Resting Well - Sleep Well - Cure Insomnia

What would you do when you can't fall asleep for the night or worse, for a few nights?Indeed, you'll feel awful and grouchy if you lose sleep the whole night. Thanks to the invention of sleeping pills - you hit the sack and sleep like a log throughout the night.So you start taking drugs, thinking you found a remedy for your insomnia? No, do not depend entirely on sleep medications as they can create undesirable side effects while temporarily inducing sleep.To cure insomnia, you just need some natural remedies. In fact, start by analyzing your lifestyle, as they may be the cause of your insomnia. Once you change some of your habits, you'll nip your sleepless problem in the bud.Now, try out these simple natural insomnia remedies, which aim to change your habits to make you sleep better at bedtime. They work best for you if your sleep problem is not sparked by the side effects from other medications you're undertaking.1. Reserve your bedroom for TWO things only - sleep and sex. In other words, avoid eating, working, computers, TV, video or loud music in the bedroom.2. Create a clean and comfy environment for slumbering - soft lights, good ventilation, appropriate room temperature, good support pillows, and sufficient comforters.3. Taking a relaxing warm bath before bedtime can lower your body temperature thereby helps to induce sleep. Soaking your feet in a tub of warm water before bedtime can achieve similar effect. Certain aromatherapy oil can enhance calming effect, provided you like the smell.4. Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks or chocolate drink and / or cigarettes after 7pm in the evening. Also avoid snacking just before slumber time so that your body can fully focus on making you sleep instead of having to partially work on the food you send to your stomach.5. Turn off your cell phone (its radiation can upset your normal sleep pattern), blackberries, MSN or Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ etc after a certain time at night.6. Sleep inducers such as soy milk, whole grain, certain seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds) and nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, peanuts) help your brain to relax. Drink a glass of milk or calming herbal tea with a handful of whole-wheat crackers before bedtime. But remember not to overeat those foods and do visit the bathroom right before sack time so that you won't have to drag yourself up in the mid of your sweet dream (I hate that!).7. If you cannot conk out after half an hour in bed, get up and listen to some soothing music, or read a book (but avoid stimulating or exciting content such as horrors and thrillers). Use warm tungsten reading lamp instead of fluorescent lamp. Avoid watching TV or DVDs as the light from these devices are bright and will interfere with your body's biological clock, worsening your sleepless condition. Return to bed as soon as you feel sleepy.8. Regular exercise relieves tension, thereby aiding sleep. But try not to work out before sleeptime as it may keep you awake.9. Train your body to sleep and wake up at the same time every day regardless of whether it is weekend or public holiday. Setting a regular sleep routine helps your body and brain get used to falling asleep naturally at a fixed time each day. The ideal time to hit the hay is between 9 to 11pm so as to achieve better sleep quality.10. If you need to snooze during the day, try to keep it within 20 - 30 minutes that is sufficient to charge you up. Napping too long may result in dizzy mind, which can adversely affect your productivity as well as your nocturnal sleep.11. If you're working at home, stop work at least two hours before turning in to allow your mind to unwind and relax.12. Improve your diet by reducing meat intake and eating more fruits and vegetables such as berries, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and cereals. These natural goodies help to revitalize your body and help to keep your sleeping mechanism function properly with less "glitches".I would also recommend an amazing sleep-inducing fruit - Kiwi.Packed with abundant vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals (including calcium, potassium, magnesium) and dietary fiber, you should eat them more often and not only for insomnia problem.Among the nutrients in kiwi, calcium is the one helping you to relax, which isn't found in many fruits. But be prepared that you'll only feel the effect after a few weeks of eating 2 kiwis each night.How about taking calcium supplements? As with all artificially extracted supplements, they bring some adverse conditions. I reckon you do not want to add more toll on your health with those side effects.Kiwi's effect too slow for you? Think about this - eating two per night replenishes you with so much nutrition and makes you sleep better naturally in the long run. Isn't this an easy deal?Sleeping pill or natural cure for insomnia? Make your choice.

How to Lucid Dream? For most this question would seem to appeal to beginners only. I found there are different types of beginners that start off within different stages in there Lucid Dreaming journey. Let me explain. I know people who recently discovered what lucid dreaming is only to realize they have been doing it for all their dreaming life. These people typically can give you a detailed five minute rendition or blow by blow version of last nights dream. This they can do every day. Well lets just say this was not the case with me and I had to start right at the beginning. You'll also find that if you talk to them about techniques for practicing dream awareness, while awake in order to achieve dream awareness while in a dream, they are successful without much effort at all.If this last sentence did not make sense let me try and explain in another way. The first goal with lucid dreaming is to realize or to become conscious that you are dreaming and that you are not awake. So you are consciously aware of the fact that you are dreaming while you are asleep. Now to achieve this you have to practice checking or testing whether you are in a dream while you are awake. This can be done in different ways but one example is to have a set routine. For example every half an hour ask yourself "Am I dreaming", pinch yourself (and feel it) and look at the time on your watch twice a couple seconds apart.The main idea involves conditioning yourself to test if you are dreaming, so that your subconscious mind keeps on requesting you to do this test. Eventually while you are in a dream the answers change FROM "no I am not in a dream"," ouch that hurt" and 10:10am & 10:10am TO "yes, I am in a dream", wow that did not hurt and 10:10am & 05:28pm.Typically in lucid dreaming, otherwise known a conscious dreaming, if you look at your watch twice a few seconds apart, the time with each view is totally different and you do not feel being pinched and you just somehow know you are now dreaming.Typically people need to practice this for days and weeks before they get it right. The naturally talented lucid dreamer mentioned above was able to tell me, the day after a conversation we had about double checking the time, that the previous evening they where "practiced" enough to remember to do this test in a dream. We had one conversation about it and they were able to try it in a dream and succeed within hours. Their starting point in the lucid dreaming journey was not the same as mine.The point being that learning how to lucid dream is a journey and each individual will have a different starting point. Not to mention also a totally different paths. This is important to understand in order to know where you are on this journey to help you focus on the next techniques to practice for you. This journey's life cycle could involve the following phases:
not being aware of any dreams
conscious awareness practice while awake
successful dream recall
successful dream control
create and experience amazing adventure and fantasies
use lucid dreaming for self discovery and personal growth
out of body experiences
personal healing
spiritual awareness and growth.
and much more.Not only is it important to understand where you are in your journey but also to know where you want to be. There are many end destinations and they keep on changing as you reach some successfully.Note that the above list is only a rough guide and that each phase can involve lots of ground work and practice while awake. The trick is to first learn about conscious dreaming, understanding more about each phase and then deciding what you want gain from it. Then it is simple to know where you are and what you need to do to get to your destination. From there you can easily find out exactly what lucid dreaming techniques and exercises you need to do. As you start your journey and become more experienced you'll soon notice that there are many other benefits and usage of lucid dreaming that can to be discovered and help you to archive your goals, basically you can tailor make a journey for you.To really make the most of conscious dreaming one needs to find ways to work on your creative imagination. After all everything you experience and create in your dream comes from yourself and you need to cultivate this gift with a creative imagination. But first things first, aim to understand the big picture as discussed above, then realize where you are in it and then figure out the detailed effort involved to get to the next step. So when learning how to lucid dream make sure you know what your first goal is, you need to be very goal focused to be successful.And lastly remember to enjoy the lucid dreaming experience from the beginning. In this case the cliché of the journey is more important or fun than reaching the destination is so true as with most things in live.

Lots of people want to learn how to have lucid dreams, and it's not surprising why - when you're in control of your dreams, you can basically live out any scenario you desire! Whether it's limitless wealth, a perfect body, that ideal man/woman, or trips to exotic locales or even outer space - you can experience it all, without leaving the comfort of your own bed.So why doesn't everyone have lucid dreams?Well, one reason is that not everyone is aware that it's possible. But even among those who are, many people try to learn lucid dreaming, but give up because their early attempts prove fruitless. This is a shame, because with the right approach, just about anyone can learn to take control of the dream state.There are lots of ways to train yourself to have lucid dreams, but most of these are a bit hit and miss. However, there's one method that's extremely effective, and that's brainwave entrainment.What Is Brainwave Entrainment?Brainwave entrainment (also called brainwave synchronization) involves exposure to a repeating stimulus of certain frequencies. The most common stimuli are pulses of light or sound, with sound recordings being the most popular and easy to use method. There are three types - binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones, with binaural beats being the most widely used.As you listen to a brainwave entrainment track, your brain will tend to produce brainwaves that match the frequency of the recording. This is useful because different states of consciousness are associated with brainwaves of different frequencies. When you dream, your brain produces brainwaves that are predominantly in the theta band (5 - 8 Hz). Then as you awaken, you ascend into the alpha band (8 - 12Hz).Brainwave Entrainment & Lucid DreamingIn order to have a lucid dream, you need to remain conscious while in the theta state. This is very difficult for most people, and takes a lot of practice and mental discipline to achieve. Most people give up because it takes to long to get results. However, by listening to a good brainwave synchronisation recording that's designed with lucid dreaming in mind, it becomes easier to stay aware of what's going on as you enter the theta state and begin dreaming - the recording helps to keep your brain in the correct state, so you don't have to do all the hard work yourself.Of course it'll probably take some practice before you're consistently getting the results you want (although there are some who become lucid the first time they try brainwave entrainment), but most people who try it find that lucid dreaming is easier with brain wave entrainment than without.So if you want to experience the thrill of living out your perfect life every night, it's worth giving this great technology a try!

