There are many benefits to lucid dreaming but is it dangerous?
Put simply, it’s not dangerous in the traditional sense; you can’t get harmed during a lucid dream and it’s completely safe for both mind and body.
You’re in your bed dreaming, nothing bad is happening and no harm can come your way.
However, there are still some precautions you have to take when facing lucid dreams so that they don’t surprise you with some of their secondary effects.
5 Lucid Dream Problems And Their Solutions
1. Disturbed Sleep
Some techniques for lucid dreaming involve getting up early, after just four to five hours of sleep, like the WBTB method.
While nothing bad will happen if you do it a few times in a month, continual disturbance of your sleep pattern may lead to troubles with sleep, cognitive problems and fatigue.
The key here is moderation, lucid dreaming shouldn’t be done more than two to three times per week.
Yes, it’s a very enjoyable experience and some people would rather spend their time in the dream world.
For your own safety, it’s recommended you put a halt to it when it becomes too much of a distraction.
It’s also important to note that some lucid dreamers feel energized after a lucid dream.
That can lead to a false sense of confidence, as your sleep pattern is still disturbed while attempting a lucid dream.
The ‘high’ of lucid dreaming lasts two to three waking hours at most but then you have to survive the rest of the day somehow.
Keep this in mind before you decide to fully commit to lucid dreaming.
2. Dissociation, Depersonalization And Derealization
If you’re a normal, healthy human being with no preexisting mental conditions, this should not trouble you, unless you dedicate too much time doing reality checks.
Once again, moderation is key, which means that around ten reality checks per day should be enough.
If you start experiencing dissociation, ensure that you have a dream journal nearby so that you can read your previous entries.
With that, you can easily distinguish reality from a lucid dream.
However, if you have any diagnosis related to psychotic disorders (bipolar, schizoaffective, schizophrenia), you shouldn’t attempt lucid dreaming.
Even on medication, the minds of people with the disorders above are very brittle and shouldn’t be put to the test through lucid dreaming.
At worst, the person could have trouble distinguishing reality from a lucid dream and all kinds of bad things could happen.
Even if that doesn’t happen, someone with bipolar disorder could trigger a manic episode because of the stuff that happened inside a lucid dream.
The message is quite clear: don’t play with fire!
3. Addiction
Let’s face it, it’s quite easy to get addicted to lucid dreams. This especially rings true for newbies who get the hang of lucid dreaming, they simply can’t get enough of them.
And why would they? What does the real world offer in return?
A life of drudgery, pain, misery and suffering. Wake up, go to work, eat, go to sleep. Do that for forty years and die.
With this in mind, it’s quite easy to understand why everyone has a weak point; it might be alcohol, drugs, video games and for some, lucid dreams!
We’re here to tell you that life doesn’t have to be this way.
Sure, the game is rigged but never before in the history of humanity has it been as easy to move up the echelons as it is now.
With the help of the internet, literally, everyone can start a business and become successful.
Pick something you’re passionate about and start building your empire!
This is the best way to avoid becoming addicted to lucid dreams (and all the other addictions).
4. Sleep Paralysis
We’ve already written an article on the connection between sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming, you should definitely read it.
Sleep paralysis is the inability to move your body while being conscious of your surroundings.
It can be a very scary experience, especially if you’ve never dealt with it before.
The best thing to do is to remain calm, close your eyes, focus on your third eye and try to turn it into a lucid dream.
You can do so via imagination once you close your eyes since your body is already paralyzed.
With some practice, you’ll be able to slip out of sleep paralysis straight into a lucid dream and something that was once a negative experience will turn into a transitory state.
5. False Awakenings
Similar to sleep paralysis, false awakenings can be very scary and some people start thinking they are stuck in the dream world forever and become very frightened.
The truth is, you can’t really get permanently stuck in a dream, that doesn’t make much sense but for someone currently experiencing false awakenings, it can seem very real.
Our suggestion is to perform a reality check every time you wake up, this will ensure that you will have at least some knowledge whether you’re still in a dream or in reality.
If you’re still in a dream, you can use this opportunity to train yourself to further control your lucid dream.
Turn false awakenings into a learning experience and deepen the knowledge you have about lucid dreams through them.
It will be hard at first but with some practice, you’ll get the hang of it and you’ll even welcome false awakenings as a chance to further enhance your lucid dream experience!
Conclusion
All in all, lucid dreaming is very safe.
It can help you enhance your creativity and give you excellent ideas you can apply to the waking world.
In the end, a lucid dream is also just a dream and there is nothing to worry about.
Just remember to do things in moderation and you’ll reap all the benefits, without having to worry about any negatives.
