Are There Risks To Lucid Dreaming?
Dreams can take you on a wild ride. We all have had dreams that felt trippy, odd, and even out of control. In order to enjoy their dreams, some people have attempted — and even mastered — the method of lucid dreaming. According to the Sleep Foundation, lucid dreaming is when people are aware that they are dreaming, during the dream. This awareness can sometimes lead to the person controlling aspects of the dream. There is an idea that lucid dreaming can help with your mental health, or even during nightmares. However, there are things to consider while lucid dreaming.
While it seems fun that you could actually make yourself start lucid dreaming, it doesn't come without its problems. Researchers have started conducting studies on the subject of lucid dreaming, and while it can feel amazing to control your dreams, it could also have side effects that the public is not aware of.
Lucid dreaming can affect your sleep
While all might seem well while you're dreaming, lucid dreaming can negatively impact your sleep. The Sleep Foundation found that lucid dreams have a tendency to cause patterns in the brain that allow people to not fully be asleep. They describe this as a hybrid form of consciousness that can disrupt your emotional regulation and memory consolidation.
While there does need to be further research on the subject, people often find themselves purposely causing fragmented sleep, in order to lucid dream effectively. One popular method is called the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD). For this method, the person falls asleep with the intention of controlling their dream. They stay asleep for about five hours and then wake themselves up for about 30 minutes. During this time, they keep affirming in their mind that they will be able to control their dreams before going back to sleep.
The effects of lucid dreaming on mental health
When it comes to lucid dreaming, it can have both positive and negative effects on your mental health. Studies sourced by the Sleep Foundation show that people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as people who deal with anxiety and depression, could benefit from lucid dreaming. However, according to Sonu Sleep, those who suffer from psychosis should stay away from the method. This is due to lucid dreaming causing a level of dissociation which can cause the sleeper to struggle with what is real and what is not. Because people who suffer from psychosis have the most control over their dreams, it has been known to cause more hysteria in their day-to-day life. Over the long run, these same people are also inclined to also experience depression and anxiety directly linked to lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is not for everyone, and in certain cases, it should be avoided altogether.