UNLOCKING THE

POWER OF SLEEP
Train You r Brain, Hack Your Sleep,
Conquer the Day

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020

Table of

CONTENTS

05 Chapter One: Sleep in the Modern World

15 Chapter Two: Common Sleep Issues

29 Chapter Three: Hack Your Sleep

51 Chapter Four: Hack Your Dreams

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 3

 Chapter One:

SLEEP IN THE
MODERN WORLD

From experiencing deep, restorative sleep

to feeling energized and focused the next
day, a good night’s sleep can seem pretty
miraculous. And it is. Yet many of us know
very little about how to make the most of
the sleep we can get (if any!).

In this eBook, we’ll dive into everything

you need to know about sleep—from why
we need it and common sleep issues, to
tips for your best sleep and the magic of
lucid dreams.

NOTE: Remember, this book is meant to

be educational and should never be seen
as a substitute for working with a licenced
healthcare practitioner.

POWER OF SLEEP 4 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 5

WHY DO WE NEED SLEEP & So why, more specifically, is sticking to your
circadian rhythm and getting enough sleep so

WHAT IS A CIRCADIAN RHYTHM? important? A few key reasons are (1):

• It allows your mind and body to recharge so that
you feel refreshed when you wake up.
• It helps your body stay healthy so that it can
fight off disease.
• It keeps your brain healthy, boosting your
Sleep is essential for our bodies Your circadian rhythm works along ability to concentrate, think clearly, and process
and minds to stay healthy and with melatonin, an essential sleep memories (4).
function properly. To help us meet hormone, to keep you on track.
our slumber needs, we all have an Melatonin is produced and released
internal body clock that regulates our in your body depending on the time
sleep. It’s basically our sleep/wake of day. When it’s dark out, more
monitor that controls when we feel melatonin is released, helping you
tired and in need of rest and when sleep. And when it’s light, less is
we feel energized and ready to start released, helping you feel more
the day. This clock operates on a 24- energized (2).
hour cycle known as your “circadian
rhythm (1).”

POWER OF SLEEP 6 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 7

Takeaway

Yo u r c i r c a d i a n r h y t h m h e l p s e n s u r e
you get enough sleep. Sleep is key
for your body for many reasons
including the ability to fight off
disease and for your mind to think,
c o n c e n t r a t e , a n d r e m e m b e r.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 9

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE Short-term effects of sleep deprivation (3):

Long-term effects of sleep deprivation (3):

DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP? • Increased anxiety

• Excessive daytime sleepiness—and everything
• Obesity
• Severe health issues—such as high blood
that comes along with daytime drowsiness, from pressure, diabetes, heart attack, cancers
decreased work performance to a higher risk of (breast cancer, colorectal, and prostate) heart
getting in a car accident.* failure, or stroke
• Relationship stress • Depression
• Lower cognition—brain functions like memory, • Decreased immunity—and increased sickness
decision-making, reasoning, problem-solving, because your body can’t fight off illness
Because sleep is so essential to our reaction time, and alertness all worsen (4) • Lower sex drive
daily functioning, when we don’t • Lower quality of life • Increased stress hormone (cortisol)—which can
get enough the negative effects • Forgetfulness—research is revealing that sleep has break down collagen, the protein necessary for
can be serious. Early symptoms like an impact on learning and memory. It’s shown to be keeping skin healthy
drowsiness can show up right away critical for locking in the new information we learn • Skin issues—more fine lines, wrinkles, and
after one night of poor sleep, while and committing it to our memory (4). uneven skin color
other symptoms, like a weakened
immune system, can result after
longer periods of sleep shortage.
And though the timing and extent
to which we each experience these
symptoms will vary, they can generally *A National Sleep Foundation study found that
be broken down into short-term and you’re three times as likely to get in a car accident if
long-term negative effects. (3). you’ve had less than 6 hours of sleep each night (5).

