The influence of lucid dreaming on physical performance [Lucid Dreaming Series (3/6)]

It is well known that athletic performance can be improved not only by physical training, but also by appropriate mental activities such as visualization. Thanks to the continuous advancement of science and technology, the number of training methods has increased dramatically in recent years. However, although numerous research studies have already revealed a significant influence of visualization and lucid dreaming on physical performance, this training method is still highly neglected and underestimated.

Paul Tholey, a German psychologist, is one of the first people to describe the influence of lucid dreaming on athletic performance precisely [1]. His extensive research in 1990 has proved that an athlete's performance can be significantly improved by a variant of physical training - training performed while sleeping/lucid dreaming. It was a groundbreaking revelation, and very soon after the publication was released, many other psychologists, neurophysiologists, biochemists, coaches, and athletes became engaged in examinations. Almost all research in this field has proven the significant positive influence of training/workout in lucid dreams on athletic performance.

"Physical" training in dreams can significantly improve:

- ability to operate machines [2]

- flexibility [3]; [4]

- coordination [5]; [6]

- endurance, and physical strength [7]

- functions of the nervous system [8]

If you have not tried mental training yet, I encourage you to try it today before sleeping. You can perform such activity (even the whole training session) while lying down and visualizing a movement you have difficulty with or participating in a competition if you have a hard time coping with stress. The next level of such training is to do it in a lucid dream. Just for the beginning, it will help you improve your athletic performance by affecting mind-muscle coordination and improving the functions of the nervous system, which may be essential to, for example, beating your PRs.

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1. Tholey P. (1990), Applications of lucid dreaming in sports, Lucidity Letter, 9, 6–17;

2. Erlacher D., Schredl M. (2010), Practicing a motor task in a lucid dream enhances subsequent performance: A pilot study, The Sport Psychologist, 24(2), 157–167;

3. Guillot A., Tolleron C., Collet C. (2010), Does motor imagery enhance stretching and flexibility? Journal of Sports Sciences 28(3), 291-298;

4. Kanthack T., Guillot A., Papaxanthis C., Guizard T., Collet C., Di Rienzo F. (2017), Neurophysiological insights on flexibility improvements through motor imagery, Behavioural Brain Research, 331, 159-168;

5. Malouin F., Jackson L., Richards L. (2013), Towards the integration of mental practice in rehabilitation programs: A critical review, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7(576);

6. Stumbrys T., Erlacher D., Schredl M. (2016), Effectiveness of motor practice in lucid dreams: A comparison with physical and mental practice, Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(1), 27–34;

7. Schädlich M., Erlacher D. (2018), Practicing sports in lucid dreams – characteristics, effects, and practical implications, Current issues in sports science (CISS);

8. Erlacher D., & Chapin H. (2010), Lucid dreaming: Neural virtual reality as a mechanism for performance enhancement: Commentary on "The neurobiology of consciousness: Lucid dreaming wakes up" by J. Allan Hobson. International Journal of Dream Research, 3(1), 7–10;