Thread: Trouble falling back asleep with SSILD/WBTB + WILD question

Originally Posted by MemeViews

I think it's the opposite actually. When you naturally wake up from mantras, don't you always wake up at the end of a sleep cycle, which makes you feel more refreshed? And if I use an alarm and no mantras, isn't there a bigger chance I would wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle (deep sleep), thus feeling more groggy?

I asked because this was mentioned in the SSILD FAQ:

Q: Can I combine other breathing, meditation, relaxation techniques during or prior to doing SSILD?

A: No. As mentioned earlier, SSILD is all about "conditioning". You condition your mind and body to the most optimal state for lucid dream to occur. This state, however, is very delicate. Mixing in other techniques will likely interfere with this state and cause negative impact on SSLID's performance. You're free to create your own routines once you master the technique, but for beginners I expect you to adhere to the instructions in this manual.

Wait, let my try to rephrase what I meant with insomnia and WILD:
If I find myself in a situation where I can't sleep because my mind is racing or whatever, can't I try to remain motionless, so that my body will fall asleep first? I mean, that way I could let my body enter sleep despite having a somewhat unrelaxed state of mind. This way I could fall asleep faster in times where I find it hard to ease my mind and have the benefit of a lucid dream, no?

It might be more unnatural for humans to wake up during deep sleep, especially due to an intentionally set alarm, making it instead harder to fall back asleep. I think it's the REM-periods and brief-awakening moments in that we usually wake up( natural = easier to fall back asleep ). You could wake up during deep sleep due to the urge to pee for an example though ( ? Need confirmation by members who have more knowledge about sleeping and dreaming in general). But then again if you feel too refreshed after a REM-cycle ( end of sleep cycle ) and find it harder to fall back asleep, I would suggest an alarm awakening near the next REM-period. Then atleast you will know there's a dream nearby awaiting for you in which to become lucid.

From SSILD guide:

Remember you are not doing a WILD. You are simply setting things up for OBEs and LDs to occur at later point.

My bad, I always thought SSILD was similar to FILD where you maintain your awareness by focusing into something ( would be senses in this case) = WILDing in a sense. But since the idea is to get comfortable to fall asleep in the first place, I think it's okay to do breathing techniques simultaneously if they work for you. If you manage to split your attention to both your breathing and into your senses, then go for both. The breathing technique might become more automatic with practice as well so you'll be able to focus more on the senses alone = "SSILDing how it is supposed to be done" apparently.

Well, since LDing is all mental ( at least once you get there ) and if you manage to fall asleep with an active mind, then I guess it could be possible. The lucids you would be having would probably be WILDs, since you would let your body fall asleep while your consciousness was still very active. If you can fall asleep with an active mind, then I guess yes. ( Waiting for more knowledgeable members to post their thoughts on if it is possible ( for an insomniac ) to fall asleep with an active mind. )