How to Control Your Dreams

Dreams can deeply influence our lives, reflecting our hopes and fears about the future and sometimes helping us revisit the past. Whether you wish to master your dreams (that is, to control them effectively and become aware of them while asleep) or simply want to have more peaceful dreams, there are steps you can take during the day and before bedtime to influence the dreams you experience. If you're interested in learning how to control your dreams, check out the guide below.

Go to bed earlier. A 2011 study on dreams published in the journal *Biological Rhythms and Sleep* found that college students who stayed up late tended to have more unpleasant dreams compared to those who went to bed earlier. Try to sleep at least one hour earlier each night and notice the positive impact on your dreams if you aim for a more peaceful sleep.

• One potential explanation for this finding is that the stress hormone cortisol is produced early in the morning, a time when night owls are often in REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement), dreaming, or in deep sleep.

Control your diet. There are many factors that can contribute to nightmares, such as late-night eating, consuming alcohol, caffeine, or smoking cigars. If you experience recurring nightmares, consider cutting down on these substances or avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed to allow enough time for digestion and enjoy a better night's sleep.

• If you're having trouble getting a deep sleep and peaceful dreams, try avoiding caffeinated drinks after noon. While you might crave the energy boost, it will make it harder for you to fall asleep.
• Although you might think a glass of alcohol before bed will help you sleep, it actually disrupts your sleep cycle. If your sleep isn't deep and you're aiming to control your dreams, alcohol will make this more difficult.

Manage stress. Negative dreams often reflect the stress and fears we experience in our daily lives. Try not to dwell on these concerns as you prepare for sleep. Instead, take some time to let go of your worries and focus on positive thoughts. The less you worry about daily stresses, the more relaxed your mind will be, resulting in the dreams you desire.

• Regular exercise can help reduce stress, lead to better dreams, and improve your sleep. However, avoid exercising right before bedtime as it may keep you awake.

Establish a comfortable sleep routine. It's crucial to create a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as drinking herbal tea or reading a book before sleeping, to help reduce fear and anxiety. Find the techniques that work best for your sleep and incorporate them into your routine. Aim to clear your mind of any stress or worries to help you fall into a peaceful slumber.

• Avoid watching violent, scary, or intense TV shows or movies, as these can trigger nightmares.
• Turn off all visual stimulants at least 30 minutes before bed if you want a better night's sleep. This means refraining from using phones, computers, or any devices that make it difficult to relax and achieve a restful sleep.

Place roses in your bedroom. Scientists conducted a dream study where women who were exposed to rose fragrance for at least 30 days experienced more peaceful dreams than usual. This suggests that pleasant scents evoke positive emotions, contributing to softer dreams.

• You can also use rose-scented oils, body creams, or candles. However, be sure to extinguish any candles before sleep to prevent fire hazards.

Get enough sleep. Dreams typically occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of the sleep cycle. If you don't sleep enough or wake up multiple times throughout the night, this cycle will be disrupted. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and go to bed at a consistent time to allow both your body and mind to function optimally.

Focus on your dreams. Many people believe that remembering what you dreamt is the first step towards achieving lucid dreaming. Before going to sleep, remind yourself that you will recall your dreams when you wake up. This will help make the dream more accessible to your subconscious. Here are some tips to improve your dream recall:

• Ask yourself what you dreamed about right after waking up. Don't rush out of bed, as it will be harder to remember your dreams. Instead, lie back down and focus on the details of your dream. One reason people forget their dreams is because they wake up and immediately think about other things. Make this a daily habit.
• Write down your dreams. Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed so you can jot down your dreams as soon as you wake up. This also helps with remembering your dreams over time.

Reality checks while you dream and throughout the day. A reality check is a technique that helps you distinguish between the real world and the dream world, and it can be done both while dreaming and while awake. Successfully performing a reality check during sleep can help trigger a lucid dream, as it allows you to become aware that you're dreaming. Here are some reality check methods you can try:

• Try to fly. Clearly, this only works in a dream.
• Look at your reflection in the mirror. If your image is distorted, blurry, or missing entirely, you may be dreaming.
• Check the clock. In dreams, it's very hard to read a clock, as the numbers are often unclear.
• Turn the light switch on and off. Light switches don't work properly in dreams, so if you can turn a light on or off with just your thoughts, you might be dreaming.
• Look at your hands. Check if your hands appear normal when you examine them closely. If you're dreaming, you might have more or fewer fingers than usual.
• Try using electronics. Computers and phones don’t function properly in dreams.
• Look in the mirror. See if you look different than usual.
• Try holding your breath while pinching your nose and mouth. If you can still breathe, you're likely dreaming.
• Try pushing a pencil through your hand. If you're dreaming, the pencil will either pass through your hand in a strange way or hover in mid-air. In reality, it will simply leave a mark on your hand.