Would you love to know how to Lucid Dream tonight?!First of all, let's talk a little bit about what Lucid Dreaming actually is and then we can get you started on doing it!The Wikipedia definition is:"A lucid dream can begin in one of two ways. A dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) starts as a normal dream, and the dreamer eventually concludes it is a dream, while a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) occurs when the dreamer goes from a normal waking state directly into a dream state, with no apparent lapse in consciousness."Or put another way..."A dream state in which one is conscious enough to recognize that one is actually in the dream state and is then able to control dream events."This is a healthy experience and is perfectly natural. It is just like any other dream except for your awareness that it is a dream. It can not hurt you any more than an everyday "normal" dream could and has nothing to do with new age, religion, the dark arts, or escapism.That being said, why would anyone want to Lucid Dream? The answer is simple!Imagine being in complete control of your total surroundings and abilities? Imagine being in a world that had no rules, no danger and no limits to what you could do?This type of dreaming allows you to do all that and so much more!Have you ever had a dream that was so good and so free that when you woke up you were so disappointed that it was over? Well just think of how you would feel if you could program yourself and learn how to Lucid Dream every single night?!Just think of the possibilities once you harness this amazing power?Do you want to visit and climb the Sphinx, perhaps fly around the world (aided or unaided!), see the spectacular view of the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest, dive and swim among the fishes in the most beautiful deep blue water, drive the fastest red Ferrari you have ever seen, compete and play in the Superbowl or the Olympics or simply just wander a beautiful grassy meadow with your loved one? Anything you can imagine is possible in this environment.Although this may seem like just pure fantasy, Lucid Dreaming is extremely realistic and vivid and mostly comparable to any waking experience! Everything you experience seems totally real yet you have the added bonus of being totally safe and out of danger no matter what you are experiencing.Although we have discussed mainly using Lucid Dreaming for Adventure and Excitement, there are several other great uses for this skill...They help us with Problem Solving, Social Practice, To Stop Bad Nightmares, Inspiration for the artists among us and of course for Personal and Spiritual exploration.So then, what is the best way to learn how to have a lucid dream tonight?The answer is through Isochronic Tones, Binaural Beats mp3 and Brain Entrainment!"Sine wave generators are used to create two separate frequency waves, which are introduced to each ear independently. The brain reacts by creating a third tone, making up the difference of the two. It instantly reacts to these frequencies causing a Shift In Consciousness." "The key to Lucid Dreaming is going through the Delta and Theta states like usual, but instead of reaching the full Alpha state, dip back into Theta before you wake. Your subconscious will awaken, but your conscious mind will stay asleep as you return to your dreams. Your subconscious will think you are awake, giving you control of the world around you, but you will be dreaming."

California poppy is a gentle, nonaddictive sleep inducer that also acts as a tranquilizer. It is used in liquid form and is taken as a tincture in water at night. One drawback is that some individual may become overexcited. To counterbalance that potential effect, it is usually recommend combining California poppy with passion flower, lavender, or cowslip.Kava kava is Polynesian herb noted for its ability to reduce anxiety and the troubled sleep it causes. Polynesian drinks it as a beverage. As note above, regular use can lead to chemical hepatitis (irritation of the liver). If you have history of liver disease or alcoholism, use it sparingly. It may used as a tea combined with peppermint and raspberry leaves.Hops are usually taken as a tea. Interestingly, it has been made into pillows to provide an aroma that may be helpful for sleep maintenance. Hops also may be purchased as a tincture and mixed with water. It can be combined with other soporific herbs such as passion flower or valerian for increase efficacy. However, be aware that hops can induce depression. If you suffer from depression, don't use it. Hops also have a diuretic effect, so nocturnal awakenings to urinate may be a problematic effect.Lime blossom is an herbs made into a tea. It has a very relaxing effect and is a good choice for individual with anxiety. It is even reported to be safe for children. Like hops, its aroma can promote sleep, so it makes an excellent soporific pillow.Valerian reduces anxiety and tension. It is wonderful for people who cannot sleep because their thoughts are racing with worry about their insomnia. One drawback, however that valerian can cause headache. Chronic headache sufferers or people with migraines should not take it. In addition, it reportedly is poisonous if used frequently and in large dosages. Valerian usually is taken as a tea. Adding calcium and magnesium, either directly to the tea or taken as tablets may augment its beneficial effects.

When you are considering how to cure insomnia the way to deal with it is to figure out what the underlying causes are. As we are all different as individuals it means we will respond differently to environmental factors and anything that may be affecting us psychologically. Some people are more prone to being affected by conditions such as insomnia.There are many people who will be tempted to respond to any stress in their lives for example by drinking alcohol while others will be more likely to worry incessantly and have trouble dropping off at night. Once you take this into account it is a lot easier to make some progress.If the matter you are dealing with is rooted in something that is purely physical then there are two factors you'll need to consider and these are what you eat and drink and how much exercise you do. These are two of the main variables that will determine whether you are healthy or unhealthy.If you have a lot of sugar during the day or happen to be a big fan of energy drinks then it will be harder for your body to power down from all the stimulants you have provided it with. Substances such as alcohol can make your sleep restless and interfere with the body's natural rhythms so reducing consumption can actually improve the quality of rest you get.When there are deep underlying issues then these must be addressed or the symptoms that are affecting you like insomnia will persist until the real problem is addressed. There are many issues which can cause problems of this sort and they may be so deep rooted that they stem from events during childhood.You may wish to visit a sleep specialist to deal with this. If you have no idea what is bothering you then you will be better off paying a therapist a visit as they can begin to explore things that are affecting you which you may actually be consciously unaware of.When pressure in your working life and even things which are affecting interpersonal life get too much then it will interfere in everything from your diet to the amount of sleep you get. When you're involved in conflicts like this make sure you are open and honest and willing to look for solutions and this will help you to avoid problems of this nature.

If you want to induce lucid dreaming, you need understand that this is a gradual process in which you'll need to recondition your mind and body. There are a few steps you need to take in order to be able to experience the full beauty of lucid dreams.1. Keep a dream journal - One of the key elements of being able to have lucid dreaming is to achieve dream recall. Normally, we wake up with a hazy memory of some of our dreams. But our memories of our dreams quickly dissipate. In order to be able to control your dreams you need to remember them. Having a dream journal will help you do that. You need to keep the journal by your bed and as soon as you wake up, you have to write what you remember from your dreams. With time, you'll remember more details of your dreams until you'll be able to describe them completely. That means that you've conditioned your mind to have dream recall and lucid dreams.2. Sleep in 90 minutes increments - Our sleep cycle is 90 minutes in length. In order to have a refreshing night's sleep and to have the full extent of dreaming possible, we need to make sure we complete as many cycles as we can and not wake up in the middle of a cycle. This also helps dream recall.3. Start dream checking - As you draw closer to being able to have lucid dreams, your dreams will become more and more vivid and real like. There will be times when you will not know whether you're dreaming or awake. You'll need to work out a routine to help you realize when you're dreaming and when you're not. A good trick is to look at your watch every half hour. In dreams, the hands of a watch don't move as they do in real life. Don't ask me why, they just do. Being able to know when you're dreaming and when you're not is a vital step on the road to enjoying lucid dreaming on a regular basis.Follow these 3 steps and lucid dreaming will be just around the corner for you.

Nothing proves the prevalence of insomnia more than the sales drug companies make from sleeping pills. Benzodiazepines alone which is used to treat insomnia, anxiety disorders, seizures and alcohol withdrawal made more than $21 billion in 1999. In the same year, a Canadian report was released. This report shows that benzodiazepine prescriptions surpassed all other prescriptions. On a side note, the said medical conditions also have insomnia as a symptom. Not to mention drug dependence from sleeping pills also causes insomnia. Thus, it is only prescribed for short-term treatment. It shouldn't be used beyond 2 to 4 weeks.There could be nothing worse than wanting to sleep and not being able to. The number of people dying from sleeping pill overdose is also quite disturbing. It shows that people who find themselves suffering from lack of sleep are so desperate. Desperate enough to increase the dosage just to get that ever elusive sleep.Common and overlookedInsomnia is the most common sleep disorder. Tens of millions of people suffer from it. This sleep disorder has over five hundred different causes making it so common. Among those causes, there can be several of them affecting a person at the same time making it hard to be treated. It is also often overlooked by the people experiencing it and the doctors that diagnose them. Out of tens of millions, it is estimated that only five percent of insomniacs seek medical help. Sixty nine percent won't even mention it to their doctor. Both insomniacs and doctors often assume that the condition will resolve in time. That is true. It can happen. In many cases, however, insomnia doesn't just go away.Consequences Insomnia, by itself, cannot kill. Nevertheless, the depression that comes with it can make people want to kill themselves. If it's not that, then prescribed sleeping pills can.Many road and work-related accidents also occur more often for people who don't get enough sleep. A road accident wherein the driver falls asleep on the wheel often ends in fatality. That not only endangers the insomniac. It endangers the other people around as well.Cry for helpIt becomes important to know when an insomniac needs help. The fact that this sleep disorder is tied to neurosis makes sufferers prefer to suffer in silence. Everything known about sleep has only been discovered the past 25 years.Not everything is "just in the mind." Human sleep-wake cycles, in fact, have been discovered to be genetic. Studies have also shown that artificial light affects people's sleep-wake cycles. Insomnia isn't a condition people bring upon themselves. There are many cases wherein insomnia is caused by natural aging, hormones, and genes. Usually, it is a symptom of countless other medical conditions. To be checked for insomnia might lead to the discovery of the other medical condition causing it. Very often, treating the underlying medical condition cures the insomnia. Just as often, it can be the medication prescribed that causes it.Insomniacs should know when to cry for help. Sleeping pills may give temporary relief, but they don't really "cure." Self-medication, at times, can do more harm than good. There are a lot of options available for treatment. The only thing an insomniac needs to do is to cry for help.

