Photo: Flickr/Hartwig HKD
Lucid dreaming occurs when you become aware that you are dreaming, and if you can control your dream experience, it can be really fun. Sadly, while there are ways to improve your chances of lucid dreaming, including keeping a dream diary and testing whether you might be dreaming with “reality checks“, lucid dreaming can still be difficult to achieve. Fortunately, neuroscientists are interested in figuring out how to promote lucid dreaming because it offers them a unique way to study differences in brain activities while waking and sleeping. In this study, the researchers developed a method to trigger lucid dreaming in subjects that uses low-power electrical currents of specific frequencies applied directly to the head. Now all we need is a home-use version or DIY plans–but until then, we’d love to hear your favorite lucid dreaming tricks and experiences!
Induction of self awareness in dreams through frontal low current stimulation of gamma activity.
“Recent findings link fronto-temporal gamma electroencephalographic (EEG) activity to conscious awareness in dreams, but a causal relationship has not yet been established. We found that current stimulation in the lower gamma band during REM sleep influences ongoing brain activity and induces self-reflective awareness in dreams. Other stimulation frequencies were not effective, suggesting that higher order consciousness is indeed related to synchronous oscillations around 25 and 40 Hz.” Related content: NCBI ROFL: Writing emails as part of sleepwalking after increase in Zolpidem [Ambien].
NCBI ROFL: No. You will never be able to sleep through a sonic boom.
NCBI ROFL: The case of “Judge Nodd” and other sleeping judges–media, society, and judicial sleepiness.