Look for signs that you're dreaming. When you make it a habit to record your dreams, start looking for signs that indicate you're actually dreaming. These can be recurring images, like an island you've never visited in real life, or repeated events, such as losing your teeth or feeling too dizzy to move. Recognizing these signs can help you become more aware that you're dreaming because you'll be able to identify them more easily.

• Once you recognize the signs of your dreams, you can remind yourself that you're dreaming.

Play video games. A psychologist suggests that video games help people become familiar with living in an alternate reality and seeing themselves from outside their bodies, skills which are reflected in the world of dreams. Her research concluded that gamers are more likely to experience lucid dreams and have greater control over them.

• Avoid playing violent games before bed, as they can cause nightmares. If you decide to try this method, make sure to stop playing video games at least one hour before going to sleep.

Consume foods rich in melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone commonly found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. It is a powerful antioxidant and is known to enhance REM sleep, making dreams more vivid. Melatonin is also believed to help us fall asleep faster. To have more vivid dreams, deeper sleep, and better control over your dreams, consider incorporating these melatonin-rich foods into your diet:

• Cherries
• Oats
• Almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Flaxseeds
• Beets
• Rice
• Tomatoes
• Bananas
• White mustard
• Black mustard

Ask yourself throughout the day if you are dreaming. Whether you are sitting in class or reading a letter, make it a habit to ask yourself, "Am I dreaming?" By frequently doing this, you will begin to ask yourself the same question when you are actually dreaming. When you do, you will realize you are dreaming and gain control, allowing you to make any choice you want in your dream.

• Asking yourself if you are dreaming can heighten awareness, helping you achieve lucid dreams.

Reflect before sleep. To experience lucid dreams, it is essential to be fully self-aware and free from distractions of daily life. As you lie in bed, trying to fall asleep, push aside any troubling thoughts and focus entirely on the fact that you are going to sleep and entering a dream.

• Melatonin can also help clear negative thoughts, which often prevent a restful sleep.

Imagine your lucid dream. Before you fall asleep, think about what you want to dream. Create a vivid mental image of the scene, including details like the environment, sounds, and smells. Put yourself in that scenario and walk around within it.

• Pay attention to the sensations of breathing and movement in the dream. Though you are not yet dreaming, remind yourself, "I am dreaming." Keep this thought as you drift off to sleep.
• Choose the ideal sleeping position for optimal results.

Place dream triggers by your bedside. Before going to sleep, leave a photo, symbol, or even a blank piece of paper near your bed. Choose something that represents what you wish to dream about and place it near you before sleep so it can become part of your dream. If you wish to dream about a specific person, place a picture of them close by. If you’re an artist searching for inspiration, leave a blank canvas next to your bed.

• Doing so can help direct your dreams by planting key thoughts into your mind just before you fall asleep.

Mentally prepare for dream control before sleep. As you lie in bed, ready to sleep, tell yourself something simple like, "Tonight, when I dream, I want to realize that I am dreaming." Repeat this mantra for a short time, and see what happens. It will help you start to cultivate the awareness necessary to recognize that you are dreaming.

Sleep in total darkness. For the best control over your dreams, you should sleep in complete darkness or as close to it as possible. Sleeping in full darkness helps maintain high melatonin levels, enhancing beautiful dreams and making it easier to recall them. Ideally, there should be no difference between the darkness you see when your eyes are open and when they are closed. Avoid any dim lighting, windows with light streaming through, or other factors that might prevent you from being in the darkest environment possible.

Try the MILD technique. Stephen LaBerge, from Stanford University and the founder of the Lucidity Institute, created a technique known as MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams), one of the most effective methods for mastering lucid dreaming. Here’s what you need to do:

• Tell yourself that you will remember your dreams when you sleep.
• Focus on being aware while dreaming and recognizing it as a dream.
• Imagine what you want to do in the dream, such as flying or dancing.
• Repeat the last two steps when you realize you're dreaming, and return to sleep until you fall asleep again.
• Continue practicing this technique until you are able to experience lucid dreams.