Insomnia and sleeping difficulty is an all too common experience in today's busy, information overload society. Particularly in metropolitan cities like Boston with the excitement of living in an area filled with some many people and experiences, getting adequate and restful sleep can be difficult. Chances are that you may have experienced or are currently experiencing sleep difficulties. If you are, you are not alone. A 2002 study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that about 58% of adults in the United States experienced symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week or more. Women in particular are 40% more likely to experience sleep difficulties than men.So what does this mean for you as you lie tossing and turning in your bed? First off, let's talk a little bit about what the term insomnia means. It most commonly refers to a report by an individual that they experience difficulty sleeping or experience difficulty falling or staying asleep. From there, insomnia is categorized as either primary or secondary. Primary insomnia has no connection to another medical, psychiatric or environmental cause whereas secondary insomnia is co-morbid with, or caused by, a number of things including but not limited to, sleep apnea, use of stimulants, hormonal changes like those during menopause, pain, or mental disorders like depression or anxiety.If you have trouble sleeping and are looking for a natural approach to decrease your discomfort and improve the quality and quantity of restful sleep, you may want to try some of the following recommendations.Meditation - Lying awake in bed, stressing out about not being able to sleep only adds fuel to fire raging in your overactive mind. Meditation and mindfulness training helps quell that fire. A study conducted by the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2009 showed that patients who took time to meditate twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes over a span of only two months were able to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly than those that didn't. Meditation or relaxing activities, like yoga that incorporate aspects of mindfulness practice, can decrease cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the hormone that is responsible for the feelings that accompany stressful situations in life....those feelings of "fight or flight".Chinese Medicine - Regular acupuncture sessions can help decrease those cortisol levels. By balancing the sympathetic (stress) and parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous systems, it can take the edge off the stress and anxiety you might be feeling. This will allow you to better handle stressful situations and recuperate from those instances without the destructive cycle of sleep disturbances that damage your body's renewal capabilities. In addition, Chinese herbal medicine can not only help with the symptoms of insomnia, but it can address the organic root cause of the problem within your own body.Exercise - Exercise helps expend the extra mental energy you might have, translating to physical exertion. It will force your body to use up the hormones causing your stress symptoms and leave you in a more relaxed and fit state. You can even use a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation to assist you while you are awake in bed. The technique involves deep abdominal breathing and a cycle of muscle tension and relaxation throughout the body. Start at the calf muscle of one leg and then progress up the body, tensing and relaxing muscles along the way. In addition to getting a chance to put the mind's activity to another topic besides your inability to snooze, it also gives you real feedback about what a relaxed muscle feels like.Only a specialist knows enough to actually diagnose the many different sleep disorders that are included under the blanket term of insomnia but if you struggle with sleep, you may not be aware of the issues it poses to health. In a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, individuals that got less than 6 hours of sleep a night were at higher risk than were those that got about 7 hours of sleep. In addition to a higher risk of mortality, insomnia has been linked to higher risk for other diseases and disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.If you are interested in a natural, holistic approach to your sleep difficulties then Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, might be a worthwhile therapy to investigate. Find a licensed acupuncturist, ask them some questions about your particular case and begin a treatment series. Do be aware though that Chinese medicine is not a magic bullet and ingrained and chronic sleep disorders will take time to address but on the whole, you'll be healthier leaving than you were coming in. So give acupuncture a try and best wishes for a sound and restful sleep. Zzzzzzzzz.....

Personal growth or development and self help as terms do not seem to hold the 'spirit' of what is truly involved close to heart. Maybe self improvement as phrase is a bit softer on the tongue but still does not capture the true essence required. Self help and self improvement is many things to many people but in essence looks to "quality of life" as an assessable yardstick by which to develop, measure and improve personal performance and awareness.Happiness & PurposeNow quality of life, again, can be many things to many people. But lets just say for those of us sitting in front of a screen reading this commentary probably looks more to the elements around happiness and the meaning of life rather than the quality or quantity of the food, clothes or shelter in our lives. Now you may ask what has this got to do with Lucid Dreaming, well the answer is not quite yet forthcoming, but please bear with me a bit longer.Wikipedia reflects on happiness as follows:"Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources."I personally would replace the word religious with spiritual to mean inclusive of religious. Not everyone adheres to a specific spiritual religious traditions but everyone certainly has spiritual needs and a soul that needs to be fed whether they know that or not. This is true in the same way a healthy body and mind is required if interested in longevity. Regardless, looking at any of these areas of happiness and its development its clear that the mind is a key element in each.If the gurus are correct and self improvement looks to increased self-awareness and self-knowledge to developing strengths and talents, the mind's role needs to be emphasized more than stated above. Then of course the scientist and experts on the brain suggests we are only using 0.0001% or is it 0.1% or is it 10% of our brains (sorry, details is not my biggest strength; I've always wondered how they calculated that figure anyway). The point being, also considering the unused potential of our 'pips' it is staggering to consider to what level of happiness or contentment we could possibly rise using the mind only if we knew how.Looking at meaning its easy to get totally lost in the significance of it when trying to understand the purpose of one's existence. Mankind has made this a central theme for thousand of years. Lets just say most would agree that a person who struggles to understand the meaning of life or lacks purpose at times in their lives is akin to a yacht traveling out in the oceans without a rudder. If the yacht was placed in the middle of the Indian ocean it probably will be fine for awhile but it certainly is not a sustainable approach.Most personal development gurus or anyone who is unsure of their purpose but actually makes the effort to find answers will surely reach a stage where they realize they have to exercise mental effort, thought and reflection to guide them through this process. Again the mind features very prominently. You may ask again what does this have to do with Lucid Dreaming. Well we are getting closer to this answer but we are not quite there yet.As obvious as it sound, if we all agree that the mind is central to personal growth we need to try and understand, even at the most simplistic level, how our minds work and how it can be used to progress our lives. Lets face it, if you have an amazing tool but you do not know how it works, you are not going to go far.Power of the Subconscious Mind(I would highly recommend learning more about this in detailed)In a nutshell we use our conscious mind to program our subconscious mind. Once consciously programmed in our subconscious we act out those programs automatically without "thinking" about it. Regardless if they are good or bad. Lets say you are influenced as young teenager by your environment to think consciously that smoking is cool. You start smoking and become subconsciously programed to "think" it is acceptable for you to smoke and continue for years without "thinking" about it. While you keep on smoking, driven by your subconscious program that "believes" it is fine to smoke, although we consciously know its not good for you.So how is it possible for us to keep on doing something we know is bad for us? Why do our minds work in such a manner? The answer lies in the design of our minds. To think consciously about something takes a lot more time, energy and effort than to think about something unconsciously. Our subconscious mind is not designed to think stuff through properly or to judge, it just acts out based on its already consciously approved programme. This feature is crucial for survival, lots of programs like the "keep the heart pumping program" and millions others will overload our conscious mind because they are required to run constantly. Also this feature serves to feed the learning process. Once you learn something you do not need to think about it consciously anymore.Another very important design feature of our subconscious mind to be aware about is the fact that our subconscious mind knows everything! Everything you have ever read, seen heard, experienced etc. is stored somewhere deep within. Yes all that knowledge is in there and is available for you to access. Many gurus who write books about the power of the subconscious mind talk about this infinite intelligence of the subconscious. The more spiritually inclined gurus also believe the subconscious mind is the gateway to the collective consciousness as well as to our Devine Creator.Now the question becomes, how does one reprogramed your subconscious mind to effect personal growth and how does one access this incredible wisdom within. The answers to these question can kick off a whole new life's journey and in my view can shed some light on one's purpose and is the foundation for personal growth.So why is it so important to try and understand this? Firstly if you want to grow personally regardless at what area in your life spiritually, physically (such as in the quality at which you practice a sports discipline), emotionally, psychologically, changing habit, learning new skills or cultivating a talent and many more, you need to realize that if you want to change behaviour or improve you need to figure out how you reprogram your subconscious mind through conscious effort.Secondly, although it is crucial to learn from our society and that you need to go out there and search for answer from experienced people, know that you have many answers available yourself, you just need to learn how to access it. This involves a longer life's journey and the practice of consciousness where you become aware of how you feel and what you think all the time and the realization that you actually have full control over this because this is how you are motivated and that you are ultimately responsible for your thoughts and feelings. You are what you think!If you realize and accept that you are one hundred percent responsible for your own thoughts and feelings (programed in your subconscious) and that these thoughts and feelings effectively shape your reality because you believe them to be true, you are able to change your reality if you reprogram your subconscious mind with "new" thought and feelings aligned with the reality you want to create or new position you want to grow into.Now how do I go about using this new realization.Lucid DreamingThere are many methods or 'tools' one can use for personal growth and creating awareness (conditioning your subconscious mind) such as:meditation
personal
reflection
self study
lucid dreaming
religious guidance
studying expert opinions (self help books)
therapy
coaching
experience
spiritual growth...all of which are worth exploring. The rest of this writing will look at lucid dreaming (yes! at last, good on you for making it to here)The link between the subconscious mind and dreaming has been explored only recently. Sigmund Freud probably was the first to look at the role of the subconscious mind in dreams and explored the unconscious elements that drives our motivation. Now imagine being able to get a clear view of our subconscious mind and understand beter how and what motivates each of us in our unique ways. You might find that there are unknown, to your consciousness, elements that are actually motivating you counter to what you are trying to achieve consciously. I also like to refer to them as mental blocks.A very frustrated smoker trying to stop does not necessary realize that he subconsciously believes that it is fine to smoke and that its the reason why he can not actually get himself to stop consciously. Not just because of the physical addiction. If he does realize this he then has discovered a mental block and if he also realizes how powerful the subconscious mind is he may be beter prepared mentally to change this habit by working on releasing the block.Not sure if you know what lucid dreaming is and or how to lucid dream but the ability to be dream aware while dreaming with the ability to control your dreams is a magnificent gift than could be used to access your subconscious mind. Lucid Dreaming can also be used to help recondition yourself as required.It may sound like a brave new way to ago about it, but as Einstein said "You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew" How is that for a powerful problem solving ethic.Lets say you have a personal development goal to become a motivational speaker but have a fear of speaking in front of people. Imagine you can create a save place where you can motivate yourself and practice role-playing as much as you need to to overcome this challenge. In a similar way lucid dreaming can give you the ability to deal with any such fears.What if you need to change your feelings and thoughts around how you few humanity and need to cultivate a more positive view, because you may have realized it is keeping you back in other areas in your life. You could create a new dream character, Nelson Mandela and then have an insightful discussion with him about how he was motivated and driven to be so forgiving and the ultimate humanitarian after everything that was done to him.What if you could create a dream character that represent your subconscious mind and ask him or her:why do I get so frustrated with my wife or children or,
is there something specifically you think I should know about that is keeping me back in achieving my goals or,
why do I get so unhappy or frustrated when I am in certain situationRemember after all your dreams are created by yourself so all these techniques is an attempt to learn more about yourself to help you figure out what you need to change.This gift can be use in so many different ways. Your creative imagination is the only thing that will keep you back, but then lucid dreaming could be used to help you be more creative...

