Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2014
Daniel Erlacher, Melanie Schädlich, Tadas Stumbrys et al.
48 citations
Actions in lucid dreams take longer than the same actions in wakefulness, but only for motor tasks. Counting, a non-motor task, showed no time difference. In a sleep-laboratory experiment, lucid dreamers performed counting, walking, and a gymnastics routine while marking time intervals with eye movements. Walking and gymnastics required significantly more time in dreams than in waking, but the relative duration of each task remained proportional—no task was disproportionately longer. A more complex motor task did not increase the time delay. The findings suggest prolonged dream durations may stem from absent muscular feedback or slower neural processing during REM sleep.
heiDOK (Heidelberg University)
January 1, 2018
Melanie Schädlich
Lucid dreaming—being consciously aware during a dream—can be used to rehearse motor skills. In a German sample, 9% of athletes who had lucid dreams used them to practice movements, most reporting a positive impact on physical performance. Prior research suggested that practicing movements in lucid dreams is possible and may improve waking performance, but effectiveness had not been tested in a controlled sleep laboratory. This dissertation presents a sleep laboratory study using a dart-throwing task to assess lucid dream practice, a qualitative interview study with 16 athletes, and a pilot study with musicians. It also tests lucid dream induction through visual and tactile stimulation.
Current Issues in Sport Science
October 26, 2021
Melanie Schädlich, Daniel Erlacher
Lucid dream practice (LDP), where dreamers deliberately rehearse movements while aware they are dreaming, can enhance physical performance. Interviews with sixteen lucid dreamers from various countries revealed that LDP experiences feel highly realistic, including kinesthetic perception, and that equipment or sparring partners can be created or adjusted within the dream. Thirteen interviewees (81.3%) reported positive effects; ten said LDP improved their physical performance, while others noted strengthened confidence, insights for physical practice, improved flexibility, and positive emotions. LDP allows deliberate manipulation of practice conditions, speed, and perspective. Problems during LDP and ways to handle them were also described. The findings suggest LDP holds potential for sports, rehabilitation, music, and surgery.
Journal of Sports Sciences
December 1, 2017
Melanie Schädlich, Daniel Erlacher, Michael Schredl
Practicing a motor skill inside a lucid dream can improve real-world performance, but only when distractions during the dream are minimal. In a sleep-laboratory pilot study, participants threw darts in the evening and again in the morning. One group physically practiced, one practiced only in lucid dreams, and a control group did not practice. Lucid dreamers who reported few distractions improved their dart-throwing accuracy by 18%, a significant gain comparable to physical practice. Those who experienced many distractions showed no improvement. The findings suggest lucid dream practice may be useful for athletes who can maintain focus within the dream, though the results are preliminary and require qualitative investigation of the dream experience.
Consciousness and Cognition
September 1, 2012
Tadas Stumbrys, Daniel Erlacher, Melanie Schädlich et al.
Lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is aware of dreaming and can often influence the dream, is a learnable skill. A systematic review of 35 studies (11 in sleep laboratories, 24 in the field) evaluated techniques for inducing lucid dreams. Most studies (26) tested cognitive techniques, 11 used external stimulation, and one applied a drug. The overall methodological quality of the studies was low. No induction technique was verified to reliably and consistently induce lucid dreams, though some appeared promising. The review presents a taxonomy of methods and discusses methodological issues and future research directions.