Lucid Dreaming and the Feeling of Being Refreshed in the Morning: A Diary Study
Clocks & Sleep – March 02, 2020
Source: DOAJ
Summary
Did you know that experiencing lucid dreams might actually leave you feeling more refreshed in the morning? In a study with 149 participants, those who had lucid dreams reported a greater sense of refreshment compared to nights with non-lucid dreams. This suggests that lucid dreaming may enhance sleep quality rather than detract from it.
Abstract
REM periods with lucid dreaming show increased brain activation, especially in the prefrontal cortex, compared to REM periods without lucid dreaming and, thus, the question of whether lucid dreaming interferes with the recovery function of sleep arises. Cross-sectional studies found a negative relationship between sleep quality and lucid dreaming frequency, but this relationship was explained by nightmare frequency. The present study included 149 participants keeping a dream diary for five weeks though the course of a lucid dream induction study. The results clearly indicate that there is no negative effect of having a lucid dream on the feeling of being refreshed in the morning compared to nights with the recall of a non-lucid dream; on the contrary, the feeling of being refreshed was higher after a night with a lucid dream. Future studies should be carried out to elicit tiredness and sleepiness during the day using objective and subjective measurement methods.