For the past few days, my phone has been sending me notifications reminding me that I am awake and not dreaming.
It’s because I’ve recently taught myself to be a ‘lucid dreamer’ – and, like the plot of the movie Inception, the producers of the program are worried that I’m so good at it that I can’t distinguish between the two layers of consciousness.
I started using the Awoken app when I heard about it to find out that lucid dreaming has cognitive benefitssuch as self-awareness.
Simply put, a lucid dream is the type of dream that the person knows they are dreaming.
It allows people to experience “heightened awareness” while they sleep and helps them control what happens in their dreams.
Awoken combines training during the day with sound signals at night he woke up I raised my voice so that I could record my experiences in my sleep.
It all seemed like nothing, until about the fourth night when I had my most vivid dream.
I’m ashamed to admit it was Dungeons and Dragons, which I was playing with old friends in the evenings.
In a lucid dream, I met a powerful man and I went to battle in the sunlit ruins where I was 100 percent aware that I was asleep.
Lucid dreams are dreams where the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can sometimes control what happens
I would love to say that I managed to take control and fly through the air, but without the certainty that I am dreaming, I could not control the dream in any direction.
But when I woke up, I was very happy with the character of the ‘Knight’ that I became, picking up my sword and attacking the enemies on the battlefield.
The whole experience felt like a real life adventure, allowing me to track how fast I ran, how hard I rocked and the paths I took through the ruins.
Lucid dreams are common, and about 55 percent of people have experienced them at least once in their lives.
Why do you want to have good dreams? Well, aside from just being cool to control your dreams, it has been shown to have a number of benefits.
According to a growing body, lucid dreams have the power not only to improve health – mentally and physically – but also to help us overcome past traumas, overcome fears and bad habits and improve life skills.
Supporters have suggested that controlling dreams can be a way to deal with real-life nightmares – or even a way to improve skills.
But can an app make you dream differently?
There are several well-known ways to induce lucidity, according to experts, and many lucid dreaming programs follow some of these methods.
Dr Chelsea Perry, Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and owner of Sleep Solutions, told DailyMail.com, ‘Achieving good dreams takes practice, but some simple steps can make it easier.
For the past few days, my phone has been sending me notifications throughout the day reminding me that I’m awake and not dreaming (Rob Waugh)
‘One helpful way is to start with a reality check, such as asking yourself constantly, ‘Am I dreaming?’ all day long.
‘This question may persist in your dreams, helping you to realize when you are one.’
This is how Awoken works: you are reminded of who you really are throughout the day, then when you wake up, you try to remember your dreams.
“Keeping a dream journal next to your bed also helps with awareness, writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up will help you remember and help you identify patterns or ‘dream signs’ that often appear in dreams,” said Dr Perry.
‘Another method, called Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD), involves repeating phrases such as, ‘Next time I dream, I will realize’ before bed to set the intention for lucidity.
‘If you’re ready to give it a try, try the ‘Wake Up to Sleep’ method (WBTB) by setting an alarm to wake up after about five hours of sleep, stay awake for a bit, and go back to sleep feeling refreshed.
A study conducted by the University of Northwestern in October 2024 showed that smartphone apps can make you have lucid dreams through lucid dreaming (TLR) – including pre-sleep training and sensations while you sleep.
‘Software can be a useful tool. Although they do not cause direct dreams, they support the process by providing reminders to confirm reality, a place to store your dreams, and sound words for information,” said Dr Perry.
‘These things provide structure and direction, making it easier to stick to consistent patterns.’