POWER OF SLEEP 10 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 11

Takeaway

Lack of sleep can have significant

short and long-term consequences,
from increased anxiety and relationship
stress to a weaker immune system and
cardiovascular issues.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 13

 Chapter Two:

COMMON
SLEEP ISSUES

While we know skimping on sleep isn’t

good for us, millions of us still don’t seem
to log enough hours each night. In fact,
surveys conducted by the National Sleep
Foundation found that at least 40 million
Americans suffer from over 70 different
sleep disorders (6).

What’s more, the survey found that 60% of

adults report having sleep issues at least a
few nights a week. The result? At least a few
times every month, more than 40% of adults
experience daytime drowsiness severe
enough to disrupt their daily activities. And
it’s not just among adults. The same study
found that 69% of children experience sleep
issues at least a few nights a week (6). So
what’s going on here?

POWER OF SLEEP 14 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 15

 “
In our high-velocity world, many people
believe good sleepers fall asleep in a
flash. This attitude can trigger anxiety
when sleep onset isn’t rapid, further
delaying falling asleep (9).

WHY CAN’T I FALL ASLEEP?

Are you someone who needs to read means you fall asleep in less than five Naiman says it’s “perfectly normal” to lie in bed kids/roommates, or an uncomfortable bed.
in bed for an hour to wind down or minutes, which has been associated for 10 or 20 minutes before you drift off. But if you 6. You were on your phone late. Staring at the blue
are you out like a light as soon as with impaired overall performance (8). find it’s taking a lot longer, here are some common light from your smartphone can suppress the
you lie down? Sleep latency is the reasons why that might be (10): secretion of melatonin (sleep hormone) shifting
amount of time it takes you to fall Sleep and dream psychologist, Rubin your circadian rhythm. Your body interprets the
asleep. If it takes 20 minutes or more Naiman, Ph.D., says it’s important to 1. You have a sleep disorder. Sleep apnea and light as daytime and keeps you from getting
to doze off, you might want to look debunk the myth that we should all insomnia are the most common. sleepy (11).
into your pre-bed habits. On the be falling asleep instantly or there’s 2. You’re stressed or worried. 7. You exercised too close to bedtime. Studies
other hand, if you fall asleep quickly something wrong with us. 3. You drank caffeine too late in the day. This is a show it may be best to finish your exercise at
(a fast sleep latency), that could be big one. Caffeine (from coffee, tea, sodas, etc.) least 90 minutes before you hit the sack. Intense
an issue as well (7). Sleep experts D. blocks a brain chemical called adenosine that to moderate exercise will also affect you more
Thomas and W.M. Anderson of the helps you sleep. than lighter exercise, like gentle yoga (12).
Encyclopedia of Sleep have a term 4. You ate within a few hours of bedtime. Lying 8. You have an inconsistent sleep schedule.
for this—pathologic sleepiness (8). It down with a full stomach can promote heartburn, Since our body operates best according to our
making it harder to fall asleep. consistent circadian rhythm, when we mess that
5. Your room is not dark enough. Or other up, our sleep quality will suffer (13)
environmental factors are affecting your sleep,
like noisy surroundings, disruptive partners/

POWER OF SLEEP 16 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 17

Takeaway

Things many of us do every day—from

drinking coffee too late in the day to
scrolling our phone before bed—can
affect our sleep.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 19

 You had a few drinks. Drinking You have underlying
alcohol within a few hours of conditions. Some of the
sleep may not affect your ability most common are anxiety,
to doze off, but it could wake neuropathy (tingling or
you up in the middle of the night. numbness in the hands
Why? As the alcohol metabolizes and feet), sleep apnea
and the effects wear off, it (which causes brief pauses
can result in restlessness and in breathing at night), and
prevent deep sleep (10). chronic pain.

You’re taking certain medications.

Some antidepressants, beta blockers
to treat high blood pressure, cold
remedies containing alcohol, and
corticosteroids to treat inflammation
or asthma can affect sleep.

