Time required for motor activity in lucid dreams.
Daniel Erlacher, Michael Schredl
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 2004 DOI: 10.2466/pms.99.3f.1239-1242 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Proficient lucid dreamers aged 26-34 |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Key findings | Counting in a lucid dream takes about as long as in wakefulness, but motor activities like squats take longer in lucid dreams. |
Abstract
The present study investigated the relationship between the time required for specific tasks (counting and performing squats) in lucid dreams and in the waking state. Five proficient lucid dreamers (26-34 yr. old, M=29.8, SD=3.0; one woman and four men) participated. Analysis showed that the time needed for counting in a lucid dream is comparable to the time needed for counting in wakefulness, but motor activities required more time in lucid dreams than in the waking state.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Neural Correlates of Dream Lucidity Obtained from Contrasting Lucid versus Non-Lucid REM Sleep: A Combined EEG/fMRI Case Study Experienced lucid dreamers | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 4 |
| Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. Individuals during REM sleep, including frequent lucid dreamers, a novice, and a... | 2021 | Observational study | n = 36 |
| Lucid Dreaming in Narcolepsy Consecutive patients with narcolepsy and healthy controls | 2015 | Case-control study | n = 106 |
| Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming Human participants split into high- and low-lucidity groups based on reported dream... | 2015 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey The American Journal of Psychology April 21, 2014
- Time for actions in lucid dreams: effects of task modality, length, and complexity Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- Dream characteristics in a Brazilian sample: an online survey focusing on lucid dreaming Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Using Real-time Reporting to Investigate Visual Experiences in Dreams Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience September 30, 2025
- An integrative pluralistic approach to phenomenal consciousness Advances in Consciousness Research July 11, 2012
and 2 more in the library