Lucid dream frequency and knowledge about lucid dreaming in adolescents

Abstract

Lucid dreams are dreams in which the dreamer is realizing that she/he is dreaming while dreaming; the prevalence of lucid dreaming in adults is about 55%. Relatively little is known about lucid dreaming in adolescents. In the present survey, 226 adolescents (144 female, 82 male) with an age range from 10 to 20 yrs. The findings indicate that the percentage of adolescents who report having had at least one lucid dream (about 53%) is comparable to previous studies; however, no increase in lucid dream prevalence with age was found. Only one third of the participants did know what lucid dreams are, even though some of them already experienced at least one lucid dream. Future research should focus on topics how adolescents learn about lucid dreaming and whether they can benefit from lucid dreaming, e.g., by coping with nightmares.