Practicing a Motor Task in a Lucid Dream Enhances Subsequent Performance: A Pilot Study
Daniel Erlacher, Michael Schredl
The Sport Psychologist June 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1123/tsp.24.2.157 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Volunteers assigned to lucid dream practice, physical practice, or control groups |
| Duration | Single night |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Citations | 76 |
| Key points | Rehearsing a motor task in a lucid dream enhances subsequent waking performance, with the successful lucid dream group showing a significant improvement from 3.7 to 5.3 successful tosses. |
Abstract
Nocturnal dreams can be considered as a kind of simulation of the real world on a higher cognitive level. Within lucid dreams, the dreamer is able to control the ongoing dream content and is free to do what he or she wants. In this pilot study, the possibility of practicing a simple motor task in a lucid dream was studied. Forty participants were assigned to a lucid dream practice group, a physical practice group and a control group. The motor task was to toss 10-cent coins into a cup and hit as many as possible out of 20 tosses. Waking performance was measured in the evening and on the next morning by the participants at home. The 20 volunteers in the lucid dream practice group attempted to carry out the motor task in a lucid dream on a single night. Seven participants succeeded in having a lucid dream and practiced the experimental task. This group of seven showed a significant improvement in performance (from 3.7 to 5.3); the other 13 subjects showed no improvement (from 3.4 to 2.9). Comparing all four groups, the physical practice group demonstrated the highest enhancement in performance followed by the successful lucid dream practice group. Both groups had statistically significant higher improvements in contrast to the nondreaming group and the control group. Even though the experimental design is not able to explain if specific effects (motor learning) or unspecific effects (motivation) caused the improvement, the results of this study showed that rehearsing in a lucid dream enhances subsequent performance in wakefulness. To clarify the factors which increased performance after lucid dream practice and to control for confounding factors, it is suggested that sleep laboratory studies should be conducted in the future. The possibilities of lucid dream practice for professional sports will be discussed.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitions in Sleep: Lucid Dreaming as an Intervention for Nightmares in Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 2020 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Managing Insomnia Using Lucid Dreaming Training: A Pilot Study. Adults with Insomnia Disorder | 2021 | Open-label trial | n = 48 |
| Lucid dream mathematics: An explorative online study of arithmetic abilities of dream characters Proficient lucid dreamers | 2011 | Pilot study | n = 12 |
| Lucid dreaming of a prior virtual-reality experience with ego-transcendent qualities: a proof-of-concept study. Frequent lucid dreamers | 2025 | Pilot study | n = 4 |
| Targeted dream incubation at sleep onset can influence later dream content in REM sleep: a pilot study Participants undergoing a daytime nap following TDI at sleep onset | 2026 | Pilot study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 44
- The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey The American Journal of Psychology April 21, 2014
- Lucid dreaming incidence: A quality effects meta-analysis of 50 years of research Consciousness and Cognition June 20, 2016
- Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 2011
- Effectiveness of motor practice in lucid dreams: a comparison with physical and mental practice Journal of Sports Sciences April 7, 2015
- Applications of lucid dreams: An online study heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2012
and 39 more in the library
Cites 6
- Do REM (lucid) dreamed and executed actions share the same neural substrate? heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2008
- Lucid dreaming: Evidence and methodology Behavioral and Brain Sciences December 1, 2000
- Dreaming: a neuroimaging view Schweizer Archiv Fur Neurologie Und Psychiatrie December 7, 2005
- Recall of a specific word list in lucid dreams – an explorative online study heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2009
- The cognitive neuroscience of sleep: neuronal systems, consciousness and learning. Nature Reviews Neuroscience September 2002
and 1 more in the library