Need help staying aware

I get the part where you shouldn't treat wild as something different from sleep but I got these problems after trying to wild many times last night: I first woke up at 5:00 and tried wild instantly after waking up. I suspect I should try to become more aware before trying to wild because I fell asleep very fast. I made my alarm go off after another hour (should have made it 15 mins imo). after waking up I didn't even wild but I put my alarm to go off another hour later. I woke up at 7 only to fall asleep again and woke up naturally at 8:30. I was pretty aware ( probably because my melatonin levels were dropping thanks to apollo) so I attempted to wild and couldn't fall asleep.

Question time:
>Should I try to become slightly more aware?

> how can I use meditation and especially mantras (in the real world mantras discipline me really well but they keep me aware too which makes me doubt if I can go to sleep with them)

I like to stay up for about 10-20 minutes, usually either reading a book pertaining to lucid dreaming or browsing the forums; basically keeping my mind on the subject of lucid dreaming. I can't stay up for too long though, because I won't be able to fall asleep again. I think that 10 minutes is a safe area, and it's even better if you keep the idea of becoming lucid in mind and intended.

So yes, imo I would agree that becoming slightly more aware would be good for you.

I love using meditation when performing WILD as it takes any tenseness out of my body that may keep me awake, of course if you're not in a relaxed state already meditation can help that as well as clearing your mind. I'm a huge fan of mantras, they've always worked for me in the past. They're one, good for just making sure you keep your intent clear as well as giving you something to keep your attention on instead of letting thoughts fill your head.

Thanks for the reply turoazai! Can you describe your learning experience with wild?

I went to the bathroom after WBTB alarm yesterday and fell asleep again... Need to stay awake even longer

I go back to bed with the intention of going to sleep but I don't understand how I should tackle the "stay aware" part. What I try is just stare at my closed eyelids but that does not end well (I just drift to sleep) so can you tell me some ideas how to remain aware?

Sure thing! In my personal experience, there are two things that help me keep my awareness while performing WILD:

The first one are mantras, which I love to use to maintain focus while letting my body relax. The mantra I'm using at the moment is for dream recall, as it is needing an increase; "I remember my dreams." I simply repeat it to myself over and over, with real intent and need. I also find visually tracing the words into the back of my eyelids as I say the words very effective at both maintaining focus on the mantra as well as making the mantra itself more prominent.

The second one is I actually found a great application on the Google Play Store called "Lucid Dreamer." it is free, but the free version only comes with a dream journal and binaural beats to induce lucid dreaming. For $7 (which I find very worth it), it gives many features like a reality check reminder and my favorite, a thing called 'paralyzer'. It is to help with those who like to induce sleep paralysis, but it works just as well for when you're attempting WILD.

The paralyzer feature is quite simple, it simply plays an audio cue of your choice in an interval of your choice, the idea is that it will gently remind you to keep your focus if you begin to fall asleep.

Thanks for the inquiry Marios!