead into a dream.
With "training" I actually mean exercising as physical activity, working out. I'll change it to make it clearer. Anyway, I'll make a log sheet for the experiment as a guideline on what to include in the journal before this will officially be launched.

Originally posted by Hate
With \"training\" I actually mean exercising as physical activity, working out. I'll change it to make it clearer. Anyway, I'll make a log sheet for the experiment as a guideline on what to include in the journal before this will officially be launched.

ooops. Sorry about that.
You mean I have to exercise MORE?

Just a thought.
But this research, when compiled might go well withfood experiment and his findings. Nutrition, exercise. They kind of go hand in hand.
I guess I am jumping the gun a bit. Considering I can't even fill out the inticial data required.[/color]

No, Howetzer, you don't need to excercise any more than you usually do - you can though, if you want to. Just make a log of all the physical activity during each day.

Here's an example of a filled log sheet:

Name: Hate
Week beginning date: 15th May

Sunday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise: 60'
The sport: jogging
The heaviness: easy
Other comments: Biked to school which took 30 minutes in all. (easy)

Dreaming:
The amount of sleep: 8 h
The number of dreams: 2
The number of lucid dreams: 0
Other comments: The other dream was very long and vivid, the other was pretty normal.

Other:
Mood: Very good, happy
Exhaustion: Tired

Monday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise: 100'
The sport: Gym excercise (max power)
The heaviness: Heavy
Other comments: Not much other activity

Dreaming:
The amount of sleep: 9 hours
The number of dreams: 3
The number of lucid dreams: 1
Other comments: 2 pretty normal dreams, 1 longer which became a short LD

Other:
Mood: Neutral
Exhaustion: Exhausted

Tuesday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise: 0' (rest day)
The sport:
The heaviness:
Other comments: Lawn mowing with a lawn-mower you need to push, took about 50'

Dreaming:
The amount of sleep: 7,5 hours
The number of dreams: 1
The number of lucid dreams: 0
Other comments: 1 short and foggy dream

Other:
Mood: Sad
Exhaustion: Rested

Wednesday:

Activity:
The amount of excercise: 90'
The sport: Paddling
The heaviness: Very easy
Other comments: -

Dreaming:
The amount of sleep: 8 hours
The number of dreams: 2
The number of lucid dreams: 0
Other comments: Both were pretty normal, but the second was quite long

Other:
Mood: Excellent, very happy
Exhaustion: Rested

etc.[/b]

No-one else interested? I realized that the dates of this experiment don't have to be so strickt. Like in Seeker's snack experiment, you don't necessarily have to keep the log for all the time. All pieces of data can be used and analyzed, even if they're only fragments.

I think the experiment is now ready for action. Those who already have signed up should now start keeping the journal. Those who are interested, but haven't signed up yet, should do so by providing me with their initial information and start keeping the journal.

I was really interested in starting this experiment but I forgot about it , sorry hate (Doh!).

I'm starting a new job on the 6th June that requires me to be 'physically fit' as it involves a high level of manual labour. I need to start a gym in the next few days to make myself ‘healthy’ (lol). Therefore I hope to undergo a sort of physical change in my fitness (fingers crossed).

It would be a pleasure to see if there is any correlation with lucidity. I would be interesting to embrace the change to see if anything happens.

- Age, sex, occupation etc. [/b]

22, Male. Taking a sandwich year at university (*currently unemployed). Start new job 6th June.

- Average physical activity in a week [/b]

At the moment hardly any, except i hope to change this within the next few days (as im started a gym to get myself ready for my new job).

- How do you usually spend your pastime? [/b]

I usually focus my attention on dream control, watching movies, reading and using the internet.

- Physical activity backgrounds through your whole life [/b]

Used to be more active over a year ago, used to walk a few miles a day across the Cornish coast etc

- Average dream recall per night and per week [/b]

About 3 dreams per night and about 20 in a 7 day week (not all logged into a dream journal).

- Average LD count per week [/b]

About 3-4 experiences of lucidity per month (hopfully increase with physical activity).

