Did you know there are conferences for lucid dreamers? Or dedicated post-secondary researchers on the subject, such as the folks at the Stanford Sleep Lab? People are curious about the phenomenon–the ability to come to conscious awareness in the dreaming state. Perhaps they would like to learn how to swallow fire or visit the sun, themselves.
A 2015 study entitled Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming found that lucid dreamers are more likely to be ultra-conscious, self-reflective people in their waking hours as well.
Study participants filled out a survey assessing their lucid dreaming aptitude before underoing MRI and fMRI scans of their brains. According to the images, the participants with higher lucid dreaming scores had more gray matter–the region of the brain known as the anterior prefrontal cortex was larger and showed more activity.
“Our results indicate that self-reflection in everyday life is more pronounced in persons who can easily control their dreams,” said Elisia Filevich, one of the researchers.
If you’re interested in lucid dreaming, try fine-tuning your awareness to your surroundings. That way, if you notice something is ‘off’ within a dream state, you’ll have a better chance of realizing it!