What is a lucid dream? 

A lucid dream is a phenomenon in which a dreamer gains awareness that they are dreaming while asleep. 

Why are lucid dreams important? 

Researchers can use lucid dreams to study consciousness and dreams, enhance creativity and motor skills, and treat nightmares. However, research in these areas has been limited because there is no reliable method to induce lucid dreams on demand. 

Why is this research important?

My project aims to uncover the best approach to induce lucid dreams, which will make the benefits of lucid dreaming, including nightmare treatment, available to a wider audience. 

Wake-back-to-bed (WBTB): This method involves participants waking up after about 5 hours of sleep, and staying awake for 25-30 minutes before going back to sleep. During this awake period, participants can complete a task that will heighten the chances of having a lucid dream. WBTB increases lucid dreams through mild sleep disruption. 

Executive Function: Executive function is responsible for the thought processes like reasoning, evaluating, and reflecting, that are necessary to recognize a dream while asleep, and it is weaker during a non-lucid dream. In order to become aware that one is dreaming during a dream, executive function is necessary.

Mindfulness: Mindfulness activates executive function, which is necessary for lucid dreams. Mindfulness and lucid dreams are conceptually similar: both require a self-reflective state of mind.

Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR): This method involves pairing a cue, usually a sound, with a specific task. This cue is replayed once participants fall asleep, and helps participants remember the task as they sleep. 

Methodology:

Combining the above concepts, participants will first complete an executive function task (a mindfulness task) while listening to a sound during the awake period of a WBTB. This task will be reactivated during sleep through TMR, which we hope will also reactivate executive function. Using auditory cues to reactivate mindfulness during sleep will reactivate this self-reflective state, hopefully leading to lucid dreams.