Your age. According to Harvard Your hormones are out of balance.

Medical School, interrupted sleep Since your hormones play a role
is more common in older adults. in sleep function (melatonin), if
Your circadian rhythm can shift there is an imbalance, that can
when you’re older causing you disrupt your nightly zzzs. A woman’s
to get sleepy earlier. An 8:00 pm menstrual cycle, perimenopause,
WHY CAN’T I bedtime, for example, might lead
to a much earlier wake time.
and menopause can all cause
hormonal shifts that disrupt sleep.

STAY ASLEEP?
For example, decreased estrogen
can lead to hot flashes that could
wake you up at 2:00 a.m. (10).

All of the above reasons that keep you from falling

asleep can be many of the same culprits that
wake you up in the middle of the night. There are,
however, a few other distinct factors—from your
hormones to your medications—that might keep you
from staying asleep throughout the night (14).

POWER OF SLEEP 20 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 21

Takeaway

Everything from your age and

prescription medications, to hormones
and health conditions, are factors to
consider when it comes to assessing
the quality of your sleep and why
you’re waking up during the night.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 23

EVEN WHEN I GET ENOUGH
SLEEP, I STILL FEEL TIRED.

Do you find that no matter how many the energy molecule. Adenosine
hours you sleep, you still feel groggy is part of that molecule and is
in the morning? This could point to produced and released as you sleep
issues with the quality of your sleep. in this stage. Increasing amounts
The most common reason for feeling of it have been shown to make you
unrested in the morning is not getting more drowsy. Why? Adenosine is
enough deep sleep, or waking during a neurotransmitter that blocks the
the deepest parts of your sleep cycle (7). neurons that help you feel awake
and alert. You could wake up feeling
It could also have to do with your sluggish because adenosine piled up
neurobiology. In the few hours right while you were dreaming (15).
before you wake up, you’ve spent
most of your time in REM sleep,
dreaming. In this state your brain is
very active and uses a lot of ATP,

POWER OF SLEEP 24 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 25

Takeaway

Not getting enough deep sleep is the

most common reason you might feel
groggy after a full night of rest.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 27

 Chapter Three:

H AC K YO U R
SLEEP

So how do we go about improving our

sleep? A basic understanding of your sleep
stages (and what’s happening in your body
in each) is a good place to start. It can help
you see where you’re missing the mark and
help you make the shifts you need to start
sleeping more soundly.

There are two types of sleep: REM and

non-REM. Within non-REM sleep, there are
three stages you pass through en route to
the fourth stage, REM. Every night we cycle
through these four stages several times
for different lengths of time. In general,
non-REM cycles are longer toward the
beginning of your sleep, while REM cycles
are longer toward the end (7).

POWER OF SLEEP 28 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 29

 AVERAGE TIME SPENT IN SLEEP STAGES

Gamma Waves / 31-120cps/Hz

Hyper brain activity and alertness, aha moments, sometimes
anxiety, super clarity, above average integration of sensory Awake 2-5%
information, euphoria.
Light Sleep 45-55%

Deep Sleep 13-23%

REM Sleep 20-25%

Beta Waves / 13-30cps/Hz
Waking alert conscious thinking, external focus, cognition,
concentration, five physical senses. Computing, arranging,
organizing, making sense of external world. Prolongation of beta
can lead to exhaustion, anxiety and tension.

Alpha Waves / 8-12cps/Hz

Alert and lucid but relaxed thought, daydreaming, light meditation,
internal focus, receptive state, visualization, creativity, accelerated
or super-learning, increased serotonin levels.