Insomnia can be distressing. When you can't sleep it affects everything you do and means that you are not in the best place to deal with life or enjoy it. If you're having trouble sleeping, then tossing and turning with worry about it can make it even worse. There are things that you can do to help you to sleep. Try these relaxation techniques and tips for a good night's sleep and start to wake up feeling rested and refreshed in the mornings.When you can't sleep it is often because you can't relax or switch off. Many people suffer from stress symptoms and this eats into their nightly rest as well. In order to sleep you need to find ways to relax before you go to bed so that you can enjoy that warm, comfortable feeling that precedes a good night's sleep.Firstly, you probably have some idea of how much sleep you need to feel good. Make sure that you are aiming to get enough but not too much. Too much sleep can make you feel as groggy and grumpy as too little. It also helps to have a set routine as your body clock will adjust better if you go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. Make sure that your bed is warm and comfortable and your room is quiet and dark. It might be time to invest in a new mattress, an electric blanket or hot water bottle, or a thicker pair of curtains.Before you go to bed watch what you eat and drink. A large meal can play heavy on the digestive system and stop you getting off to sleep. On the other hand, when your stomach is grumbling with hunger, you may also have trouble sleeping. You may find a light snack an hour or so before bed is helpful.Avoid stimulants and depressants such as caffeine and alcohol. Keep caffeine for the mornings - the later you drink it, the more problems you will have sleeping. This means avoiding coffee, cola and energy drinks/pills. You may think that alcohol makes you sleep better but you will not get a good quality sleep. Instead, try a relaxing mug of cocoa or a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime to help you unwind and sleep better.Stimulants don't just come in the form of drinks - spending too much time on a computer or watching television or even a chat with a friend can all keep your mind buzzing into the night and prevent you from getting a good night's sleep. Avoid these activities for at least an hour before you go to bed. Try reading a book instead which is almost guaranteed to get your eyelids drooping, or relax yourself by taking a long, hot soak in the bath with some relaxing scented bubbles before you go to bed.You could also have a go at meditation in the evenings or try drifting off to sleep whilst listening to some relaxing music or a self-hypnosis audio track. Many of these are specifically designed to help you relax or sleep. If you don't fancy this, you could always try counting sheep or simply focusing on your breath and counting as you breathe in and out deeply. Muscle relaxation techniques can also be very effective - you work your way up or down the body, tensing each part and then releasing to relax the muscles. Don't give up if it doesn't work the first time around. Simply have another go.If you are waking up tired in the mornings, you may be tempted to take a nap during the day. Resist the urge as this will mean that, once again, you don't sleep effectively at night. Instead try a meditation or some relaxation techniques or physical exercise.If you are finding it hard to relax generally and this is affecting your sleep, then perhaps you need to find ways to relieve your stress and anxiety. Try to deal with your problems rather than ignoring them and letting them get on top of you. There are many effective ways that you can deal with stress. If you are over-anxious, you will not sleep.Finally, do not let your worry about your lack of sleep make things even worse. If you've used all these tips and just cannot sleep, then just try to relax your body and enjoy the comfortable time in your bed. Eventually your body will have to catch up on sleep of its own accord so relish the warmth and comfort and try not to make yourself more anxious. If you keep putting these relaxation techniques and tips into practice over a period of time, you should start to feel more relaxed and notice an improvement in your sleep patterns.

What would you do when you can't fall asleep for the night or worse, for a few nights?Indeed, you'll feel awful and grouchy if you lose sleep the whole night. Thanks to the invention of sleeping pills - you hit the sack and sleep like a log throughout the night.So you start taking drugs, thinking you found a remedy for your insomnia? No, do not depend entirely on sleep medications as they can create undesirable side effects while temporarily inducing sleep.To cure insomnia, you just need some natural remedies. In fact, start by analyzing your lifestyle, as they may be the cause of your insomnia. Once you change some of your habits, you'll nip your sleepless problem in the bud.Now, try out these simple natural insomnia remedies, which aim to change your habits to make you sleep better at bedtime. They work best for you if your sleep problem is not sparked by the side effects from other medications you're undertaking.1. Reserve your bedroom for TWO things only - sleep and sex. In other words, avoid eating, working, computers, TV, video or loud music in the bedroom.2. Create a clean and comfy environment for slumbering - soft lights, good ventilation, appropriate room temperature, good support pillows, and sufficient comforters.3. Taking a relaxing warm bath before bedtime can lower your body temperature thereby helps to induce sleep. Soaking your feet in a tub of warm water before bedtime can achieve similar effect. Certain aromatherapy oil can enhance calming effect, provided you like the smell.4. Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks or chocolate drink and / or cigarettes after 7pm in the evening. Also avoid snacking just before slumber time so that your body can fully focus on making you sleep instead of having to partially work on the food you send to your stomach.5. Turn off your cell phone (its radiation can upset your normal sleep pattern), blackberries, MSN or Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ etc after a certain time at night.6. Sleep inducers such as soy milk, whole grain, certain seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds) and nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, peanuts) help your brain to relax. Drink a glass of milk or calming herbal tea with a handful of whole-wheat crackers before bedtime. But remember not to overeat those foods and do visit the bathroom right before sack time so that you won't have to drag yourself up in the mid of your sweet dream (I hate that!).7. If you cannot conk out after half an hour in bed, get up and listen to some soothing music, or read a book (but avoid stimulating or exciting content such as horrors and thrillers). Use warm tungsten reading lamp instead of fluorescent lamp. Avoid watching TV or DVDs as the light from these devices are bright and will interfere with your body's biological clock, worsening your sleepless condition. Return to bed as soon as you feel sleepy.8. Regular exercise relieves tension, thereby aiding sleep. But try not to work out before sleeptime as it may keep you awake.9. Train your body to sleep and wake up at the same time every day regardless of whether it is weekend or public holiday. Setting a regular sleep routine helps your body and brain get used to falling asleep naturally at a fixed time each day. The ideal time to hit the hay is between 9 to 11pm so as to achieve better sleep quality.10. If you need to snooze during the day, try to keep it within 20 - 30 minutes that is sufficient to charge you up. Napping too long may result in dizzy mind, which can adversely affect your productivity as well as your nocturnal sleep.11. If you're working at home, stop work at least two hours before turning in to allow your mind to unwind and relax.12. Improve your diet by reducing meat intake and eating more fruits and vegetables such as berries, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and cereals. These natural goodies help to revitalize your body and help to keep your sleeping mechanism function properly with less "glitches".I would also recommend an amazing sleep-inducing fruit - Kiwi.Packed with abundant vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals (including calcium, potassium, magnesium) and dietary fiber, you should eat them more often and not only for insomnia problem.Among the nutrients in kiwi, calcium is the one helping you to relax, which isn't found in many fruits. But be prepared that you'll only feel the effect after a few weeks of eating 2 kiwis each night.How about taking calcium supplements? As with all artificially extracted supplements, they bring some adverse conditions. I reckon you do not want to add more toll on your health with those side effects.Kiwi's effect too slow for you? Think about this - eating two per night replenishes you with so much nutrition and makes you sleep better naturally in the long run. Isn't this an easy deal?Sleeping pill or natural cure for insomnia? Make your choice.

