How to Control Your Dreams
Most people have five dreams every night and don't think much about them. Some, however, are able to take control of their dreams, using them for a variety of purposes from solving problems to having fun. Although some people are naturally able to experience lucid dreams, most have to learn and practice the technique. Follow these steps to do it.
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Instructions
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Remember Your Dreams
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Get enough sleep. If you wake naturally, it will be at the end of a 90-minute sleep cycle and in the middle of a dream. Using an alarm to wake up because you didn't allow yourself enough time for sleep will make recalling your last dream more difficult.
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Time your alarm for a 90-minute cycle. Set your alarm for 7 or 8 ½ hours after you go to bed to increase the chance you will be dreaming when it goes off.
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Drink a lot of water before going to bed. A full bladder will prompt you to get out of bed during the night, giving you additional opportunities to remember dreams.
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Tell yourself to remember your dreams. Simply telling yourself as you fall asleep that you want to remember your dreams often helps.
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Record your dreams in a bedside journal. Whether you awaken in the middle of the night or in the morning to an alarm, write down anything you remember right away. Don't go to the bathroom or speak to anyone before recording your dreams.
Lucid Dreaming
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Recognize common dreams. When you begin to remember your dreams, you'll see that you often dream about the same things. For instance, many people dream about being able to fly or that their teeth have all fallen out. Identify these common dream elements and see them as clues that you might be dreaming.
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Do reality testing. For this technique to work, you must practice it regularly, even when you know you're awake. Periodically ask yourself if what you're experiencing is actually possible, particularly if you've just experienced something that is a common dream element. Ask yourself if something strange is happening. Are you inexplicably naked? Did you just spit out all your teeth? If there is something going on that doesn't seem possible in the real world, you're dreaming. If not, then you're awake. It may help to establish a regular schedule for reality testing, such as at the top of every hour.
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Enjoy the dream. If you realize that you're dreaming, you've just experienced what's known as a lucid dream. The first time this happens, you'll be surprised and will probably wake up. Over time, however, you'll learn to stay in the dream state, and can simply enjoy the dream you're in or work to change it to something you like better. You can change nightmares into pleasant dreams or ask someone in your dream a question about a problem you're having and let that person give you the answer. If you find that your dream is fading, relax and let it return, then try again to manipulate it.
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Choose your dreams. After you've learned lucid dreaming and can control the dreams you find yourself in, try dreaming about what you want. As you fall asleep, tell yourself that you're going to have a particular dream.
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Tips & Warnings
At first, you won't remember your dreams, but over time you'll remember more. Even if you only remember an image or two, write it down.
Although you can learn to be aware of a dream and even to control it, you can't do this every time. However, if you keep practicing, you'll have lucid dreams more often.
