Thread: Wake up a couple times a night

Hi everyone. I'm new here and while I had a couple lucid dreams in my childhood I haven't had one since. I was wondering: I wake up two or three times every night to go to the rest room. Will this effect my ability to become lucid? I am trying the MILD technique, but I think I may try a WBTB tonight.

No, this won't affect your ability to become lucid.

I would argue that it should actually help you to become lucid, especially if you set intent to have a lucid dream or do a more involved practice during the time that you are up and awake…basically turning it into a WBTB like you are considering doing tonight. Good luck!

Thank you dolphin and fogelbise, that's a relief off my mind. I'm not sure I'd be able to try to sleep through the night. Fogelbise, I love the idea of using the wake ups to initiate a WBTB. I usually go right back to sleep after I have done my business, but maybe I could stay up, wake up a bit, then try a WBTB.

Waking up naturally during the night is incredibly helpful! It gives you many additional opportunities to remember dreams and to observe the processes of falling asleep and waking up, all of which are helpful for getting lucid. Motivation and planning is needed to make the best use of these opportunities, though. It's all too easy to just get up, use the bathroom, and go back to sleep without any real intention or awareness.

The best times to turn a natural waking into a real WBTB is when you find yourself waking up from a vivid dream, because then you know you're already primed for REM. On these occasions, you might decide to stay up a little longer than you normally would, wake up a little more thoroughly, ideally record the dream you just had into your journal (and maybe use it for some MILD practice), and then use your favorite LD techniques when you decide the time is right to go back to bed.

Originally Posted by Verre

Waking up naturally during the night is incredibly helpful! It gives you many additional opportunities to remember dreams and to observe the processes of falling asleep and waking up, all of which are helpful for getting lucid. Motivation and planning is needed to make the best use of these opportunities, though. It's all too easy to just get up, use the bathroom, and go back to sleep without any real intention or awareness.

The best times to turn a natural waking into a real WBTB is when you find yourself waking up from a vivid dream, because then you know you're already primed for REM. On these occasions, you might decide to stay up a little longer than you normally would, wake up a little more thoroughly, ideally record the dream you just had into your journal (and maybe use it for some MILD practice), and then use your favorite LD techniques when you decide the time is right to go back to bed.

Thank you Verre. I tried the WBTB last night. No luck. But I'll be patient. I had a particularly vivid dream before I tried. Except I didn't want to use it because it was a dream about bees invading my home and trying to sting out my eardrum! Not sure whether that would be a good setting for my first lucid. Thank you for your advice, this is really helpful. With waking up naturally I don't have to set my alarm, which I hate. I can just use one of my bathroom breaks for the WBTB.

Originally Posted by mzungu

Thank you Verre. I tried the WBTB last night. No luck. But I'll be patient. I had a particularly vivid dream before I tried. Except I didn't want to use it because it was a dream about bees invading my home and trying to sting out my eardrum! Not sure whether that would be a good setting for my first lucid. Thank you for your advice, this is really helpful. With waking up naturally I don't have to set my alarm, which I hate. I can just use one of my bathroom breaks for the WBTB.

After I read this I noticed that your profile picture is also a bee! I wonder if seeing it while you were using DV unconsciously primed you for the dream about bees. If so, maybe the dream was trying to remind you to get lucid! It's funny how our intentions sometimes manifest in our dreams in strange ways.

Don't underestimate the power of intention. I rarely get lucid if I'm not strongly motivated to perform some task or other in the dream state (which is one reason I'm so fond of the "Tasks of the Month" here on DV). Definitely, in addition to WBTB, MILD, and whatever other techniques you may be using, prime yourself for lucidity by coming up with some very concrete idea of what you'd like to do in your lucid dream.

Originally Posted by Verre

After I read this I noticed that your profile picture is also a bee! I wonder if seeing it while you were using DV unconsciously primed you for the dream about bees. If so, maybe the dream was trying to remind you to get lucid! It's funny how our intentions sometimes manifest in our dreams in strange ways.

The picture is of a bumblebee I took in my front yard several years ago. Yes, I think you are right and my mind was trying to get me lucid. I went lucid last night, so my consciousness was on the tipping point. I don't mind waiting a night if it means I didn't go lucid in the bee stinging dream!

Originally Posted by Verre

Don't underestimate the power of intention. I rarely get lucid if I'm not strongly motivated to perform some task or other in the dream state (which is one reason I'm so fond of the "Tasks of the Month" here on DV). Definitely, in addition to WBTB, MILD, and whatever other techniques you may be using, prime yourself for lucidity by coming up with some very concrete idea of what you'd like to do in your lucid dream.

I hear you! I was very motivated to start dreaming lucid, because there are all kinds of stuff I want to do. I use a combination of WBTB WILD and MILD. The WILD didn't work last night, but I went lucid on my MILD intention and an RC. Maybe I'll start doing some of those TotM soon.