Tossing and turning all night? Read on to discover how EFT, i.e., Emotional Freedom Technique, can help you sleep better.If you have trouble sleeping, you'll easily get caught up in a vicious cycle. You feel awful during the day because you can't sleep, and every night, you are afraid you won't be able to sleep AGAIN, which will make it even harder to fall asleep.So what can you do to break through that cycle?1) Use EFT for InsomniaHow about tapping, also known as EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique.You see, one of the biggest reasons for sleeping problems and insomnia is stress. So the more stressed you are, the more badly you need sleep to recover, and yet sleep also gets more and more elusive.And in order to sleep, you need to give stress a break.So tapping to help you fall asleep might help, at least a little. And here's how you do it:Use the following as a set-up phrase:Even though I have trouble sleeping, I choose to feel calm and relaxed.Even through I'm afraid I won't fall asleep AGAIN, I choose to feel calm and confident.Even though I'm worried about how I feel tomorrow morning, I choose to let my body sleep if it wants to.And then, you tap on the various points (eyebrow point, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collar bone, under arm, and top of head), repeating the negative phrases for a round or two, and then the positive phrases for another round -- or two.2) Use EFT to Relieve StressHowever, if you're truly stressed, this will only get you so far. You also need to address the stress, and preferably do that first.You can start generic, by tapping on "Even though I feel stressed..." but you should go deeper and tap on more specific issues.Tap on what you're stressed about. Tap on what you're afraid will happen.3) Other Helpful ToolsAnd even though tapping is generally amazingly effective, don't forget to do a few other helpful things as well.For example, why not keep a journal next to your bed and write down the things that worry you so you can let them go, knowing they'll be there for you to pick up the next morning, if you should choose to get back to them.Or write a gratitude list each night before you go to sleep. Reflect on a few things you're grateful for, no matter how small they might seem. And for best effects, do the same thing in the morning, to get the day off to a good start.Also remember to make it easy for yourself to fall asleep. Make sure you're comfortable and that your room is dark and quiet. And why not scent your pillow with a little lavender or play some soothing music. If you then add tapping, you might wonder what happened to your insomnia.

Curing insomnia doesn't need to involve drugs. You can cure your insomnia naturally once you know what causes your sleep disorder, and from there, eliminate that cause to restore your restful sleep. But how?Here are the 5 tips to help you cure insomnia naturally. Combine them for the best effect and you'll improve your sleep quality over the next couple of days.Natural Insomnia Cure Tip 1 - What Causes YOUR InsomniaFirst of all, you gotta get down to the root cause of your sleep disorder. Is your stressful workload causing you to lose sleep at night? Or is it your onset of arthritis or other painful medical conditions that trigger your insomnia?For example, if you lose your sleep due to a recent relationship breakup, then your first step towards a good night's sleep is not to find a sleep drug or an insomnia remedy, but instead, get a good positive listener for you to pour your heart out and provide sound advice to your relationship problem.Natural Insomnia Cure Tip 2 - No Peppy DrinksYou can obtain a boost in the morning with caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea to help you cope with your workload, but after 5 P.M or even earlier (say, 3 P.M.), you should not consume any such drinks. Why so early? That's because it may take several hours for the effect of caffeinated beverages to wear out in your body. Once the effect is gone, your body should enter a pre-sleep mode naturally as the night falls.Natural Insomnia Cure Tip 3 - Hunger & Sleep Do LinkWhen hunger pangs strike, you can't possibly sleep because your stomach will continually send signal to your brain asking it to find food. To avoid this, it's best to take a very light snack such as half a handful of mixed grains and nuts one hour before bedtime even though at the time you don't really feel hungry. You can go with one or two slices of wholegrain bread if that's what you prefer. This is a preventive measure to make sure you sleep tight at night and do not wake up with a headache after prolonged starving.Natural Insomnia Cure Tip 4 - Send Your Clock AwayIs the clock next to your bed a mechanical one that ticks particularly loud in the quiet night? If so, you may want to put it as far as you can so you won't hear the ticking sound by your bedside and induce you to turn to it often to check for the time. This may unknowingly raise your anxiety level and could jolly well make you lose sleep totally. Get a digital clock instead and put it a distance away from your bed so you won't feel like checking the time frequently.Natural Insomnia Cure Tip 5 - Move It!Do you exercise routinely? Just because you can't sleep well so you forgo one of the most important ingredients that could put you to sleep at night? You'll get even worse.A common misconception is that when you lose your sleep it's best to avoid exercising because you need a good form to perform. That's utter nonsense. I'm not asking you to engage in some high-intensity exercises. If you can't sleep well the night before, then all the more you should exercise, but stick to simple, low-intensity cardio exercises.The key in exercising is to help relieve your tension amassed from your stressful workload or situation.But remember, no exercise 3 hours before your bedtime or you'll find hard to sleep.Put your drugs away and start applying all of these tips to cure your insomnia naturally. It'll probably take the next couple of days for you to gain control over your insomnia or bad sleep, but the long-term effect is rewarding.

One cannot deny that lucid dreaming pills give you the experience you long for-a lucid dream. However, seasoned practitioners would not actually recommend such pills. They would recommend the safer and lasting techniques of meditation, relaxation, enhanced dream recall, and others.Pills such as Galantamine and Choline can actually give you some real-as-life dreams or lucid dreams. At the same time, you cannot simply take lucid dreaming pills and expect to get an LD. These pills can be compared to weight loss pills. The weight loss pills alone don't work; they function only in combination with healthy eating and an exercise regime. Similarly, lucid dreaming pills in combination with meditation, relaxation, and better dream recall will give you a faster LD experience.CholineCholine is an amino acid that is commonly found in potatoes and bananas. When ingested, the brain converts Choline into Acetylcholine; and this leads to enhanced dream recall and lucid dreaming.Choline, however, has a few side effects such as increased body temperature, profuse sweating, loss of appetite, and nausea.Take a Choline pill before going to bed or at midnight. Here is a word of warning-never take it continuously. You can take it for a few days to satiate your desire for a lucid dream, but not more than that.GalantamineGalantamine is commonly used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative disease that wrecks long-term as well as short-term memory.The ancient Greeks first discovered this wonder drug more than 30 centuries back. The Chinese used it to enhance memory too. Galantamine not only improves memory during the day, but also enhances dream recall at night.A number of brands now offer lucid dreaming pills containing Galantamine, which has been extracted from Daffodils and Red Spider Lilies.Although Galantamine is a natural medication for enhancing dream recall, it does give some nasty side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, weight loss, sleep paralysis, and micro awakenings.Some lucid dreaming pills contain a combination of Choline and Galantamine. But never take these pills continuously. Take them only as and when you need them.LD pills do work. But owing to their side effects, they are not really recommended. If you are in a hurry and want to get a lucid dreaming experience in the shortest possible time, take these pills. But don't take them before having a chat with your medical advisor. Even if you take them, don't take them for long periods of time. The best lucid dreaming techniques are the age-old, proven, tested, safe, and drug-free methods.

Many people have the ability to recall their dreams, either vaguely or clearly - the moment they wake up from their sleep. However, as the conscious mind kicks in and they go about their daily routine, the dream recall eventually fades away completely.In lucid dreaming, the person is aware that he/she is dreaming; meaning that the state of consciousness is clearer than the dream itself. This allows the person to have control over the dream itself, as well as being able to recall it with more clarity and detail once awaken.The existence of lucid dreaming has been scientifically recognized as a well-researched phenomena by Neuroscientist J. Allan Hobson. His objective was that of understanding how the lucid dreaming occurrence takes place as well as the benefits that could be obtained from the experience. The scientific framework for engaging in lucid dreaming is for the dreamer to be able to influence or control the outcome of his/her dreams with the intention to learn how to solve problems, get clues for self-improvement, increase self-esteem and build self-confidence, among other self growth benefits.Recalling clearly one's dream is the initial step towards lucid dreaming. Often, people tend to undermine the power of dream recall the moment they wake up. After the realization that the person was just in a state of dreaming, the tendency is to get up start to do his/her daily routine. Dream recall, generally, enhances the awareness of the person's dreams. Thus, when a person recalls a dream in the conscious state, they merge the dream with awareness and learn to be more in control of what their dreams can become.Start right away with the intention to recall your dreams as soon as you awaken in the morning, before you move, stretch or stand up. Strive to stay in the 'dreamlike' state for awhile as soon as you wake up and try to recall your dream right away. Avoid thinking of your commitments for the day or anything that might distract your mind. Just a few moments is all you need. With practice this will become easier and even automatic.Lucid dreaming can actually have a positive impact in your awaken reality. Once you are consciously dreaming, think positively on what you want to achieve - all possibilities to reach your goals in life.Scientists and psychologists believe that people who have the ability to consciously dream can improve themselves in various aspects of their life. Additionally, lucid dreaming can be an exciting experience while delving into your personal virtual reality dream space because anything and everything is possible in one's dreams. Interfacing realities with lucid dreams may be a worthwhile endeavor for those who want to explore the possibilities of the mind and learn to solve a variety of situations in this creative manner.The conscious mind is the logical brain when you are awake, while the subconscious mind is the one working during dreaming. In a state of lucid dreaming, the conscious and subconscious mind actually play together. When this happens, it is the subconscious mind that provides the insights on what the conscious mind has been thinking of before falling into a dream. Moreover, given the fact of the vastness of information contained in the subconscious mind, it can offer a multitude of solutions to the conscious mind.Some scientists and professionals claim that they have developed skills to problem solve while 'thinking.' Meanwhile, artists and musicians claim to have been inspired by their dreams and improved their creativity in their crafts due to what the saw happened in their dreams. These instances are proof of the unlimited potential that can be found in lucid dreams.Mind conditioning is important before going to sleep. This helps in setting up your aim on a subject of interest or idea. Set your goals and start recreating yourself through lucid dreaming.