Stage 1: non-REM (Light): When you points and your muscles are fully
start drifting off, your brain waves slow relaxed. This stage is also where a
and you move into alpha and theta lot of key processes happen such
brainwave zones. This is a light stage as tissue repair, growth hormone
Theta Waves / 4-7.5cps/Hz of sleep where you can still awake production, and immune system
High states of creativity, subconscious creativity, deep relaxation,
easily. In your body, your muscles optimizing. In this stage, you’re
deep meditation, intuition, long-term memory, vivid visual
begin to relax while your heart rate, conked out so you might not hear your
imagery, creative inspiration, free flow of ideas, REM dream
and deep sleep. breathing, and eye movements all alarm clock or your snoring spouse.
slow down. This stage lasts for only
a few minutes and prepares you for Stage 4: Rapid eye movement
deeper slumber. (REM): This is your dream state.
The first happens about 90 minutes
Stage 2: non-REM (Light): The after you fall asleep. In this stage,
Delta Waves / 1-4cps/Hz majority of your sleep time is spent your brain is very active and most
Intuition and insight, transcendental meditation, physical in this stage. Here your muscles resembles your awake state. In your
rejuvenation and healing, explansive awareness. Most often found relax further, your body temperature body, your heart rate increases,
in deep dreamless sleep and unconscious states. drops, your brain slows, and your your breathing speeds up, and your
eye movements stop. And though eyes, though closed, start moving
your mind is calm, your brain will more quickly (hence the name “rapid
experience sleep spindles—short, eye movement” sleep). Like non-
quick bursts of electrical activity REM, REM sleep is also important
that last about two seconds. These for memory and learning and seems
are believed to play a key role in to affect mood. The amount of REM
organizing your memory. sleep we get appears to be highest
when we’re infants and then declines
Stage 3: non-REM (Deep): This is in adulthood. If you sleep eight
where deep sleep happens. Your hours, you’ll enter REM sleep about
brain starts operating more in slower five times (every 90 minutes).
delta waves. At this point, your heart
rate and breathing are at their lowest

POWER OF SLEEP 30 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 31

Takeaway

Yo u p a s s t h r o u g h 3 n o n - R E M s l e e p s t a g e s
where your movements and mind become
p r o g r e s s i v e l y m o r e r e l a xe d b e f o r e e n t e r i n g
REM sleep, where you dream. In one
n i g h t ’s s l e e p , y o u ’ l l c y c l e t h r o u g h a l l o f
these stages multiple times.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 33

DEBUNKING SOME 3. Napping during the day makes up for lost sleep
at night.

COMMON SLEEP MYTHS FALSE. While taking a 10-20 minute “power nap” can
be helpful for boosting your mid-day energy, napping
for longer than 20-30 minutes at a time can be harmful
to your nighttime sleep. In general, naps—especially
longer ones—could keep you from sinking into the
deepest stages of your sleep cycle later at night.

2) Sleeping in on weekends will

make up for the sleep you lost
during the week.

2. Sleeping in on weekends will make up for the sleep

you lost during the week.

FALSE. One of the best things you can do for your

sleep is to go to bed and wake up at the same time
Before we dive into some tips for 1. Everyone needs 8 hours of sleep every day—yes, including on weekends. Because of
improving our sleep, there are some every night. our circadian rhythm, our bodies love routine and run
common sleep stories that have been more efficiently when they can predict our patterns.
floating around for years that you may FALSE. The current recommendation
have heard. Are they true or are they of how many hours of sleep you need Now that you know that we cycle through four sleep
false? Let’s take a look (7). depends mostly on your age. Infants stages each night (and that we only have a few nightly
and children need a lot more sleep opportunities for deep sleep), you can see how it’s
than adults because of the rapid pace hard to make up for a deep sleep deficit during one or
they’re growing and developing. two mornings of sleeping in.
Newborns require the most (14-
17 hours a day) while older adults
generally require the least amount of
sleep (7-8 hours).

POWER OF SLEEP 34 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 35

Takeaway

Three common sleep stories have proven

to be false: that everyone needs eight
hours of sleep every night, that sleeping in
on weekends can make up for a sleepless
week, and that napping during the day can
help make up for your sleep deficit.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 37

SLEEP DURATION SO HOW MUCH SLEEP
RECCOMENDATIONS DO YOU NEED?

