Lucid dreaming has been going on for centuries now, but more recently has become more prevalent. According to Verywellmind.com, “Around 23% of people have one lucid dream per month.”
A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming. Dreamers might experience intense emotions, start being aware that they are actually dreaming, and start to gain control of the dreams scenario or environment.
Junior Kimberly Allen states, “I think that lucid dreams are cool but kind of scary. It’s blurring the lines of reality and the dream world, which is scary when it’s thought of that way.”
Allen continued “ I believe that people can have lucid dreams. I personally don’t remember my dreams too well, but I’m sure I’ve lucid dreamed at least once before.”
Lucid dreaming does include some benefits. According to Verywellmind.com, Dreamers tend to have less anxiety because of the sense of control they feel during the dream that carries on into real life. These dreams also serve as a therapy for people who have nightmares, by teaching them how to control their dreams in order to stop shy awry from fear.
Dreamers also tend to have better motor skills because of the part of their brain that turns active, turns on when they imagine the movements while awake or running through a lucid dream. Dreamers also gain more creativity within the dream because of the new ideas and insights of the characters within the dream that they create.
Senior Madison Maccentelli shares, “I’m not totally sure I believe in lucid dreams. I know some people do believe in them, but I feel like they aren’t as common as they are made out to be.”
One problem with lucid dreaming, according to Verywellmind.com, is that the dreamer’s sleep quality declines. Because these dreams can become vivid, they can tend to wake the dreamer up, making it hard to get back to sleep, making the dreamer lose sleep. Confusion, delirium, and hallucinations also may occur in people who have certain mental health disorders, because lucid dreams may blur the line between what’s real and what’s imagined.
According to Verywellmind.com, “The results of one study suggested that lucid dreaming tends to be more common in women and may decrease in frequency as people age.”