I have listed the 5 most important rules in the battle with chronic insomnia
PRACTICE GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE. This means no afternoon naps, no lying in at the weekends and no going to bed until you are really tired. Once in bed you should not do anything besides sleeping. This includes watching television and even reading. You should not underestimate the power f good sleep hygiene. It is amazing how many chronic insomniacs refuse to adopt these simple rules, believing their problem is too severe to be helped by such simple measures.
STOP OR REDUCE YOUR CURRENT SLEEPING MEDICATION. If you currently take a sleeping pill most nights, speak to your doctor about reducing your dose, or stopping altogether. Besides the obvious physical side-effects of sleeping pills, taking them also has a negative effect on your thinking regarding sleep. This makes it difficult or impossible to trust in your own ability to fall asleep at night. In short, how can you believe in yourself if you believe you need a pill to make you sleep? Note: Under no circumstances should you stop taking medication without the advice of your doctor. It can be dangerous or even fatal to stop taking sleeping pills suddenly. Don't take a risk - get advice.
STOP LOOKING FOR MIRACLE CURES. I can say categorically that when it comes to chronic insomnia, there is no instant miracle cure! Anyone who claims to be able to cure chronic insomnia 'in 15 minutes' or 'overnight' is a charlatan. Don't waste money on such things. Chronic insomnia can be cured, but only through a gradual process of improving your thoughts, habits and behaviours.
STOP TALKING ABOUT HOW BAD YOUR PROBLEM IS. This is actually one of the most powerful things you can do to help your problem. Can you see how every time you complain to your friends, family or therapists, you reinforce the idea that you can't sleep? Insomnia thus becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am fully aware that this is easier said than done, particularly when you are in the middle of a terrible bout of insomnia. To start with, try to focus on what is good about your sleep, even if it feels like a lie to start with. In my experience, this really is the key to beating chronic insomnia.
If this seems impossible, or difficult, or you just don't know where to start then then you are going to need help which is beyond the scope of this article. This may come from a sleep therapist who specialises in CBT, or from an online insomnia recovery programme. Sadly, any new 'miracle sleep aid' is unlikely to have any effect whatsoever on a chronic insomnia problem.

Simply speaking, a lucid dream is a dream in which a person is aware that he/her is dreaming and is able to consciously manipulate dreams, i.e. to shape them into a desired content. The very term lucid dreaming was coined by the Dutch writer and psychiatrist Frederick van Eeden in the beginning of 20th Century.Lucid dreams can start in two ways. The first one is a dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) that begin as a normal dream and the person concludes it is a dream. The second one is a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) that happens when the dreamer is transferred from a normal waking state directly into a state of dreaming and is conscious about it.In order to achieve lucid dreaming you should program yourself with a trigger to make you aware when you are dreaming, to take control over it, meaning to become lucid. The best proven way of doing this is by having a habit of making regular reality checks during the day. A reality check means to stop what you are doing at the moment and check the reality level of the situation in which you are. It is very simple. Every time you do a reality check, you can ask yourself:Is this a normal situation; is there something strange about it?
Can you fly? Try floating around.
Try to close your eyes. This is a dead giveaway --you cannot close your eyes in astral realm.In order to become effective, this reality checking must become habitual. When you are doing a reality check during some dream, you will realize that you are dreaming and able to take the control over the dream. The important thing here is to affirm to yourself that you will remember everything from the dream. You can repeatedly tell yourself, "I have to remember this when I wake up."One of the keys for a successful reality check is to have a good trigger. It is recommended to make something you would normally do many times during the day. Any kind of habitual action would be great. Here are few ideas:Do a reality check every time you look at your watch. A
lso, set the timer to beep hourly and when it happens, do a reality check.
A wrist watch is the most effective.Every time when you look at your hands, do a reality check.If you are a smoker, every time you light a cigarette, do a reality check. It is interesting that if you are an habitual smoker, you will find your self reaching for a cigarette during the dream.It, of course, takes some time to make you trigger habitual, but it is usually no longer than two weeks. It will also help you to do affirmations before sleeping. For example "I will remember to look at my wrist watch."When you are in a lucid dream, if you want to change it to a real time projection, it is good to become aware of your physical body. If you are able sense it, you are also able to return to any time location. This can be difficult and may end the dream experience completely, but with the time you will learn to deal with it. However, we recommend you to enjoy the lucid dreams as they appear. Even communal dream pools are colorful places with lots of fun, so you will see all kind of wonderful and weird things and experience many adventures.The dream recollection is your ability to remember dreams, so a good dream recall is often the first step towards lucid dreaming. In order to improve their dream recall, many people keep a dream journal, recording dreams the moment they wake up. It is good to write the dreams quickly as there is a normal tendency to forget what has been dreamt. Keep your eyes closed while remembering the dreams and write your dream journal in present tense.If you are not satisfied with the dream pool you are in and want to enter something more exciting for you, you can change your reality location. Here are few ways to help you do this:Take a close look at your hands and watch them melt. It is worth doing just to see this phenomenon of hands melting.
Spin around until you feel yourself disorientated.
Visualize the place you would like to visit. This is instantaneous travel and it will most probably move you to a dream pool similar to the visualized destination.
Fly as fast as you can. Even if this does not change your reality location, you will experience an amazing space flight.
Try to walk into a mirror, painting or picture. This is the same as a virtual reality projection.All these techniques are designed to trick your subconsciousness through intentional disorientation. The point is to find a reality location, a lucid dreaming where you can experience all possibilities of this beautiful ability all humans have.Have an awesome experience!

When I first heard the term "Lucid Dreamer or Lucid Dreaming" I actually thought it was someone who talked in their sleep. Well hey, lucid does mean articulate, well spoken and eloquent etc!How far was I off the mark?Well at least I got the dreaming part right.The reason I became involved in this discussion was a close friend who was into yoga, mantra and meditation etc and she had mentioned it and asked me if I knew what it was, you saw my answer above.Once she began to explain the benefits of a "Lucid Dreamer" or "Lucid Dreaming" I became very interested because I do dream nearly every night without fail.I began to research comments by Lucid Dreamer experts to improve my understanding.A question, before beginning to read this article did you know what a Lucid Dreamer was or anything about lucid dreaming? Most probably not, if you do then your one of the lucky ones, well done, for those of you who knew nothing about dreaming experiences, lets see if we can introduce you to some information.It appears the term "Lucid Dream" was first coined around the late 1800's by a certain Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik (Willem) van Eeden (1860-1932).It appears that a lucid dreamer may actually be able to take an active part and manipulate their dreaming experience within the dream making their lucid dreams appear as a reality and vivid.Of course I am sure there are many interpretations, but so far from what I have read the above seems to be the basic analysis.You are probably thinking "What's this really all about". My take on it is this!I have a few close lucid dreamer friends and one thing they all utilise is lucid dreaming affirmations, they say they are conscious and aware of what is happening and they are in control. Wow! Yes I know it sounds astounding but they swear by it.I will present some of my own personal experiences in a future article.For now I would like to introduce you to some fantastic free information on Lucid Dreamer including free Lucid Dreamer videos and how to have a lucid dream every night it will give you an insight into what Lucid Dreams are all about.So go there now and enjoy and watch the latest videos on Lucid Dreamer for free.Sweet Dreams.http://lucid-dreaming-how-to.com/index.php

Many people are suffering from insomnia. It is the common problem in which you have difficulty in staying asleep.There are lots of contributing factors to insomnia. Causes range from psychological factors such as stress and worry, to physical causes like too much caffeine, medication side effects, or the condition known as sleep apnea. Some forms of mental disorder also have features of chronic insomnia such as in depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Some of the medicines used to treat insomnia or even bipolar disorder will help with both symptom management and falling asleep.There seems to be different types of insomnia. Although technically insomnia means the inability to fall asleep, or to only fall asleep after a long duration of time, people often describe themselves as having periods of insomnia throughout the night as when they frequently wake up, wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, or are frequently awakened by bad dreams or restless leg syndrome.Whatever symptoms you are having for your bouts of insomnia, there are treatments of all kinds to treat insomnia.Treatments for InsomniaBehaviors that support sleep promotion involve changing your bedroom around to make sure it is dark enough, making sure that your bedding is comfortable, and avoiding stimulants or exercise too close to bed time. Exercise is good, but should be avoided two hours before sleep.Treatments for insomnia range from avoiding caffeine too close to bed time, establishing a regular sleep pattern, taking medications such as over the counter diphenhydramine to induce drowsiness, or behavioral approaches such as making your eyes tired by reading too much just before sleep. Finally, consider sleeping aids such as an insomnia pillow.If you find that you are chronically snoring in all sleep positions, have frequent awakenings where you are sputtering or coughing a lot to regain your breath, have mild to severe obesity, perhaps you have a very serious condition known as sleep apnea. To rule out that syndrome you should talk to your physician to see if you need to participate in a sleep study (a test ordered by your doctor).Other approaches involve sleep aids to help you remain comfortable, which is also important to getting good sleep. In fact, one aid, an insomnia pillow, will help you get your sleep by helping to keep your spine straight, provide a gentler neck support, and a cool environment that will help you sleep.

Have you ever seen Vanilla Sky? If so, you're aware of the "lucid" dreams Tom Cruise was having throughout the movie. If you haven't seen it - sorry I spoiled it. A lucid dream is simply a dream where you're aware that you're dreaming, and then proceed to manipulate your dream in the fashion you wish. Research numbers suggest that every person who dreams has had or will have a lucid dream experience. For many of us, we want to have lucid dreams every night. If there was a lucid dreaming step by step guide, we'd buy it. Well, ask and you shall receive.Lucid Dreaming Step by StepStep 1: Keep tight track of your dreams. For most of us, we dream in patterns, i.e. fire, falling, running, etc. When you wake up, immediately write your dream into a journal. Be as specific as you can about your dream. This will help train your brain to remember your dreams, thus making your brain less likely to discard them.Step 2: Fix your own clock. You need to be aware of the time(s) you have lucid dreams. For lucid dreaming step by step, a thorough time record is essential. Most people who take naps a few hours after waking have the most lucid dreams. Lucid dreams take place in REM sleep - and REM sleep is the most abundant before waking up.Step 3: Try the Nightmare on Elm Street approach. Well, it's not anything to do with Freddie Kruger, but number three on the lucid dreaming step by step list has to do with waking yourself up. Set your alarm for 4, 6, or 7 hours after you fall asleep. When you wake, try to remember as much as possible. Now here's where the fantasy comes in: After you remember about your dream, go back to sleep while thinking of your dream. Odds are you'll wake up in a controllable, lucid dream.Step 4: Emphasize lucid dreaming step by step! You want to submerge yourself in all things lucid. Read literature on lucid dreaming, watch that stupid Tom Cruise movie, or anything else that drives the point home.Step 5: Body markings. Try to write an "A" on the palm of your hand. While attempting to have a lucid dream, check your palm each time you're awake. Eventually, this will be burned into your psyche, and seeing the "A" in your sleep means that you're in total control of your lucid dream.Step 6: Listen to some Binaural Beats. Research suggests that Binaural Beats can be used to induce lucid dreams. These beats will trigger a relaxed state and induce dreams.When working on lucid dreaming step by step, you need to be proactive about the dreams. You need to focus on having these dreams, and basically have to devote a lot of time to sleep, even if you aren't tired.

