Eyelids will not "seal" and Mouth becomes dry

[drizzt495]

Hey dreamers! I have been lucid dreaming successfully with the DILD method (started with a dream journal, practiced reality checks for months, finally gained consciousness!) for awhile now, but I am having some problems with the WILD approach. I have no problem reaching the parasomnias, and what I believe is sleep paralysis (body is extremely heavy, requires total 'waking' to actually move limbs, etc). My problem is that once all of the flashing/visual hallucinations begin to "die down" and my mind begins to "focus", I have one of two symptoms: 1. Dry mouth from breathing (I'm a mouth-breather while i sleep, apparently) 2. I have an uncontrollable urge to keep my eyelids slightly open With regards to the second, I am not sure if this is what people describe as "superimposing their mind on their body", or if it is just a physical phenomenon. To give more detail, it feels like my eyes MUST remain closed, but they will not "seal" properly. What should I do from this point? Generally, my approach has been to focus on the weight of my body and visualize myself walking up an infinite flight of stairs, but this does not seem to be working. Also, RC's at this stage are not effective, and pull me from the SP. Please advise! Thanks! --edit: I should also note that I take .5mg to 1mg of clonazepam before bed, so I do not believe that "calming" is an issue--

[ThePreserver]

I have had the exact same problems as you whilst WILDing. To the Dry Mouth: I suggest taking some Benadryl to clear your nasal passages if you can handle that (be careful because it causes drowsiness) or just ensure that you CAN breathe from your nose, as I have to when I WILD now. Either that or drink plenty of water before you go to bed. To the eyelids thing: Try a sleep mask or a dark but "light" (in weight) towel over your eyes. I know people who sleep with their eyes open as long as it's dark. You should be fine if you have total darkness. If you can block out ALL light from your room (dark curtains and/or door snakes or a blanket at the door crack) that would work fine, but your clock must also be dimmed or covered. I usually just count my breaths until I fall deep enough into SP. Shouldn't take more than 500 breaths to get there if you are well-relaxed. on a good night it takes only 100 or 200.

[jmanjohn]

I have that same thing with the eyes. I need a sleep mask. But i'm afraid it will distract me too much.