Wake Back to Bed with less time?

It seems the true secret to lucid dreaming is doing WBTB right and using a technique that works for you while going back to sleep. Last night was my second attempt and I used SSILD and 20 mins of Zen meditation and pretty easily fell into half way states and could almost consciously let myself fall into a dream. My dreams were like movies and I was prelucid throughout the dreams. I even manipulated dream scenes and myself and knew on some level that it wasn't real. But wasn't able to fully realize the dreams.

I have two questions:

1. I usually wake up hungry and have trouble falling back to sleep because of this, I'm in the middle of a technique and can get 1/2 way there but cannot fall asleep. Does anyone have a similar experience?

2. Is it possible to take less time before going back to bed? I'm wondering how this may impact restful sleep, or those nights where I can only get 6.5-7 hours of sleep.

Regardless, I did it, I achieved lucidity last night. I'm now sure that my frustration with LDing has been because I used to get up whenever to go #1. Which was usually only 2-3 hours from going to bed. Now I'm training myself to wake up 4-5 hours into sleep. And it's working. But it's very brittle. If anything in my system is slightly off, such as caffeine too late or alcohol, nothing happens.

I'm reading and walking around when I first get up, then meditating for 15-20 mins before going back to sleep.

What I did last night was the SSILD technique. While doing that and in some half-way state, I quite spontaneously attempted WILD techniques. I felt I was almost there and let a dream just form around me. It was as if SSILD built a bridge to where I could attempt WILD.

(How come, despite the young age of so many members on this board, people are more mature and grounded than other forums?)

I often get hungry too in the night ;) I try and ignore it but you could just put a snack by your bed to eat when you get up for WBTB if you're that hungry? well done on achieving lucidity! I've noticed SSILD being mentioned more and more-I've read up on it but not tried it-how do you find it!?

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I've had more success with becoming somewhat lucid. I still woke up feeling fatigued. I can't find any other factors, usually I'm wired with 7 hours of sleep. SSILD seems to be a great bridge into WILD. That's been my experience.

It could be because I had a powerful emotionally negative dream where I acted out at all of the dream characters. I was semilucid for some of it.

I recall more positive or neutral lucid dreams energizing myself.

That could be it-a good dream can make you feel great for the day whereas a bad one can definitely be a rubbish start to a day!

I may try it-I have not really had a proper WILD yet-my technique of choice is MILD so far.

This could account for your fatigue though-WILD techniques can make you lose a lot of sleep both from my own experience and things I've read. A time I recall trying WILD with binaural beats I ended up not being able to sleep! So if you only have 7 hours of sleep on a day maybe MILD could be worth a shot seeing as its probably a quicker way to fall asleep :)

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Thanks.

I just had another success with SSILD! I was only up for about 10 mins and didn't even complete the cycles before falling asleep. I had 2-3 moments of high lucidity and longer periods of weak lucidity and long dreams. I kept going back to this one place that I was consciously using to re-enter lucidity. It was as if this non-lucid space was a stepping off point to intentional lucidity. And I woke up feeling great this time.

SSILD and WILD as a secondary technique has been the only techniques that have given me consistent results. That and waking up at atleast 4 hours.

Wooooo! well done! hmmm think I'm gonna have to try SSILD out now ;)

Still, like with other techniques, sometimes I just go to sleep and nothing happens. It seems that anything that changes sleep completely sabotages chances at LDing.

Wow, I had a powerful LD last night after again thinking that I failed SSILD. I woke up half a sleep several times after and also did WILD back into sleep. This seems to up my intention big time.

I have been trying SSILD out after reading about yours and others success from it. I have managed to get 2 LDs from it, I think if I practise it more, then it could be really effective!

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