Let nightmares fade away. While it may be difficult to control dreams and make nightmares vanish, one thing you can do is alter the ending of the nightmare. If you often dream of a scary man in your house, imagine you are able to avoid him or that he leaves you alone. No matter how terrifying the dream is, try to visualize overcoming the fear as a victorious person and let the nightmare disappear.

• If you focus on this strongly enough, write it down, or even say it aloud, you can retrain your mind to approach the dream differently.

Start controlling your dreams with simple actions once you realize you're dreaming. Once you've performed a reality check and are aware that you're dreaming, try to stay calm and not get too excited about the fact that you're dreaming. If you become overly excited, you risk waking up. Instead, remain composed, immerse yourself in the dream world, and begin by controlling simple elements before tackling more complex ones.

• You can begin by carefully altering the scenery or simply walking around in the dream. You might start touching objects and attempting to make small things appear or disappear.

Gain more control over your dreams. Once you're comfortable with lucid dreaming and want to take it further, you can begin aiming for higher levels of dream control. You can make yourself fly, gather people, change the landscape entirely, travel back to your childhood, or even traverse time. As you become more adept at controlling your dreams, you'll be able to create the dreams you desire more frequently.

• Remember to record your dreams after waking up. Mark the areas where you felt in control and note what you were able to achieve and what you couldn’t. If there’s something you can never seem to do, like flying, ask yourself what might be holding you back.

Periodically remind yourself of what you're dreaming. When you're aware you're dreaming, remind yourself that you often dream. If you don't, you may forget what you're dreaming about and lose control over the events. By constantly reminding yourself of what you're dreaming, you'll find that you're able to change and manage the dream more effectively.

Make yourself fly. One thing you can try when controlling a dream is to fly. At first, it may seem impossible, but you can gradually make it happen. Tell yourself, 'Now, I'm going to fly,' to mentally prepare yourself. You can jump around, bounce up and down, and stretch yourself before you’re fully airborne. The more comfortable you get with it, the more you’ll be able to lift off the ground and fly.

• When flying, don’t doubt what's happening. You won’t be able to fly truly if you have lingering doubts. If you find yourself flying low, jump forcefully and try again.

Control objects. You can also control objects or anything you want to hold in your hand. If you want to do this, think about how you can make it possible. Perhaps you'd like a delicious cake. Start by imagining you're in a kitchen or a restaurant where the cake is brought to you. If you just think about the cake itself, it may not appear, but if you create a setting, it will be easier to visualize the cake, and soon it will be in your hands.

Change the scenery. You can also change the landscape of your dream if you put in the effort. Once you realize you're dreaming, try imagining a door opening to a new space in your dream, or gradually add pieces to your imagined scene until you achieve the environment you desire. If you're trying to recall your childhood home, start by gathering your favorite trees from the backyard, then the back gate, and so on, until you’ve created the world you want.

• This can help you visualize or create replicas of the landscapes you want to dream about before you go to sleep. Make sure this is one of the last things you see before closing your eyes so that your mind is prepared for the adventure.

Time travel. Some people are able to travel through time in their dreams. You can imagine stepping into your own time machine or opening a door to a new world. If this doesn't work, try a different approach. You can even tell yourself, 'Now I will travel through time,' and focus on making it happen without forcing it. This will help you drift into sleep while thinking about the moment in your life you'd like to revisit.

• Don’t just sleep—focus completely on what you want to dream about, so that you forget you’re even asleep and naturally drift into a deep sleep without effort.
• If you're in a relaxed state, you'll notice your body trying to sleep when you start to feel restless. Try to ignore this sign, keep your eyes closed, and don't think. Practicing this will help you reach the state between sleep and wakefulness, making lucid dreaming more likely.
• Some people naturally experience lucid dreams and can reach this state without much effort. However, others may find it more challenging, so give yourself time.
• If you focus on terrifying thoughts, your dream will likely not be pleasant. Try to envision a peaceful dream.
• If you're in a state of wakefulness and feel you're starting to lose control, try rubbing your hands together or walking around.
• Perform reality checks throughout the day to train your subconscious to do them while dreaming.
• Practice lucid dreaming techniques regularly. It may take years to master the art of lucid dreams, so be patient with yourself.
• Try meditating before bed to calm yourself, which will make lucid dreaming easier.
• Always try to think about lucid dreaming even before going to sleep!
• You may wake up easily if you think too much about your dreams. Relax and stay calm.