Reccomended May be Appropriate

In general, the amount of sleep The key first step to assessing your
you need will depend on your age sleep is to observe what your sleep
and can vary even within your patterns are. With a sleep tracker,
18-19 h
age group depending on your you can track the duration, quality,
16-18 h lifestyle and personal needs (7). For and phases of your sleep, along
14-17 h 15-16 h example, high-performance athletes with other factors. Once you have a
12-15h
14 h or pregnant women may require baseline, you have a measurement
11-13 h 11-14h 12 h a bit more shut-eye than others. for improvement and can track your
10-13h 11 h
10-11 h 10-11 h According to a national study by the progress from there (21).
9-10 h 9-11h 10 h
8-9 h 8-10h 9h Sleep Foundation, you’ll generally
7-9h 7-9h 7-8h
7-8 h
7h need the most as an infant (up to 17
6h 6h
5-6 h hours) and the least as an older adult
(as little as 7) (16). And while the study
provides general recommendations,
it can be helpful to keep in mind that
everyone’s needs will vary and the
wider “may be appropriate” range
Newborn Infant Toddler Pre-School School Age Teen Young Adult Adult Older Adult
0-3 Months 4-11 months 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-13 years 14-17 years 18-25 years 26-64 years 65+ (indicated by the green area of the
chart below) may be where you find
your best rest (7).

POWER OF SLEEP 38 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 39

 Turn off all screens at
least 1 hour before bed.

Exercise daily and

ideally at least
2-3 hours before
Take a warm shower/
bedtime.
bath or have a cup of
herbal tea.

Wake up at the same

time every day.

Avoid caffeine after lunch. Meditate daily. Science shows

Caffeine has a 3-5 hour half-life, meditation can help reduce
TIPS FOR HACKING which means it takes that long
for your body to get rid of half
feelings of stress and anxiety
and boost feelings of focus (24).

YOUR SLEEP
the caffeine it consumed. For that
reason, it can be a good idea to
avoid any afternoon pick-me-ups
at least 6 hours out from
your bedtime (13)

Knowing the benefits of each stage of our sleep,

we can see that non-REM and REM sleep are both
essential to the quality of our slumber and thus our
overall health. Though there are many factors that
influence our sleep including our genes, age, the
stress in our lives, and medications, studies widely
agree on a few best practices to help you doze off
(and stay asleep) (17).

POWER OF SLEEP 40 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 41

TIPS FOR HACKING
YOUR SLEEP

It’s equally important to set up your There’s also an increasing interest in

sleeping environment so that you’re the use of binaural beats to increase
less likely to be disturbed in the focus & relaxation. A binaural beat is
middle of the night (17). when you listen to two different tones
(one in each ear) and your brain
• Make sure your room is dark processes, and relaxes into, a beat at
enough or use a sleep mask over the difference of those frequencies.
your eyes. While more research is still needed,
• Minimize having disruptive pets, there has been initial studies showing
children, partners sleep with you that listening to binaural beats may
when possible. increase relaxation, with lower
• Set your room to a comfortably frequencies (1-4 Hz) associated with
cool temperature. deeper sleep (22).
• Reserve your sleeping space for
sleep and intimacy only. Try to
avoid eating, doing work, and
watching TV in bed.

POWER OF SLEEP 42 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 43

Takeaway

For your best sleep, practices like

avoiding caffeine after lunch, waking up at
t h e s a m e t i m e e v e r y d a y, a n d m a x i m i z i n g
the comfort of your bedroom, can make all
the difference.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 45

HOW DOES MEDITATION
HELP SLEEP?

