Have you ever been in a dream, realized that you were in one, and woke up immediately afterwards due to your realization? Or, do you wake up from a dream, realizing that it was one and wishing you had recognized it? A lucid dream is one in which you are aware that you’re dreaming and live out your fantasies. You can increase your chances of having one by…

Writing in a dream journal so that you become more and more familiar of the type of dreams you have.

Telling yourself that you’re going to have a lucid dream before you go to sleep.

Waking up about 30 minutes earlier than usual. Stay up for 30 minutes. And then go back to sleep.  Alternatively, take a nap in the afternoon.

Doing dream reality checks in real life several times a day so that they carry over into your dreams. Lean against a wall because, in a dream, you’re likely to fall through it. Jump up and down because, in a dream, you’ll be able to fly. Or, make a habit or reading random things because, in the dream world, it is almost impossible to read.

There are lucid dream masks you can buy which shine red light onto your eyes when they sense that you are in REM sleep and having a dream. This one, on Amazon, for example, goes for $229.95.

Most people are not aware that they are dreaming because dreams can replicate imaginary worlds with such detail. The earliest written record of lucid dreaming goes back to 415 AD in a letter written by a Latin philosopher, meaning that our fascination with dreams goes back to when we could first fall asleep.