how are lucid dreams caused?
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External stimulation applied during REM sleep has been used to trigger lucid dreaming. During REM sleep, an external cue could be presented to the dreamer and this could trigger a lucid dream. The most popular form of external stimulation is a sleep mask that produces light stimuli.
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The risks of lucid dreaming Lucid dreaming is generally considered safe, but there are some risks for people with mental health disorders. These include: Sleep problems. Since lucid dreaming techniques purposely interrupt sleep, getting enough sleep can be difficult.
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There are frequent stories of people who explain that they had dreams unexpectedly came true. ... This can happen because the dream may be considered a reflection of the most likely outcome, which becomes very life-like and powerful in the dream state.
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Basically, this theory suggests that dreams occur when our brain is processing information, eliminating the unnecessary stuff and moving important short-term memories into our long-term memory. So people who recall dreams may have a difference in their ability to memorize things in general.
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Weird dreams are often the result of psychological stress or changes in your routine. Exposure to stress or anxiety right before you sleep — like reading the news or watching a scary movie — can also cause strange or vivid dreams.
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Since a dream is made by your subconscious mind, it could indicate your thoughts, feelings or desires. In many cases, a dream shows that you are focusing on something for one reason or another. If you keep dreaming about the same person every night, it may be because you are concerned about them or worried.
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Some experts suggest that dreams may include events that a person has not necessarily thought through while awake. ... This can happen because the dream may be considered a reflection of the most likely outcome, which becomes very life-like and powerful in the dream state.
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Lucid dreaming is a unique dream state where you are aware you're dreaming and have the ability to control what's happening in your dream. If you didn't know any better (which you may not until you wake up), you may think you're experiencing real life. ... A regular dream is like watching a movie play out in front of you.
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Stress and traumatic events can lead to vivid dreams. Researchers believe that this is due to the role that dreaming plays in memory and processing emotions. People who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to have bad vivid dreams than people who do not.
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In lucid dreams, people are aware that they are dreaming. They sometimes realize this because something in the dream world doesn't make sense. ... "This suggests that the insight experienced during the dream state may relate to the same underlying cognition needed for insight in the waking state," the researchers said.
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Recently, studies have shown lucid dreaming is more common in people with narcolepsy. In narcolepsy, brain activity is atypical, and some of the neural activity that promotes wakefulness and suppresses sleep are altered.
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Stress or anxiety Problems with friends, family, school, or work can trigger intense dreams as can big events like getting married or buying a house. Stressed caused by traumatic events, such as a death of a loved one, sexual abuse, or a car accident can also cause vivid dreams.
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Lucid Dreaming for Beginners: What is Lucid Dreaming? Lucid dreaming is a unique dream state where you are aware you're dreaming and have the ability to control what's happening in your dream. If you didn't know any better (which you may not until you wake up), you may think you're experiencing real life.
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Other issues that can cause more vivid dreams are sleep deprivation, use of alcohol or illicit drugs and certain medications. Certain sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, can also increase the number of dreams recalled, because the disorder causes micro-awakenings throughout the night.
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Lucid dreaming is the experience of achieving conscious awareness of dreaming while still asleep. Lucid dreams are generally thought to arise from non-lucid dreams in REM sleep.
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When does it happen, and what is it like? Like most dreams, lucid dreaming will typically occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. For some people, it occurs spontaneously. However, others train themselves to start dreaming lucidly, or to become better at it.
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"Part of the reason that some people experience spontaneous lucid dreams appears to be linked to them having a particular cognitive strength in waking life," the researchers said. For example, studies have shown that lucid dreamers are better at extracting information from the context.