Have you ever had a dream and realized that you were asleep? If so you had a lucid dream. A lucid dream is defined as any dream in which the dreamer is aware of that fact that he or she is asleep. Although rare I think that most people have had one a time or two in their lives, its a truly liberating experience being able to live as a superhero if only for a few moments. But what is the difference between a Lucid dream and a normal one? How does this Happen?

There are three ways to enter into a lucid dream: first and most commonly to go from a normal dream to a lucid one realizing you are asleep, to suddenly pass from consciousness to dream, or more interestingly to force one self to become lucid during your next dream period.

While most cases of lucid dreaming are brief by their very nature, most people will awake upon realizing that they are dreaming, cases of people being able to force themselves in and out of lucid dream have been established in studies dating as far back as 1959.

But what physically causes these lucid dreams? Why do I only remember pieces of my dreams so rarely and why do i wake up when having them? Studies have shown that lucid dreaming is related to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, this is the part of the brain which is usually inactive when sleeping but activates during a lucid dream. Why do you wake up? When the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activates it often jars the sleeper into consciousness, however tests have shown that partial activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can allow for prolonged lucid dreaming, literally walking the line between dreams and reality!

This may all sound like a lot of wasted time but researchers are hard at work finding applications for these new discoveries, for example helping those who suffer from chronic nightmares who could benefit from the knowledge that it “not really happening”.

The use of various sleeping aid medications is becoming more and more common all the time. This is basically due to the fact that a lot of men and women suffer from various forms of insomnia these days. Most of the sleeping disorders reported by patients aren’t really serious ones. It’s usually a transient type of insomnia related to something like stress or maybe an injury.

A lot of people can’t be bothered to deal with their insomnia in a natural way. They, instead, seek out sleep aid medications to help them get some rest. These products do have their place in the world but I feel that they are sometimes overused. In this article, we’ll look at a few common side effects that come as a result of using some common sleeping aids. Please keep in mind that this list is not all inclusive. Depending on the type of drug you’re on and your own body’s make up, these side effects may vary.

Now the most common sleep aid side effect is drowsiness. It’s OK to be drowsy at night time because this is what causes you to sleep. The problem many people face, though, is drowsiness in the morning and into the early afternoon. This can, understandably, affect your performance at work and at home. Other common side effects of sleeping meds include things like dry throat and constipation. These are fairly minor, but can still be a pain. As a general rule, I find that it’s best to use sleeping pills as a last resort. Talk to a health care professional for more information.

Too often, sleepiness is overlooked as a major contributor to vehicle crashes. Surveys have shown that as many as 1.9 million drivers have had a car crash due to sleepiness. Even more worrisome is the fact that 54% of drivers say they have driven while drowsy at least once in the past year and 28% do so at least once per month.

Drivers seem to underestimate how tired they are and they think that they can will themselves to stay awake. All it takes is one brief moment of reduced awareness to cause a crash.

Studies have shown that if you stay awake for more than 20 hours and drive, it is an impairment equal to driving with a 0.08% blood alcohol level. Fatigue slows reaction time just like alcohol does. It also impairs judgment and lessens awareness. It appears that too many American’s do not get enough sleep, yet still get behind the wheel. They may not fully understand the dangers of drowsy driving.

Stop driving if you notice these warning signs:

* Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking or heavy eyelids

* Daydreaming

* Trouble holding your head up

* Drifting into the other lane, swerving or hitting the rumble strips

* Inability to remember the last few miles that you have driven

* Missing exits or traffic signs

* Yawning repeatedly

* Feeling restless or irritable

Any one of these signs are indicators that you should not get behind the wheel or pull over as soon as possible and sleep if you are out on the highway.