Research shows that meditation, Like sleep, meditation activates the

in combination with other healthy parasympathetic (“rest and digest”)
lifestyle habits, has the ability to help nervous system. During which
improve your overall sleep quality breathing and heart rate decrease,
by helping you fall asleep sooner and blood pressure drops, helping us
(faster sleep latency) and reducing feel relaxed. During meditation, we
the number of times you wake up in experience alpha and theta brainwave
the night. Certain forms of meditation states—the same as when we’re in
also appear to enhance REM sleep. the earlier stages of our sleep cycle.
Meditation and healthy lifestyle habits Meditation, however, is not a direct
can also help improve symptoms of replacement for sleep, as it hasn’t
high stress and persistent feelings of been shown to activate our delta
anxiousness—both of which have been brainwaves that are necessary for
shown to affect sleep quality (17). deep sleep. You can view meditation
as a useful tool for helping you relax,
unwind, and improve the quality of
nearly all stages of sleep (17).

POWER OF SLEEP 46 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 47

Takeaway

Meditation in combination with healthy

lifestyle factors can help us sleep
better by reducing feelings of stress
and anxiety that keep us awake, as well
as help improve nearly all stages of
sleep through activating our ‘rest and
digest’ nervous system.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 49

 Chapter Four:

H AC K YO U R
DREAMS

“
Our dreams are reminders that we too
were (and still are) protoconscious.
We are always ourselves in our
dreams; we sense, we act and we feel
vividly in an entirely fictive world of
the brain’s devising.

- J. Allan Hobson

POWER OF SLEEP 50 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 51

 WHAT HAPPENS IN
OUR BRAINS WHEN
WE DREAM?

From floating through the ether to and your last might be closer to an hour.
meeting fantastical creatures, we’ve This is why many people experience
all experienced the wild and magical most of their dreaming in their last REM
worlds that appear when we dream. cycle just before waking (7).
Some of us scour dream books to
deduce their meaning, while others When dreaming, we experience
of us write them off as meaningless alternate realities that often don’t
fiction. Some theorists even say happen in our normal, waking life.
they help us consolidate memories, We see things that don’t exist,
process emotions, and simulate often become confused about time
threatening situations (so that we and place, and we can have wildly
can be more prepared when they fluctuating emotions. Then, the
happen) (23). While further research next morning, we seem to quickly
into these theories needs to be forget most of it. And despite their
conducted, what we do know is what ephemeral nature, dreams seem to
happens in our brains while we sleep. be both a normal and useful biological
and psychological process (18).
Dreaming primarily happens during
REM. In this stage, our minds get a lot
more active. You experience REM every
90 minutes while sleeping and each
subsequent REM cycle is a bit longer
than the one before. Your first REM
cycle might last around ten minutes

POWER OF SLEEP 52 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 53

Takeaway

When we dream, we are in our most active

sleep stage, REM, which we cycle through
multiple times every night. In dreams, we
can experience alternate realities that
don’t happen in our waking life.

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 55

 Creativity Overnight therapy

When dreaming, the brain begins to Dream sleep can help take the painful sting
synthesize the information we learned that out of tough moments from our day. In a
day with the deep library of knowledge we sense, sleep helps dissolve bitter feelings
already have stored. It starts connecting we have from an experience, helping us
related pieces of information and creates a wake up the next morning feeling better.
sort of web of associations that can help us
apply new insights to problems we’ve been
stumped on. This can be why we’re often
recommended to “sleep on it” when we
have a big decision to make.

WHAT ARE
THE BENEFITS
OF DREAMING?

There is a lot more research needed to uncover all

of the reasons why we dream, however, there are
a few benefits we think dreaming offers. It appears
that dreaming is not just an adventure of the mind,
but can offer some brain boost as well. Two of the
main benefits are (18):

POWER OF SLEEP 56 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 57

 WHAT IS LUCID
DREAMING?

