This Is Why You Dream

People are often surprised that a brain surgeon, who spent time growing neurons in a lab, would have an opinion on lucid dreaming. Initially, I too thought the concept might be fringe or 'woo-woo'—more metaphysical than neuroscientific. However, as I delved deeper, dedicating two of the nine chapters in my book to this subject, I discovered many of my assumptions about dreams were incorrect. Indeed, some aspects of dreaming are surprisingly well-supported by science, while others remain as elusive as dreams themselves should be.

Lucid dreaming has been discussed for millennia, even by Aristotle about 2000 years ago. The topic gained significant traction in the neuroscience community in the 1970s and 80s when it was first proven to be possible. How was this proven? Let me walk you through the experiment because the details are crucial.

We use electrodes to detect brain activity, including the specific patterns known as sleep spindles. Initially, I was skeptical, suspecting people were just pretending to wake up. But these electrodes provide electrical proof that a person is genuinely asleep. Despite the body being paralyzed to prevent acting out dreams, some functions like breathing and reflexive movements continue, and crucially, eye movements are preserved. Researchers in sleep labs observed people who, while proven to be asleep through electrodes placed around their eyes and on their heads, began communicating with observers using predetermined eye movements, such as moving their eyeballs to the right three times to signal the onset of lucid dreaming.

In lucid dreams, unlike the random eye movements typical of REM sleep, these signals are highly coordinated. Upon waking, participants confirmed these movements coincided with the moment they became aware they were dreaming. Further proof includes changes in the brain’s activity, notably in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for executive functions, which shows increased activity as awareness in the dream returns.

Moreover, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, commonly discussed alongside others like dopamine and serotonin, plays a role here too. Its synthetic form, galantamine, used to treat dementia, has been shown to increase the frequency of lucid dreaming in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting a causal relationship.

Additionally, it turns out you can teach yourself to lucid dream, and many report not only experiencing lucid dreams but also being able to influence the direction of those dreams. About a third of people can do this. Even the team that helped publish my book reported dreaming more during the process.

So, from Aristotle’s discussions to modern pharmacological and blood flow evidence in fMRIs, lucid dreaming is supported by robust scientific evidence. It’s not just about crystals and wishful thinking, as some might jokingly suggest back in Los Angeles. Engaging deeply with this topic has significantly shifted my own perspective.

Dr. Rahul Jandial is an American, dual-trained brain surgeon and neuroscientist. He is also a London Times bestselling & international bestselling author with his books translated into over 30 languages.

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