Terminal insomnia, also called late insomnia, is a frustrating condition where you can usually fall asleep easily upon going to bed.... but then you wake up four-to-five hours later, unable to get back to sleep. So you are waking up too early in the morning, which leaves you feeling exhausted, foggy and cranky when you roll out of bed to start your day. Despite the ominous sounding name, terminal insomnia will not kill you but can certainly be a joy-killer.To get started on a cure for terminal insomnia, it's important to determine how many hours of sleep you really need to get a full night's rest. Unlike initial insomnia (not being able to fall asleep for hours after you go to bed) and middle insomnia (waking up in the middle of the night and taking hours to fall back to sleep) where all the symptoms clearly point to the condition, some people who think they have terminal insomnia might instead simply be "short sleepers."And what does that mean? Well, some people only need four or five hours of sleep to properly function throughout the day. If you have always been able to feel fine on less sleep than some of your friends and relatives, you might not be experiencing late insomnia symptoms, but just going to bed too early for the amount of sleep that you need.If that's the case, your tired, cranky feeling might be the result of lying awake too long, beating up on yourself because you can't fall back to sleep. Try going to bed later so you will wake up at a more reasonable hour and can arise and start your day immediately. And then be grateful that you have a few extra hours in your day to do something other than sleep!If, however, you have never been a short sleeper, and you now find yourself increasingly exhausted after these short hours of sleep, you could very well be experiencing terminal insomnia. As you would for any other type of insomnia, once you have determined that you have terminal insomnia, it is time to find out why. You can't fight an unknown force, so understanding the causes of your condition comes before treatment.Start With Emotional Causes of InsomniaTo help you uncover the causes of your terminal or late insomnia, keep a sleep diary for about two weeks. In this diary you will write down your thoughts and feelings when you first wake up in the morning. This can help you to determine if there are emotional reasons that you are unable to get back to sleep. Because the emotional reasons behind your inability to sleep might be a little hidden -- possibly subconscious -- it is important to analyze the situation completely. Don't skip this step!I have found that initial insomnia -- where you are unable to fall asleep when you first go bed -- is often associated with feelings of fear, stress, worry, and anxiety. Initial insomniacs may even experience sleep anxiety where they are unable to sleep because they are so focused upon getting to sleep. These emotional causes of insomnia tend to make your body tense and restless, so you can't relax physically or mentally enough to fall asleep.People with middle insomnia or terminal insomnia, though, tend more toward feelings of depression, anger, and frustration. These emotions do not cause the adrenaline rush in quite the same way as anxiety and worry. They also tend to get pushed more into the subconscious mind, where we aren't aware of them much at all. But they can gnaw away in the background of our minds, and wake us up in the middle of the night.Physical CausesYou can also determine possible physical causes of your late insomnia with the help of your sleeping diary. If you wake up at generally the same time every morning, there might be a physical reason or a combination of several physical reasons why this happens.For example, if you have a thermostat set to change the temperature at that specific time, this change might be waking you. Does you neighbor leave for work at that time and turn on a bright light that shines in your bedroom window? Is there an increase in outdoor noise such as more traffic or a dog barking? Maybe your allergies are flaring up at that time. Some allergy suffers find that the predawn hours are the worst. By determining the cause or causes of your insomnia, you can then determine ways to cure the symptoms.

Lucid dreaming is when a person becomes fully aware they are dreaming during an actual dream. This is a well documented and scientifically proven phenomenon and many years of scientific research has gone into investigating why this occurs, how this occurs, and what are the benefits, if any, of lucidity while dreaming. Two types of this phenomenon have been documented and identified - Dream Initiated and Wake Initiated.Dream Initiated is when a person falls asleep, enters a dream, and then realizes they are dreaming during the dream itself. Dream Initiated lucidity could be triggered by the person noticing something out of the ordinary, or by witnessing something that is not normally humanly possible. Wake Initiated is when a person falls asleep and enters the dream state so quickly that there is no change of consciousness and the person enters the dream already knowing they are dreaming.During lucid dreaming, a person is not necessarily in control of the events taking place. Some are only spectators and are able to simply watch the proceedings. Others are able to actually make choices and control their own actions. Sometimes they are able to create entire worlds of their own to manage and in which to participate.Many experts believe there are many benefits to being able to become conscious while dreaming and being able to control your dreams. Scientists who study dreams say it is beneficial to treating nightmares. They also assert that it is a safe way to live out your fantasies, or to simply have an adventure that you cannot enjoy in the waking world. Others claim that it is a perfect way to become inspired and creative, to problem solve, and to even heal you of some deep emotional or psychological trauma.Experts also agree there are three ways this state can occur: naturally, spontaneously, or learned. Of course, naturally means that you are able to become lucid without any effort and you are able to do it as often as you like. Spontaneously means that it only happens periodically and you have no control over it. Learned is a method used for those that do not obtain lucidity naturally or otherwise, but put in effort and concentration to achieve lucidity.Lucid dreaming is a unique talent. It is something that can be learned in time and with concentration and effort. It has gained scientific credence with the science of dream study. By most expert accounts, it is perfectly harmless and can even help in eliminating nightmares and emotional stress. Historically, religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism have documented accounts of this type of dream state and they often label it as an alternative form of consciousness to be revered.

Extensive studies have been done to find out the cures of sleeping disorders. Findings reveal that insomnia can be treated to a large extent by consuming certain foods. Insomnia is caused when there is an imbalance of hormones and fluids. It is also connected to liver, so whenever the balance of liver gets disturbed, it leads to sleeplessness. In fact, it is known to be the main root cause and to treat this imbalance, you need to increase your intake of the below mentioned foods:Two green veggies namely radicchio and dandelion greens are known to be extremely effective in this regard.Deep root veggies such as turnip, beetroot, burdock root and carrot help in treating insomnia sleeping disorder.Cucumber helps to calm and cool the liver. It is beneficial for treating some specific kinds of sleeping disorders. Persons who complain that they face difficulty in falling asleep can largely benefit by taking cucumber in the night.If you drink peppermint tea, it can work wonders for you by cooling your liver and thus contributing in inducing sleep.Foods rich in calcium including soy help to boost the production of l-tryptophan, which eventually transforms into melatonin hormone that promotes sleep.Increase your intake of foods that contain high quantum of melatonin hormone. Good examples are rice, oats, ginger, barley, sweet corn and bananas.Chamomile tea is also quite effective in keeping away various sleeping disorders. To get its maximum benefit, brew it for a minimum of 20 minutes.On one hand, where you are recommended to increase the intake of above mentioned foods, it is also important for you to know that which foods are not good for you, so read on...High carbohydrate foods such as white sugar are just not good for your liver.
Fried foods and other foods rich in fat content are a total no.
Spicy foods such as chili peppers and salsa should be avoided as they heat your liver.To conclude, these are certain guidelines that can be helpful in treating your sleeping disorders, but it is always best to seek medical advice.

Terminal insomnia, also called late insomnia, is a frustrating condition where you can usually fall asleep easily upon going to bed.... but then you wake up four-to-five hours later, unable to get back to sleep. So you are waking up too early in the morning, which leaves you feeling exhausted, foggy and cranky when you roll out of bed to start your day. Despite the ominous sounding name, terminal insomnia will not kill you but can certainly be a joy-killer.To get started on a cure for terminal insomnia, it's important to determine how many hours of sleep you really need to get a full night's rest. Unlike initial insomnia (not being able to fall asleep for hours after you go to bed) and middle insomnia (waking up in the middle of the night and taking hours to fall back to sleep) where all the symptoms clearly point to the condition, some people who think they have terminal insomnia might instead simply be "short sleepers."And what does that mean? Well, some people only need four or five hours of sleep to properly function throughout the day. If you have always been able to feel fine on less sleep than some of your friends and relatives, you might not be experiencing late insomnia symptoms, but just going to bed too early for the amount of sleep that you need.If that's the case, your tired, cranky feeling might be the result of lying awake too long, beating up on yourself because you can't fall back to sleep. Try going to bed later so you will wake up at a more reasonable hour and can arise and start your day immediately. And then be grateful that you have a few extra hours in your day to do something other than sleep!If, however, you have never been a short sleeper, and you now find yourself increasingly exhausted after these short hours of sleep, you could very well be experiencing terminal insomnia. As you would for any other type of insomnia, once you have determined that you have terminal insomnia, it is time to find out why. You can't fight an unknown force, so understanding the causes of your condition comes before treatment.Start With Emotional Causes of InsomniaTo help you uncover the causes of your terminal or late insomnia, keep a sleep diary for about two weeks. In this diary you will write down your thoughts and feelings when you first wake up in the morning. This can help you to determine if there are emotional reasons that you are unable to get back to sleep. Because the emotional reasons behind your inability to sleep might be a little hidden -- possibly subconscious -- it is important to analyze the situation completely. Don't skip this step!I have found that initial insomnia -- where you are unable to fall asleep when you first go bed -- is often associated with feelings of fear, stress, worry, and anxiety. Initial insomniacs may even experience sleep anxiety where they are unable to sleep because they are so focused upon getting to sleep. These emotional causes of insomnia tend to make your body tense and restless, so you can't relax physically or mentally enough to fall asleep.People with middle insomnia or terminal insomnia, though, tend more toward feelings of depression, anger, and frustration. These emotions do not cause the adrenaline rush in quite the same way as anxiety and worry. They also tend to get pushed more into the subconscious mind, where we aren't aware of them much at all. But they can gnaw away in the background of our minds, and wake us up in the middle of the night.Physical CausesYou can also determine possible physical causes of your late insomnia with the help of your sleeping diary. If you wake up at generally the same time every morning, there might be a physical reason or a combination of several physical reasons why this happens.For example, if you have a thermostat set to change the temperature at that specific time, this change might be waking you. Does you neighbor leave for work at that time and turn on a bright light that shines in your bedroom window? Is there an increase in outdoor noise such as more traffic or a dog barking? Maybe your allergies are flaring up at that time. Some allergy suffers find that the predawn hours are the worst. By determining the cause or causes of your insomnia, you can then determine ways to cure the symptoms.

