Last updated: October 2026
Lucid dreaming is when you realise you’re dreaming while you’re still asleep, usually during REM (dream) sleep. About half of people have had at least one. Reality checks, a dream journal and waking briefly before going back to sleep can make lucid dreams more likely. Just don’t trade away good sleep to chase them.
Below: what it is, a beginner’s method, which techniques have evidence, how it differs from sleep paralysis and astral projection, and whether it’s safe.
What is lucid dreaming?
In a normal dream, you accept whatever happens, however strange. In a lucid dream, part of your mind notices “this is a dream” while the dream carries on. Some people can then steer what happens; others just watch with that awareness. A vivid dream is different: it feels very real, but you still don’t know you’re dreaming.
Lucid dreams are real and measurable. Researchers confirm them in sleep labs by asking dreamers to signal with a set pattern of eye movements (left, right, left, right) once they become lucid. A 2019 review describes lucid dreams as mainly a REM sleep event, often in the REM periods later in the night, which is why most techniques target the early morning. For more on sleep stages, see deep sleep vs REM sleep.
How common is it?
A 2016 meta-analysis from the University of Northampton pooled 50 years of research. Across 34 studies, about 55% of people had had at least one lucid dream, and about 23% had them regularly (once a month or more).
How to lucid dream: a beginner’s method
No technique works every night: a 2012 systematic review found none that induced lucid dreams reliably. But this combination has the best evidence so far, and it’s easy to try for a week.
- Keep a dream journal. Write down anything you remember as soon as you wake, even a single image. People with better dream recall are more likely to succeed. Look for “dream signs”: places, people or odd events that keep coming up.
- Do reality checks in the day. A few times a day, ask “am I dreaming?” and test it: read some text, look away and read it again, or look closely at your hands. On its own this didn’t raise lucid dreams in an Australian study, so combine it with the next steps.
- Wake back to bed (WBTB). Set a gentle alarm for about five hours after you fall asleep. Get up briefly, then go back to bed, into the REM-rich part of the night.
- Use MILD as you drift off. MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) means picturing a recent dream, imagining yourself realising it’s a dream, and repeating “next time I’m dreaming, I’ll remember I’m dreaming”.
- Fall back asleep quickly. In the Adelaide study, people who fell asleep within five minutes of finishing MILD had a lucid dream on 45.8% of those occasions. If you lie awake for long, stop and just sleep.
Save this for nights when you can sleep in. Our bedtime routine for adults and mindfulness for beginners guides can help you settle faster.
Lucid dreaming techniques compared
| Technique | How it works | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Dream journal | Write down dreams each morning to boost recall and spot dream signs | Good dream recall predicted success in the 2020 International Lucid Dream Induction Study |
| Reality testing | Check whether you’re dreaming several times a day | Weak on its own; better combined with WBTB and MILD |
| Wake back to bed (WBTB) | Wake after about five hours, stay up briefly, go back to sleep | Helps when combined with MILD; disrupts sleep if overused |
| MILD | Rehearse a dream and repeat an intention to notice you’re dreaming | The most effective technique in a 2023 systematic review |
| SSILD | After WBTB, shift attention between sight, sound and body sensations as you fall asleep | About as effective as MILD in the 2020 study; needs more research |
| Light or sound cues | A mask or device gives a signal during REM sleep | Mixed results; low success rates in lab studies |
The 2020 study, run from the University of Adelaide with 355 people completing it, found successful lucid dream induction didn’t harm sleep quality over the practice week. In an earlier study by the same researcher, combining reality testing, WBTB and MILD raised lucid dreams from 9.4% to 17.4% of nights.
Controlling a lucid dream
Becoming lucid often brings a rush of excitement that wakes you up. Lucid dreamers suggest staying calm and focusing on something in the dream, such as your hands, to keep it going. These are tips from experience rather than tested methods. Control varies: some people fly or change the scene, while for many the dream only partly follows their wishes.
Things to try first:
- Practise a skill. In one small study, people who practised a finger-tapping task in a lucid dream improved by the next morning, much like people who practised while awake.
- Face a recurring dream. Turn towards it or ask it a question.
- Simply explore with full awareness.
To wake up, close your dream eyes, stay still or tell yourself to wake. You may get a “false awakening”, where you dream you’ve woken. A quick reality check tells you which it is.
Lucid dreaming vs sleep paralysis vs astral projection
| Lucid dreaming | Sleep paralysis | Astral projection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Knowing you’re dreaming during a dream | Being awake but briefly unable to move or speak as you fall asleep or wake | A spiritual belief that your “astral body” leaves your physical body |
| Are you asleep? | Yes, usually in REM sleep | Partly: the brain is active while the body is still in sleep mode | Not a defined sleep state |
| How it feels | Often exciting or calm, sometimes controllable | Often frightening; you may sense someone in the room | Described as floating or leaving the body |
| Scientific status | Verified in sleep labs | Well recognised; the NHS calls it scary but harmless | Not a scientific concept; researchers study “out-of-body experiences” instead |
They do overlap. A 2025 scoping review found that sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming can both set the scene for out-of-body experiences, which is probably why people link all three. If sleep paralysis scares you, read our sleep paralysis guide, and see hypnic jerks and night terrors for other things that happen at the edges of sleep.
