In the following article, I am curating a selection of lucid dreaming stats, research and survey. The purpose of this article is to put together and consolidate statistics, data, research and surveys from several sources across the web.
Due to the nature of research itself, this blog post is to be considered a constant work-in-progress with additions and changes made on a monthly basis.
Before going through the figures, I am going to quickly go through the topic of lucid dreaming for those who have never heard of it.
Lucid Dreaming Stats: General FAQ
What Is Lucid Dreaming?
Lucid dreaming is a phenomenon in which a person becomes aware that they are dreaming while they are still in the dream state.
This can allow you, the dreamer, to have some control over the dream, such as the ability to change the dream's plot or manipulate the environment.
To learn more about this, you can also read my other article 'What is lucid dreaming and how does it work?'.
Lucid dreaming vs regular dreaming
These are a few key differences between the lucid and regular dreaming. These include: awareness, control, brain activity, and frequency.
To learn more about this topic, feel free to read my other blog post 'Lucid Dreaming vs Regular Dreaming'.
How to lucid dream
There are a number of techniques to trigger lucid dreams. These include:
- Wake Back to Bed (WBTB)
- Dream Journaling
- Reality Checks
- Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
- Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming (WILD)
- Intention, Autosuggestion & Tholey’s Combined Technique
- Post-Hypnotic Suggestion
- External Stimulation and Aids (Lucid Dreaming Masks)
- Cortical Stimulation
If you want to learn more about these methods, please read my article 'How to lucid dreams: practical techniques to induce lucid dreams'.
And now, let's get to the main topic of this article: lucid dreaming stats!
Lucid Dreaming Stats: Research
How many people experience lucid dreaming in their lives?
55% of adults have experienced at least one lucid dream in their life (1).
How often do people experience lucid dreams?
23% of adults experience lucid dreaming regularly, once or more per month (2). Approximately 1% of people experience lucid dreams once or more per week (3).
How long does the average lucid dream last for?
The average lucid dream duration is about 14 minutes (4).
How often are lucid dreamers able to control their dreams?
According to a 2012 study by Voss, Frenzel, Koppehele-Gossel, and Hobson, only 37% of lucid dreamers are able to manipulate the dreams and only 25.2% of lucid dreamers claim very frequent or consistent control within their lucid dreams (Mota-Rolim et al. 2013).
How often do lucid dreamers practice their waking skills?
According to a 2012 study, only 21.3% of frequent lucid dreamers report utilising their lucidity to practice waking skills (Schädlich & Erlacher).How do men and women compare in lucid dreaming?
Compared with men, women enter lucid dreams 50% more often immediately upon falling asleep, experience spontaneous lucid dreams 50% more frequently, and can remain in lucid dreams for longer (5).
What are the main applications of lucid dreaming?
According to a 2012 study (Schädlich & Erlacher, 2012), 80% of dreamers make use of their lucid dream abilities for simply having fun: flying, playing games, dancing, etc. About 60% benefit from lucid dreams by decreasing their nightmare frequency and intensity. Other applications that were stated are problem solving (about 30%), development of creativity (about 27%) and practice of specific movements (about 21%).
Lucid Dreaming Stats: Survey
The following data were collected back in 2012 through a survey (5) that ran on the Reddit group r/LucidDreaming. As such, the results are heavily influenced by the specific audience of Reddit users.
Below I am listing the most significant stats from the said survey. For the full data, please visit the corresponding entry on Github Gist.
What is the favorite method among lucid dreamers?
40% of lucid dreamers choose the MILD technique as their favorite method for lucid dreaming, while 34% of them claim to lucid dream naturally. The second most popular method among lucid dreamers is the DILD with 22% of the preferences, followed by the WILD w/ or w/o the WBTB method with 15% (source: Lucid Dreaming Survey Results, 2012).
What was the first lucid dreaming technique that actually worked?
45% of lucid dreamers claim to have never used any method for triggering lucid dreams. Among those who use at least one, the MILD technique is the most popular one with 14% of preferences, followed by the DILD method with 12%.
How long does it take to have the first lucid dream?
While 35% of people report having their first lucid dream naturally, for 16% of lucid dreamers it took 2-3 weeks before their first lucid dream and 1-2 months for 12% of those interviewed.
What are the most used reality checks in lucid dreaming?
'How many fingers do I have?' is by far the most commonly-used reality check with 55% of the preferences, followed by the question 'Can I breath with my nose shut?' chosen by 41% of the participants, and 'Can I remember how I got here?' with 27%.
How long have you actively kept a dream journal?
Surprisingly, 42% of the people who took the survey said they didn't keep any dream journal, while 15% of the users said they have actively kept it for 1-2 months and 14% for 0-1 week.
Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? If so, are you afraid of it?
39% of the people who responded to the survey said they never experienced sleep paralysis and they are not afraid of it, while 31% said they did experience sleep paralysis and are also not afraid of it.
References
2. Ibid.
