Can LDing cause side-effects?

Hi, I've been having these strange experiences and I was wondering if it had anything to do with my LD attempts.

I guess I better tell you a bit about myself. I'm a 17 year old male. I've never had a successful lucid dream, however I have been very close and I've experienced sleep paralysis many times in the past. I have reasonable dream recall, and I have been conscious in my dreams, but never to the point of being able to control them.

It all started about 6 months ago. I had been attempting LD's for a couple of months on a regular basis by then (mostly WILD). I was at work, about 2 hours into my shift. I was serving a customer at the counter, when all of a sudden, my vision went blurry and I felt very light-headed. It was almost as if everything was happening too fast for me to keep up with.

I told my boss I needed some fresh air, so I went outside for a while. Everything looked strangely unfamiliar and I couldn't focus my eyes properly. One of my colleagues came over to see if I was okay and mentioned that my speech sounded quite different as well.

After about 10 minutes, I was feeling slightly better, so I went back inside. I could do most of my work fine as long as it was something I had done before, but as soon as I needed to make a decision on something, I had no idea what to do.

I was getting really scared by this stage, so I told my boss I was going home. I felt dizzy and confused for most of the day, by when I woke up the following morning, things were back to normal again.

The reason I'm asking if this has anything to do with lucid dreams is it is a very similar feeling to being in SP, and I'm worried I might be messing with my body's natural sleeping processes and if I continue I might cause permanent damage. This has also happened to me twice now - both times I had been attempting to LD in the week leading up to it.

I haven't attempted a LD in around 3 months now and it hasn't happened to me since.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks in advance

Sounds like your sugar levels were low or your blood pressure was high (my vision gets blurry and spotted when my BP gets up there). You described exactly what I experience when my sugar levels are low (mostly when I haven't eaten anything all day).

As far as LD'ing having any negative side effects, I'm not aware of any.

lucid dreaming is just a higher state of consciousness, it also means you are a little detached from your daily life, which is good in a therapeutic way. in a normal dream we can get so caught up with daily life, we can just go back to work in a dream which only creates more stress

in a lucid dream you realize you are dreaming and that repeating daily life is completely unnecessary, and are a little more free than you are in the busy life. which can help release stress

its both good for the mind and body

lack of sleep, and stressing over not having a lucid dream is what will tire you

Lucid dreams are hardly different from normal dreams. There shouldn't be any notable side effects, unless you stay up too much for WILD (if it takes you hours to WILD, you are probably messing up your sleep cycle).

And to me, it sounds much more like you aren't eating right, perhaps related to Misbi's hypothesis regarding blood sugar.

Unless you felt dissociation as if you were conscious in a dream, I'd assume they were unrelated.

I'd also go to a doctor. young people frequently have lightheaded/fainting episodes, my father had it for a time in his teens, would just get off a couch all normal like and pass out. It's probibly nothing, seeing as it's been three months, but if its bothering you go to the doctors. You can always tell him you've been practicing a new type of meditation if you wouldn't be confortable going into your Lucid Dream attempts, still an attempt to change your consciousness.

Awesome, thanks for your help guys. I'm thinking it probably was just low blood sugar levels.

Usually that happens to me when it is hot inside or outside, and I haven't drank anything except a glass of water or two. Just go to a cool place, and drink a bottle of water slowly, as in little sips. You are dehydrated, and if you drink to fast, it all comes up, dehydrating you further.

Also, the slurred speech is a nuerological problem. I would recommend going to a doctor if this happens again.

Eating 3 meals a day will make drastic highs and lows in blood sugar,especially when your younger and have low body fat.
Eating smaller meals more frequently wont wreak havac on blood sugars levels and they will stay steady throughout the day.
...Like bodybuilders do.

It might have also been a panic attack, as that has the same sort of symptoms. And if you think you can't get one, think again. It's quite common for people to get panic attacks without consciously knowing of any particular stressor. There may be something going on in your life that you aren't comfortable with, and a panic attack is one the ways your subconscious is telling you.

Seems like either low blood sugar, or a migrane. Lucid dreams have no bad side effects.

I am a natural lucid dreamer and all my dreams are lucid, and I have never experienced problems. And I agree with the person who said it detaches you from daily life. My lucids are one of the highlights of my day!