Have you ever woken up in your sleep In lucid dreamers, there also appear
only to realize that you were actually to be some different physiological
still asleep and dreaming? Lucid effects in the body. When lucid, many
dreaming is when your subconscious experience increased respiration
is dreaming and your conscious self and heart rate, different brainwave
wakes up so you become aware of features as shown on an EEG, and a
your dream while it’s still happening (19). noticeable hybrid sleep state where
Though the term was first coined the dreamer experiences some REM
by Dutch psychiatrist Frederik Van features and some wake features in
Eeden back in 1913, researchers were certain parts of the brain.
still skeptical of lucid dreaming’s
validity until the 1970s and 1980s
when studies began to surface
saying that lucid dreamers were, in
fact, lucid. Today, we know that up
to 55% of people have experienced
a lucid dream at some point in their
lifetime, while 23% experience lucid
dreams at least once a month.

POWER OF SLEEP 58 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 59

Takeaway

Lucid dreaming is when your subconscious

is dreaming and your conscious self wakes
up so you become aware of your dream
w h i l e i t ’s s t i l l h a p p e n i n g .

Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 61

ARE THERE BENEFITS OF
LUCID DREAMING?

2) Sleeping in on weekends will

make up for the sleep you lost
during the week.

2. Increased Performance: From studying athletes,

there is some evidence that lucid dreaming can
help improve motor skills. They can allow athletes
to further explore certain physical skills with minimal
injury as well as help them acquire new skills.
You’ve probably heard of many 1. Fewer Nightmares: Lucid dreaming
people trying to lucid dream. But why appears to decrease the frequency 3. Enhanced Creativity: Similar to a normal dream
would you want to? It turns out there and intensity of nightmares. state, it’s been hypothesized that lucid dreams
are a number of potential benefits of the boost creativity and problem-solving abilities as
conscious dream state that have been well, wherein one can ask a character in their
studied over the years, including (19): dreams for advice.

POWER OF SLEEP 62 Copyright Muse by Interaxon Inc. 2020 63

 “
Nighttime can seem longer than the day
when you dream big dreams. Daytime lasts
longer for people who make their dreams
come true

HOW CAN YOU HACK YOUR

DREAMS? LUCID DREAMING 101

Dream recall is the ability to remember Because of the many benefits of lucid 1. Record your dreams. Keep a pen and pad (or to remember to do something. Start by
what happens in your dreams. But, dreaming, researchers have looked journal) at your bedside so that upon waking you remembering a past dream (ideally one that
for most of us, this is hard to do. into whether it can be induced or can quickly jot down anything you remember you have just awakened from). Then see if
Usually upon waking, all those colors, taught. It turns out there are ways about your dreams. Since dreams disappear so you can identify a “dreamsign,” or something
details and feelings from your dreams we can, in fact, induce more of the quickly, it’s helpful to be ready to record right in your dream that helps you realize it was a
seem to quickly evaporate. In fact, lucid state as well as bring more of when you wake up. This can also help build dream. Next, visualize returning to the dream,
according to Scientific American, the our dream world into our waking life (19). awareness of your dreams in general. recognizing this dream sign, and mentally
average person forgets about 50% of 2. Practice good sleep hygiene. Since lucid saying: “The next time I’m dreaming I want to
their dream upon waking and just ten dreaming mostly occurs during REM cycles remember to recognize what I’m dreaming.” This is
minutes later, that number can be as and usually not until the later part of the night, easier said than done, but gets easier with practice.
high as 90%. And shortly thereafter, improving your sleep quality is key. This starts 4. Meditate. Research shows that those who
the dream seems to disappear almost with your pre-bed routine. Try to start winding meditate experience more lucid dreams than
like it never happened (20). down an hour before bed by turning off all your those who don’t. In a 2018 study, 48.6% of
screens, quieting your mind with reading or the non-meditators reported never having a lucid
like, and letting your body relax. dream compared to only 23.6% of long-term
3. Try the MILD technique. Mnemonic Induction meditators. Additionally, about 13% of meditators
of Lucid Dreaming (MILD), coined by researcher reported having more than one lucid dream a
Stephen LaBerge, refers to setting an intention week compared to 5% of non-meditators.

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From sleep to dreaming, there’s a lot to helping you feel more energized,
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RESOURCES

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