Science & Technology

Reliable way to induce lucid dreams discovered

By T.K. Randall
September 27, 2021

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Ever had a dream in which you actually become aware that you are dreaming and can directly influence the events you are experiencing ? This is known as lucid dreaming.

For years, scientists have attempted to study what goes on in the brain during such experiences, however reliably inducing lucid dreaming on demand has proven particularly challenging.

To find a solution to this, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Lucidity Institute in Hawaii decided to investigate the role of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEls) in inducing lucid dreaming experiences.

A total of 121 volunteers (most of them veteran lucid dreamers) were recruited to take part in a study involving the use of galantamine - a common Alzheimer's drug and fast-acting AChEI. Over three consecutive nights, the participants took increasingly large doses before spending time practicing their lucid dream induction techniques.

The findings indicated that stronger doses of the drug were more effective at inducing lucid dreams.

"This combined protocol resulted in a total of 69 out of 121 participants (57 percent) successfully having a lucid dream on at least one out of two nights on an active dose of galantamine," the researchers wrote.

"This protocol is one of the most effective methods for inducing lucid dreams known to-date, and holds promise for making lucid dreaming available to a wider population."

Source: Science Alert

Tags: Lucid Dreaming