- Dreaming backgrounds (How long been LDing? Natural? Special problems or strenghts? Etc.) [/b]

I started lucid dreaming offically around April 2004 (aprox 1 year) I have always been interested in dreaming and lucidity (before i knew the term) and take great pleasure in dreaming and using my dream journal.

-------

Hope this helps Hate.

So far only Howetzer has provided me with his activity logs. Is anyone else doing this? I'm a bit disappointed due to the people's lack of interest in this.

Speaking of wich, I have to give you last weeks if I can find it.
I know it's around somewhere. I 'll get it to you.

Hey Harri I've started my daily log today and I will give it too at the end of the week...sorry I kind of forgot about the expirement till just now.

As far as my initial sign up data here goes:

Age, sex, occupation etc. -
31, Male, Graphic/Web designer

Average physical activity in a week
Moderate to heavy weightlifting 5 days a week.
Moderate to heavy cardio 5 days a week.
Wrestling 2-3 times a week with high school kids (my buddy is a coach at a local hs)

How do you usually spend your pastime?
Shooting pool, online poker & scrabble, wrestling and soon outdoor volleyball.

Physical activity backgrounds through your whole life
Very active in a broad range of sports all of my life....mostly wrestling, volleyball and football (american)

Average dream recall per night and per week
Per night = 2-3

Average LD count per week
Zero...hope this will change now that I'm back to working out regularly

Dreaming backgrounds (How long been LDing? Natural? Special problems or strenghts? Etc.)
Sporadic at LDs but I have pretty good dream recall.

If you would have conducted your experimentation with an 'air' of authority i would have responded with great interest, but i didnt have a follow up message from my post and didnt know how to respond, i.e. if the experiment was still being conducted, a welcoming PM message or somthing i would have considered taking part, but if you dont relate back to people they have no idea your still active with your experiment.

I would still enjoy to get involved.

Maybe I should go exercise tonight... I forgot about it (in all that I've been doing lately), but I will try to do better. (I think I'll go swimming tonight)

You might be right, MJ. I should have shown a greater interest towards your post. Anyway, I am still doing this experiment and I greatly appreciate if you want to get involved. Just start keeping the activity log and send it to me at the end of each week. You too, James

I'll try to give a more active impression for now on.

I will be unable to visit here for the next two weeks, but it doesn't affect this experiment. Everyone keeping a log of their activity should continue sending them to me. Those who are interested but haven't yet signed up, should do so and start keeping the log.

I'm sorry, Hate, that I haven't been very active. I'll give it another shot, but I've just been constantly going and haven't thought about the project, so we'll see what happens. Pretty much my recall is shot right now, so maybe this would help out. I've definitely been a lot more active, but I don't know if that's the main reason for my poor recall.

-Ame

Hate.
I just read this. It is somewhat related to your research. I thought I would throw it out there.

"REM sleep appears to be especially important for strengthening visual and motor skills. If someone practices a new set of tennis strokes on a given day, for example, the REM segment of his or her sleep will increase dramatically that night. If one wakes this person repeatidly during REM phases, the retention is hindered - more so than if only non REM sleep is disturbed"

I am not sure if you can extract anything out of that wich will help or not.

That's quite interesting, Jason. I just wonder if those repetitive wake-ups hinder the retention of dreams or those new tennis strokes...

Is this experiment dead? I haven't got any data recently from anyone. If someone is still interested, please tell me.

Actually I'm doing it but I'm at day 5 right now. (and not sure if it will help you)

Originally posted by STsung
Actually I'm doing it but I'm at day 5 right now. (and not sure if it will help you)

Follow up on what happens. Perhaps it will help.

I can say I was experiencing my longest dry spell of lucid dreams this past winter. I also was the least active I have ever been. I normally would play basketball twice a week in the winter. Due to an injury I did very little.
NOW. I am back to landscaping and very active. I have had two nights of consecutive lucid dreams and three more in this short duration.
The changes
Activity
The time change. more light of day and also the time change of the clock
The changing of the season. (another experiment)
All of which could play a role.

A more effective way is to take out as many other variables or changes. Then take an inactive person and change their activity routine alone.