We recently talked about whether lucid dreaming is dangerous for the brain. Some researchers believe that awareness during sleep, due to increased brain activity, may interfere with the restorative function of normal sleep.
However, a February 2020 publication by one of the main researchers of lucid dreaming, Michael Schredl, might refute this statement. Under Schredl’s guidance, an experiment was conducted involving 149 participants, who kept a sleep diary for 5 weeks, studying the techniques of lucid dream induction.
The purpose of the experiment was to test whether lucid dreams and increased brain activity affect the quality of sleep, or, conversely, whether this hypothesis is erroneous. For this purpose, the scientist chose the controversial technique of sleep fragmentation.
The technique uses deliberate periodic awakenings, which, according to the scientist, should have been reflected in the participants’ well-being in the morning. However, the results of the experiment showed just the opposite: lucid dreaming not only had no negative effect on the participants’ morning state, but, on the contrary, increased the likelihood of feeling refreshed. A similar study, demonstrating the participants’ good mood after a phase state induction, has already been discussed here in the recent past.
Do you feel tired or refreshed after a phase state experience?
The article was published in February 2020 in the journal Clocks and Sleep.
