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Extending mental practice to sleep: Enhancing motor skills through lucid dreaming

Emma Peters, Sanne Golembiewski, Daniel Erlacher, Martin Dresler

Medical Hypotheses March 27, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2023.111066 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review Peer reviewed
Topics Lucid dreaming Dreaming
Keywords Sleep system call Cognitive psychology
Citations 12
Key findings Lucid dreaming motor practice can improve subsequent waking motor performance, supported by similarities in brain activity and physiological responses to physical practice.

Abstract

Improving motor performance without physical movements might seem counterintuitive, however, decades of research on mental practice have demonstrated its feasibility. The phenomenon of lucid dreaming – i.e. becoming aware of the current dream state during ongoing sleep – bears some resemblance to mental practice: behaviors such as motor tasks can be intentionally simulated with mental imagery. During lucid dreaming, however, the brain generates a highly immersive, VR-like environment and realistic proprioceptive impressions to match the mental practitioner’s needs. In recent years the hypothesis was thus proposed that lucid dreaming can be used to extend motor practice to the sleeping state, thereby improving motor performance during subsequent wakefulness. Here, we examine this hypothesis by exploring the theoretical foundations and efficacy of this inventive approach in sports science and beyond. Experimental studies show promising performance improvements after lucid dreaming motor practice. Similarities have been observed in brain activity, eye movements, muscle activity, and autonomic responses compared to physical practice support the potential of lucid dreaming practice. Surveys show that athlete populations already implement lucid dreaming practice as part of their training. Potential placebo effects and an increase in motivation after lucid dreaming practice in the post-test should be investigated in future studies. Also, some well-known practical challenges of lucid dream research, such as its rarity, lack of proper training, and lack of control over the dream, need to be addressed. Eliminating these limitations will strengthen the potential of this inventive approach and enable lucid dreaming practice to be incorporated into various disciplines in the future.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on lucid dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming 2019 Review
My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? 2019 Review
What about dreams? State of the art and open questions 2022 Review
The Dream of God: How Do Religion and Science See Lucid Dreaming and Other Conscious States During Sleep? 2020 Review
Insight and Dissociation in Lucid Dreaming and Psychosis 2018 Review

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