Poor Sleep Pattern And Recall

[Avian]

So since school has started I have had a pretty inconsistent and crappy sleep pattern. Does this mean I won't be able to LD? Also, I wake up at 6:30 AM and there is NO time for DJing. Is there any method you guys know of that I could use to still at least be able to work on my recall a little bit when getting up at such an early time and so abruptly? I barely make it to the bus stop each morning so anything that I need to do right after getting up won't work. I have a good 20 minutes of bus time though, so I could potentially utilize that if there are any techniques any of you know. As for the bad sleep pattern, I rarely get to bed or to sleep the same time as the night before, and I fear that is affecting my LD's. In the late summer (and for awhile after school started) I was able to WBTB every night and I even achieved a partial LD. Despite numerous efforts I haven't been able to WBTB in weeks, I either just sleep through the alarm, or go back to sleep without being able to get up. I could potentially work on my sleep pattern but chances are it is going to stay erratic. Does it really matter a lot?

[Sensei]

In order to be consistent, you have to be consistent. You can't change the time you get up, but you can change the time you go to sleep. You can also get up earlier 8 you want. Or just write out small little tags and then during the bus ride you can write out the whole dream.

[~Dreamer~]

Writing down keywords to jog your memory later would definitely be a good idea, as Sensei mentioned. Keeping a regular schedule is also important, but from my personal experience, it's not essential. I have a very irregular sleeping pattern and I still have frequent lucid dreams. I do have the luxury of choosing my waking times though, so I can sleep longer when needed. Getting enough sleep is crucial - not only for your health, but also to ensure you're getting the longer REM cycles at the end of the night (where a lot of the magic happens in dreams.) Sensei's advice of going to bed earlier is worth trying, if you possibly can. It might make it easier to WBTB too, and will give you the option of waking up earlier so you're not in such a rush and can focus more on recall. Good luck, and sleep well!

[Avian]

Sounds like good advice but as for the tags part that won't work. I am within a minute of missing my bus almost every day and the seconds it could take to write those tags could mean missing it.

[Sensei]

Sounds like good advice but as for the tags part that won't work. I am within a minute of missing my bus almost every day and the seconds it could take to write those tags could mean missing it. Set your alarm one minute earlier. I write down my tags throughout the night during the small awakenings and when I wake up, but since that is the last awakening, I don't worry as much about that one since it is the easiest dream to remember.

[Avian]

Well it doesn't matter how early I get up, because I will always somehow manage to waste the exact amount of time so that I barely get to the bus and eat breakfast. And breakfast is important to me, if I don't eat it I get really grumpy and stupid throughout the day. I could get up 10-20 minutes earlier but then that would just be a waste of good sleeping time. I never wake up during the night so I am hoping to improve that by getting a consistent sleep pattern going. I have another question: Should I wait until my sleep pattern is stabilized before continuing WBTBs? I could do one tonight, but I'm not sure if it will even wake me up, or if so, if I will be able to achieve any progress. I am worried that it will do more harm than help in the form of sleep loss and demotivation. What do you say on this?

[Sensei]

If my sleep pattern is messed up, I force WBTB through drinking water, so I would recommend that. I do multiple WBTBs a night through micro WBTBs, since I think that this is more effective, you will have to experiment for yourself. If you are unflinching about the morning, then set a alarm for an hour before you wake up and write down tags. Should take a minute, and then go back to sleep. Your last dream of the night should be the easiest to remember anyways, since you can think about it during breakfast and the ride there. Edit: Just decided to add, nothing is going to change unless you change. You seem unflinchingly rigid about things, but unless you change something, nothing will change.

[Avian]

Well the problem is my morning schedule is extremely rigid. I need every last minute of sleep I can get, and for me staying mentally healthy is the top priority. I don't think I mentioned this, but I do VERY badly with sleep deprivation. If I go for a week without good sleep, and then stay up late at the end of the week, I will start exhibiting schizophrenia-like signs until I go to sleep. These include huge mood swings, paranoia, altered world-view, etc. It is basically a whole bunch of mental problems compressed into 15min - 1hour cycles. Also I get minor hallucinations when tired, along with decreasing happiness until I reach depression. So, unfortunately, sleep loss is an extremely slippery slope for me, and I can't afford to slip.

[Sensei]

Well the problem is my morning schedule is extremely rigid. I need every last minute of sleep I can get, and for me staying mentally healthy is the top priority. I don't think I mentioned this, but I do VERY badly with sleep deprivation. If I go for a week without good sleep, and then stay up late at the end of the week, I will start exhibiting schizophrenia-like signs until I go to sleep. These include huge mood swings, paranoia, altered world-view, etc. It is basically a whole bunch of mental problems compressed into 15min - 1hour cycles. Also I get minor hallucinations when tired, along with decreasing happiness until I reach depression. So, unfortunately, sleep loss is an extremely slippery slope for me, and I can't afford to slip. That is good, because i am telling you to sleep more, not less.

[Avian]

Oh, ya, sorry about that I forgot about the problem with going to bed earlier. Ya, I will give it a shot. One thing I have observed is that how much I care about lucid dreaming usually has a direct correlation with how good I am feeling in life.