Is lucid dreaming dangerous?
Studies have shown that REM sleep is vital to us all. People who are deprived of it experience hallucinations and paranoia within a matter of days. They also try to “micro sleep”, lapsing in and out of consciousness for seconds at a time. Like normal dreaming, lucid dreaming is a product of REM sleep. The fact that you are conscious in the dream makes no difference. You still get the same amount of REM sleep. So conscious dreams are a completely safe form of REM sleep. The point to remember is that lucid dreaming and normal dreaming are interchangeable when it comes to REM sleep. You are not putting yourself at any risk by learning the art of dream control. (On the topic of sleep deprivation, there is a tragic disease known as Fatal Familial Insomnia. Sufferers of this rare genetic condition start to have trouble sleeping once they are middle aged, until one day they can no longer sleep at all. There is no cure, and sleeping pills only cause the symptoms to get worse. The loss of REM s
