This post and the photos within it may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you.
How to lucid dream without sleep paralysis?
For some people, sleep paralysis can feel like an uncomfortable situation that you should avoid at all costs.
For others, it goes hand-in-hand with lucid dreaming and is a necessary part of the process.
So, that begs the question –
Is it possible to have a lucid dream without sleep paralysis?
While it’s difficult to 100% guarantee that you won’t experience sleep paralysis when inducing a lucid dream, there are specific methods and practices you can follow to reduce the chances of it happening.
Keep reading, and you’ll discover:
- Can you get sleep paralysis from lucid dreaming?
- Which lucid dream techniques don’t involve sleep paralysis?
- How to ludic dream without sleep paralysis: Easy step-by-step guide
- FAQ:
- What is the difference between a lucid dream and sleep paralysis?
- Sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming at the same time – is it possible?
- Do you always get sleep paralysis when lucid dreaming?
- Why you experience sleep paralysis when trying to lucid dream
- What is the chance of experiencing sleep paralysis?
- Does lucid dreaming cause sleep paralysis?
- Can sleep paralysis make you shake?
- How do you snap out of sleep paralysis?
5. Conclusion
1. Can you get sleep paralysis from lucid dreaming?
Yes, lucid dreaming can lead to experiencing sleep paralysis. You can encounter it when you use some methods for inducing a lucid dream, that can cause sleep paralysis (such as WILD).
To have a lucid dream, you must become aware that you’re dreaming.
Similarly, sleep paralysis occurs when your mind becomes conscious while your body is still asleep.
Even though they are different experiences, both are related, which has been shown by scientific studies.
2. Which lucid dream techniques don’t involve sleep paralysis?
While most lucid dreaming techniques could lead to sleep paralysis, here are some methods that should avoid it:
- The Writing Induced Lucid Dreaming (WrILD)
- The Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
- Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams (DILD)
- Video Game induced Lucid Dream (VGILD)
The Writing Induced Lucid Dreaming (WrILD) Method:
Choose a mantra, for example, “I am going to lucid dream when I go to sleep.” Write it down, again and again, until it gets drilled into your head. You can also start to write out your ideal lucid dream scenario when you get in the mood.
The Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD):
Repeat a mantra to yourself as you’re going to sleep to try and set the intention of lucid dreaming. For example, “When I go to sleep, I will have a lucid dream.”
Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams (DILD):
DILD is NOT one specific technique on its own, but various METHODS can induce it. By doing some of the practices during the day, you will ”train” your mind to reach a higher level of awareness, both in your real and dream world.
Video Games Induced Lucid Dream:
Intensely playing video games can improve your chances of lucid dreaming naturally. However, this can also affect the quality of your sleep.
3. How to lucid dream without sleep paralysis: Step-by-step guide
If you want to avoid sleep paralysis when lucid dreaming, then it helps to start with ensuring you have good habits:
1) Reduce the likelihood of sleep paralysis from getting a better and healthier quality of sleep:
You can do this by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, cutting down on screen time late at night and maintaining a tidy and dark bedroom.
2) Relaxation
Meditate or practice another relaxation technique before going to bed.
3) Dream journaling
Actively maintain a dream journal. Make sure you write down what happened in your dreams (as well as how they made you feel) as soon as you wake up in the morning.
4) Learn more!
Read blog posts and learning about other people’s lucid dreaming experiences. This helps to convince your brain that lucid dreaming is possible without increasing the likelihood of sleep paralysis.
While methods like the WILD technique require you to utilize a reality check, techniques to avoid sleep paralysis tend to rely on the use of a mantra.
To lucid dream WITHOUT sleep paralysis, follow these steps:
STEP 1: Choose a mantra.
Examples include “When I dream, I’m going to become aware,” or “I can lucid dream at will.” The mantra you choose has to be positive and has to resonate with you.
STEP 2: Write it down.
Write down your mantra over and over again. Keep going until you internalize it, and it becomes imprinted in your mind.
STEP 3: Dream scenario.
Have fun by writing about your ideal lucid dream scenario. Get creative and imagine what it will be like when you dream about it for real.
STEP 4: Repeat.
When you go to bed at night, repeat your chosen mantra in your head again and again.
If you wake up at any point during the night, start repeating your mantra. Keep doing it as you drift off back to sleep.
The most important thing is to be consistent. Keep trying again if it doesn’t work on the first night.
If you want to see MORE techniques on how to lucid dream WITHOUT sleep paralysis, read the following tutorial:
4. FAQ:
There are a lot of questions, when it comes to sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming.
With this FAQ section, I hope that I can answer most of your doubts:
What is the difference between a lucid dream and sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming are not the same things.
A lucid dream is when you become aware that you’re dreaming. From here, you can guide what happens in your dreams.
Sleep paralysis, on the other hand, is something that occurs when your mind is conscious, but your body is unable to move.
Sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming at the same time – is it possible?
Yes.
Sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming are possible at the same time.
For some lucid dreamers, sleep paralysis is necessary. They try to achieve a state of sleep paralysis as they become lucid.
For others, sleep paralysis is something that happens as a side effect to lucid dreaming. It’s not necessarily something they want to happen.
It’s especially likely if you’re using methods like the WBTB technique or the WILD technique, as these involve waking up in the early hours in the morning. This is the sleep phase when you’re most likely to experience sleep paralysis.
Do you always get sleep paralysis when lucid dreaming?
Some people are more prone to sleep paralysis than others.