Is lucid dreaming safe?
For most healthy adults, an occasional lucid dream is harmless; around half of us have one naturally. The risks come mainly from chasing them hard and often. A 2020 paper calling for caution in lucid dream research raised two concerns:
- Poorer sleep. Night-time alarms and lying awake practising cut into your sleep, and lost sleep adds up. See sleep debt.
- Blurred lines between dreams and waking. In one study it describes, people who deliberately tried to induce lucid dreams showed a rise in dissociation (feeling detached or unreal) and unusual thinking over the next two months. That isn’t proof of harm, but it is a reason for care.
Other downsides can include more sleep paralysis around WBTB, unsettling false awakenings, and bedtime becoming stressful.
Who should avoid it
- Anyone with psychosis, schizophrenia or a dissociative disorder, or a history of them. Talk to your GP or mental health team first.
- People with insomnia or another sleep disorder, where waking in the night can make things worse.
- Anyone already short on sleep, working shifts, or driving early the next day.
What about nightmares?
Lucid dreaming therapy is being studied for frequent nightmares. A 2023 systematic review (four randomised trials plus case reports) found most studies reported fewer nightmares in adults, but the studies were small. It’s best done with a therapist, and our nightmares guide also covers imagery rehearsal therapy.
Lucid dreaming for kids
This guide is for adults. Children need plenty of unbroken sleep, so we wouldn’t suggest techniques that wake them in the night. If a child has frequent nightmares or night terrors, talk to a GP.
Supplements, masks and gadgets
Galantamine comes up on lucid dreaming forums because a 2018 trial gave it in the middle of the night to volunteers interested in lucid dreaming. But in the UK it is a prescription-only medicine for Alzheimer’s dementia, with side effects including nausea, vomiting, a slow heart rate and nightmares. Don’t buy it online or take it to induce lucid dreams.
Other “dream” supplements and teas lack good human evidence. Melatonin is prescription-only in the UK too; see melatonin in the UK.
Masks and gadgets that flash lights or play sounds during REM sleep have had low success rates in lab studies, and a 2024 systematic review of sensory stimulation found results varied hugely. A device might act as a reminder, but it can also wake you. See also do sleep trackers work?
Protect your sleep first
The best base for memorable dreams is plenty of regular sleep. Keep the same wake time, limit WBTB to a night or two a week, skip alcohol in the evening (our alcohol and sleep guide explains why), and follow the basics in our sleep hygiene guide. If you talk in your sleep, see sleep talking.
Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a caffeine-free evening drink with magnesium bisglycinate, glycine, L-theanine and chamomile. It isn’t a lucid dreaming aid. Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to normal psychological function. Read more in magnesium for sleep.
See also what happens in REM sleep.
FAQs
Is lucid dreaming real?
Yes. Sleep labs have confirmed it by asking lucid dreamers to signal with set eye movements while their sleep is recorded. It happens mainly in REM sleep.
How rare is lucid dreaming?
Not very. About 55% of people have had at least one lucid dream, and about 23% have them once a month or more.
How do you lucid dream for the first time?
Keep a dream journal and do reality checks. On a night when you can sleep in, wake after about five hours, get up briefly, then repeat an intention to notice you’re dreaming as you fall back asleep.
Is lucid dreaming dangerous?
An occasional lucid dream is harmless for most adults. Frequent attempts can cut into sleep and may blur the line between dreams and waking. Avoid it if you have psychosis or a dissociative disorder.
Can you get stuck in a lucid dream?
No. Lucid dreams happen in normal REM sleep and end as sleep moves on or you wake. A false awakening can feel like being stuck, but it passes.
Is lucid dreaming the same as astral projection?
No. Lucid dreaming is a recognised sleep state. Astral projection is a spiritual belief, not a scientific concept, though some people describe out-of-body feelings during lucid dreams or sleep paralysis.
Sources
- Saunders DT et al (2016). Lucid dreaming incidence: a quality effects meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Consciousness and Cognition.
- Baird B et al (2019). The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
- Stumbrys T et al (2012). Induction of lucid dreams: a systematic review of evidence. Consciousness and Cognition.
- Tan S, Fan J (2023). A systematic review of new empirical data on lucid dream induction techniques. Journal of Sleep Research.
- Adventure-Heart (Aspy) DJ (2020). Findings from the International Lucid Dream Induction Study. Frontiers in Psychology.
- Stumbrys T et al (2016). Effectiveness of motor practice in lucid dreams. Journal of Sports Sciences.
- Soffer-Dudek N (2020). Are lucid dreams good for us? A call for caution in lucid dream research. Frontiers in Neuroscience.
- Ouchene R et al (2023). The effectiveness of lucid dreaming therapy in patients with nightmares: a systematic review. L’Encéphale.
- Moix J et al (2025). Out of body experiences: scoping review. Explore.
- Salvesen L et al (2024). Influencing dreams through sensory stimulation: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews.
- NHS. Sleep paralysis.
- emc. Galantamine: summary of product characteristics.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex. Our products are for adults only, and we don’t recommend them during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
