Some Help is needed on WILD Technique

So yesterday i tried doing WILD (i know WILD works better after some hours of sleep but i heard it can be also done when you go to sleep) and after being still for about an hour or so i started seing some flashes and the pictures that i saw started to become more real.During that time i kept counting the breaths that i took and saying to myself "i'm dreaming" when exhaling.At some point i started feeling my body really heavy like i would sink into the bed(maybe some stage of WILD)but i just could get into the "dream world".My breathing became more and more difficult like someone was sitting on my chest.At that time without any reason my body moved.I read that in some cases while lucid dreaming and being aware that you are standing next to your bed or whatever , you don't actually know that you are in a dream.So i did a RC and my finger didn't get through my hand.

What did i do wrong?Maybe because i didn't combine it with WBTB??

I have heard it's possible to WILD without any sleep, but it's really hard, if not impossible.

Here is why. Although you can dream in nREM stage, I don't think those are good quality dreams, and they may be really short. You want to become lucid in your REM stage.

When you sleep, you go through sleep stages. Each one is about 90-110 min. long. Each starts with nREM (non-dreaming) stage and ends with REM (dreaming) stage. So when you lay down, it's impossible to get straight to REM stage, you have to go through nREM, simple because that's how your brain goes through different brain waves. So even if you see HH, you will not enter REM, hence you will not enter dream.

As the sleep progresses, your REMs become longer and nREMs shorter. That's why it's recommended to sleep at least 4.5 hours before WILD. And yes, WBTB at multiples of 90 min, so at 4.5, 6, 7.5 hrs of sleep greatly improves your chance of having a successful WILD.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! :)

So yesterday i tried WILD with WBTB.I set my alarm clock to ring after 4.5 hours.I woke up, sat on my bed for about 10 minutes and then tried to WILD.It was really hard to concentrate and count my breaths as i would just think of some random thoughts.After half an hour i stopped after being exhausted(maybe i should have continued)and slept normaly.

Today i'm going to try it again.I won't give up.

You can try staying up longer than 10 min. Anywhere from 5 min to 1 hour. The length is different for everyone and it may be different for each time also. The goal is to wake up enough to think clearly, but still be sleepy. I get out of the bed and do something lucid dreaming related. You want your thoughts be filled with nothing else. So I read posts or tutorials on DV or watch some lucid dreaming related videos on youtube or read some books, maybe my older dreams in DJ. You can make a plan what you want to dream about and what to do once you lucid. Write it down. Then when you lay down, you can visualize what you want your dream to be like.

If you have lots of random thoughts, you can just let them be and start saying your mantras when you get closer to falling asleep. I usually just start saying my mantra right away. My current favorite mantra is 'I'm dreaming'. It's effective at keeping other thought at bay. Even if you start thinking about something else, don't worry about it, just gently get back to your mantra.

If counting your breath doesn't do it for you, do something else. Try to breathe with your abdomen, instead of lungs. Make your mantra match your breath. I am - on inhale, dreaming on exhale. I do it, but only until I start seeing swirls or images. Then I concentrate on those. But not too much, just enough to keep you aware. You want to be just an observer, don't get too excited.

If I'm not sleepy, I don't do anything, just trying to fall asleep normally. Then I hope to recognize the moment of getting close to falling asleep and start with my mantra and paying attention to the visuals behind my closed eyelids.

Main thing is, believe in yourself!