They always seem to get it when lucid dreaming.
While sleep paralysis is highly likely for a lot of people during the lucid dreaming process, it doesn’t always happen.
This is especially true if you follow a technique to lucid dream without sleep paralysis.
Why you experience sleep paralysis when trying to lucid dream?
If you want to increase your chances of lucid dreaming, then it’s best to do it when you have the highest amount of REM (rapid eye motion) activity.
This generally happens during the later stages of sleep.
For example, if you go to bed at 11 pm, you’ll want to try lucid dreaming at around 5 am. At this time, your dreams will be frequent and vivid.
However, this is the phase when sleep paralysis is most likely to occur. Because you’re becoming “aware” of what’s happening as you become lucid, this is when you’re most likely to observe the body feeling paralyzed.
What is the chance of experiencing sleep paralysis?
There is no “single” answer to this question, as it depends on several factors.
Overall, 7.6% of the general population, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis.
So, between 8% and 50% of people experience sleep paralysis at some time.
You might be more prone to experience a sleep paralysis:
- If you suffer from narcolepsy.
- If you sleep on your back as opposed to your side.
- If you’re currently feeling depressed, stressed or anxious during your waking life.
- Lack of sleep or a shifting sleep pattern (for example if you work shifts).
If you consider yourself to be a “regular” and healthy individual, you also have a chance of experiencing sleep paralysis. Still, it’s less likely than if you fit one of the criteria above.
Does lucid dreaming cause sleep paralysis?
It’s not that lucid dreaming causes sleep paralysis or vice versa. The two are merely related.
It’s more about what’s going on when one of these phenomena occur. During REM sleep, your eyes are moving back and forth, and your brain is in full-on dream mode.
If you’re using a lucid dreaming method, then it’s quite common for sleep paralysis to occur, but it’s not the cause.
Can sleep paralysis make you shake?
Sleep paralysis can cause a shaking sensation that you may feel when falling asleep.
They are two separate sensations.
Whereas sleep paralysis is most likely to occur in the early hours of the morning as you’re waking up during REM sleep, this shaking sensation happens as you’re falling asleep.
As your conscious brain drifts off, you may feel a disconnect that causes a shake (or a jolt).
How do you snap out of sleep paralysis?
You’re probably wondering – if I do get sleep paralysis and I’m uncomfortable, how do I wake up?
The first thing is to avoid panicking. There is no need for this. Remember that sleep paralysis is temporary and only lasts a moment or two.
What you need to do is place your attention on your body and focus on certain sensations. Start small. Begin to try wiggling your fingers and toes. Once you feel the movement, you can start to wriggle your arms and legs before moving the whole body.
It’s not so much about “snapping” out of it, but gradually getting the movement back into your body.
For more detailed guide, follow this tutorial:
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that sleep paralysis isn’t a bad thing –
IT EXISTS FOR YOUR PROTECTION!
When you dream, you can carry out some crazy actions inside your head.
During your dreams, therefore, your body should be locked into being still.
This ensures you remain safely in your bed and aren’t free to move around the house (or outside) in your vivid REM sleep state.
This is true whether you’re lucid dreaming or not.
how long does sleep paralysis last? because i’m way too scared to lucid dream but i want to. also when you’re in sleep paralysis, can you see your body, on your bed? is it dark? are there always going to be dark figures or demons around you?
Hello!
I think it is most scary to experience sleep paralysis, without knowing what’s happening. If you read about it, and you fully understand it, the chances are that it won’t be scary at all.
For example, I was going through some stressful situations a month ago, and because of stress & bad sleeping patterns, I experienced sleep paralysis. I just woke up, and I noticed I can’t move. It was very early in the morning, so I just stayed calm. In probably 10-15 seconds, I was able to move.
So, to answer your questions – no, you won’t necessarily see scary things, and yes, you can see your body and bed. It may last from 10 seconds to a minute, but it is often just a few seconds.
I hope that motivates you to try to lucid dream! Really, once you understand how sleep paralysis works, you will see there is nothing scary about it 🙂
I have several articles, that are all about sleep paralysis – what is it, who can experience it, how to wake up from it, or how to transfer it into a lucid dream.
Feel free to use the search bar – type “sleep paralysis” and read on 🙂
Hi, I have experienced sleep paralysis so many times that when I was first experienceing it I couldn’t talk,move,etc. to where now I can speak legible enough for others to understand me. I have read that there’s no reason to be afraid yet I feel like I’m being restrained by unseen forces? beings? at which point my goal is to wake up! I will have to try so hard to wake up! I’ve awoken a roommate in another room with my cries for “help” + “wake me up!”. Any thoughts or advice ? Similar experiences? Do dreams take place in or on the astral plane? I am trying to get good at astral projection more so than lucid dream because I have an “explorer”type of mentality and me directing the “dream” seems like it would be, Idk, not exploring? Anyway sorry for the long comment and thanks for the opportunity and place to learn and share about this stuff. Dream on !
I have went through sleep paralysis very few times, and I don’t know if it really was sleep paralysis, because it happened a few years ago and I couldn’t see my body or my bed, I was in a different room and felt like someone was choking me on my neck though I still couldn’t move I am not so sure if it was sleep paralysis? And how long does it take to get your first lucid dream?
Hello i am new to lucid dreaming i was wondering because i am a christian if it was a sin or was bad. Secondly when i am in a dream my mind just goes on with it and i have no control whatsoever i was wondering if I could change it.