In our waking life, we normally experience several levels of awareness. We can be fully self-aware and conscious, partially self-aware, or unconscious. Just as in waking life, there may be different levels of awareness in dreaming. The goal of lucid dreaming is to develop the ability to become conscious enough in a dream to be aware that you are dreaming and to interact with your dreams to affect desired outcomes. Having the ability to lucid dream creates positive effects in your waking life of feeling more empowered and self-confident to interact with the content and process of living in your daily life. Here are some of the tools for lucid dreaming and a self hypnosis process you can use to program yourself to have and activate lucid dreaming skills. You will combine these new skills with the basic skills of doing dream work. My previous articles on dreams, "Dream Work and Hypnosis" and "Self Hypnosis for Dream Incubation", will give you basic guidelines for remembering and journaling your dreams.Lucid Dreaming SkillsThe first skill of lucid dreaming is mindfulness. It begins by asking yourself when in a dream, " am I dreaming?" Here are some specific things you can do after asking the question, "am I dreaming?"Look at a watch, and look again. In dreamtime the numbers or face of the watch may be have strange numbers, images or be distorted. Or, look at your hands. In a dream they may not be recognizable as your own. Or, look in a pool of water, a window or mirror to see your reflection. In a dream the reflection is often distorted, blurred or unrecognizable. Or reading something in a dream may have content or writing that changes while you read.You can prearrange and hypnotically practice using a symbol in your dream as a signal that you are dreaming. One dreamer, Susan, uses her power animal, a butterfly, as a cue to realize that she is dreaming. An experienced lucid dreamer, Jay, uses the sound of his favorite instrument, a flute, as a clue to become aware that he is in a dream. Choose a signal or cue for yourself and practice responding to it in your self hypnosis for lucid dreaming.If an anomaly occurs in your dream, you can use it as a signal that you are dreaming. For instance, experiencing that your body is flying; grooming a bear; exploring Saturn in a convertible; or playfully swimming in a pool with sharks; would be good indicators that you are having a dream.The second skill of lucid dreaming is being able to recognize dream signals that let you know that you are dreaming. One way to recognize your dream signals is to look carefully at your past dreams for themes or patterns, things that commonly re-occur in your dreams. For instance, do you have dream themes of doing activities like talking on the phone to someone who has passed, or cleaning house, or planning a class you will teach, or playing catch at a particular beach? Recognizing your dream signals will help you remember your dreams and can be a cue to ask yourself 'am I dreaming? Practice asking yourself this question during the day to become more lucid in your wakeful state and you will condition yourself to ask the same question and become lucid in your dreams. By comparing your wakeful perceptions to those in dreams, you will begin to notice distinctions, intrinsic to wakeful versus dream reality.Sometimes dreamers awaken from a lucid dream prematurely. Stephen LaBerge, a well known lucid dreamer researcher, proposes two ways to prolong a lucid dream: The first is to rub your hands in the dream to activate the brain in producing the sensation of rubbing hands rather than the sensation of lying in bed coming into awareness. The second is to spin your dream body to engage the brain in activating rapid eye movement which can extend a phase of rapid eye movement sleep, the state of sleep consciousness most directly related to lucid dreaming. In hypnosis you can skill rehearse successfully using all of these lucid dreaming tools so that when you are in the dream state they will be more readily available in dream consciousness and you will be more able to access the skills.About Self Hypnosis for Lucid DreamingUsing self hypnosis will help you amplify your intention and cultivate your skills for lucid dreaming. In a hypnotic state, you can program mindfulness and rehearse the lucid dreaming skills you want to use to become interactive in your dreams. Using self hypnosis before you go to sleep, you can program your subconscious with suggestions, and hypnotically practice asking, "Am I dreaming?" You can program yourself with the suggestion, "the next time I dream ______________ ( fill in the content of your common dream theme) I will become aware that I am dreaming." You can also have a hypnotic dream in which you practice all the skills of lucid dreaming and you experience what it will be like to have mindfulness and be interactive in your dreams.Before doing the self hypnosis process, take some time to write down some suggestions for lucid dreaming that you will give yourself. Write the suggestions using the pronoun "I" and in present tense. Keep the language in your suggestions positive and simple. Here is a basic induction and outline for self hypnosis. Read the script over several times to become familiar with the sequence of the process or record it with your own voice to listen to while in bed. When doing the self hypnosis, go slowly through the process to allow time for your inner responses.Self Hypnosis for Lucid DreamingBe persistent and patient in using this self hypnosis and you will cultivate the skills, benefits, and joys of lucid and interactive dreaming into your dreamtime.Lie in bed after preparing for sleep. If you are comfortable to do so, lying on your back is ideal because your body is open and receptive.Close your eyes.Take a few deep, clearing breaths.Imagine that you are walking down a path in nature. Each step will support your relaxing and letting go.Take in the details of your surroundings. See, hear and feel as you move down the path. Have fun exploring with all of your senses.As you continue to walk on the path, notice a growing sense of relaxation and comfort.At some point you discover a bench where you can sit and rest. You close your eyes while you rest and as you relax even more, you begin to have a dream. Let the dream unfold.You ask yourself, "am I dreaming?"You look down at your hands or you use any of the other actions to check if you are dreaming.The signs that you are dreaming are clear and you become interactive in your dream.Once you are aware that you are lucid dreaming, you rub your hands together or begin spinning, knowing that these dream activities will support you staying in the dream state so you may continue to lucid dream.You give yourself all of the positive suggestion you want to support this hypnotic experience in transferring into your dreamtime. The more you use self hypnosis for lucid dreaming, the easier it is to activate the skills while dreaming.Now, you naturally move from this hypnotic dream into sleep and lucid dreaming.When you awaken in the morning, to reinforce your commitment and intentions to lucid dream, you journal your dreams.

In modern societies we constantly have less time to enjoy ourselves than we would like to have. Weekends and holidays become the only moment to forget about our daily routine, to be who we always want to be, and to do what we always wanted to do. But there is always something that doesn't allow us to enjoy this time as we wish to. Maybe we can't get that special experience we seek, either we don't have enough money, time or both. Or maybe what we really want is impossible to get. We can only dream with those experiences, literally. In our dreams we can do whatever we want, there are no limits. The problem is that usually we don't decide what to do in them.A lucid dream however is a dream in which you take conscious control of what happens next, you decide either you eat your favourite dish, or punch your boss, fly with the motorcycle you always wanted into the sky or even meet your favourite film character. By learning how to lucid dream the person can take advantage of that spare time we spend sleeping to transform it into a playful time. Learning how to control your dreams implies at first remembering in detail what happens in a dream, wich is by itself an enjoyable experience. But as the dreamer learns how to lucid dream, in some weeks he can be able to also control the dream, doing in it whatever he wants. Thus, dreams can become the perfect time to relax and enjoy oneself, being able to remove the stress that almost everybody accumulates in everyday life. With better control over your dreams you can feel relieved of anger or problems on a daily basis. You won't have to wait for those desired holidays to enjoy yourself. Lucid dreams are an answer.Playing with the unconscious mind - how much control do we have and how much do we need?Lucid dreaming is the experience of being aware of being dreaming. In a lucid dream you can be from slightly aware to be able to control the things that are going on in the dream. We all have had the feeling in some dreams that we somehow knew that it was a dream, you were a bit aware of it; but in these cases you can't control what is going on at all. In a full lucid dream the control of the dream is overwhelming. The person who knows how to lucid dream can make from his dream almost anything he or she wants. It is true, though, that the influence has its limits, there is no total control to speak of. The dreamer can learn how to lucid dream and influence what is happening, the dream's landscape, the characters involved, the course that the dream takes and such things.But there are always some things that don't fall under our control. Some may argue that if I have total control of what is going on in the dream, the surprise factor drops to nothing, making the experience not so grateful. But this is not the fact. When someone is lucid dreaming, the dream still presents some unexpected events. What a lucid dreamer consciously puts into the dream is not the last word as it experiences a feedback process with the somehow unconscious tendencies or paths that the dream takes for itself. This is why having the control over your dream is such a powerful experience. Because not everything is said, because the lucid dreamer can play with his dream, challenge his own unconscious and see with joy what it has to respond to what he consciously creates. In this sense we can say that not having total control makes a lucid dream even more powerful.