I was wondering if anyone has problems lucid dreaming with a cold or the flu? I began doing RCs, MILD & WBTB about 2 months ago. After my first LD (well technically not my first, but the first one I had after I began trying) I started becoming lucid every night. A week went by and I got this awful cold. I haven’t been able to go lucid since then and my recall is very bad. Does anyone else have this problem? I was sick for about 2 weeks and I’ve been feeling better for 2 weeks, but still nothing. I’ve been more tired than usual; could that be the problem?
I’ve always had a weak immune system and I get bad colds that last for around 2-3 weeks at least 4 times a year (usually when the weather changes). Is there a method that works better when you are/have been not feeling well? I apologize if this has been asked before, I did several searches and found nothing about dreaming with a cold, only with a permanent illness. I’d appreciate any insight.
I once used a cold to help me become lucid. I had a cold for about a week and when my nose was cleared up I knew I was dreaming. If you take cold medicine that might have an effect, I don’t know whether good or bad. Sometimes when I’m really tired it has a positive effect, it makes it easier to WILD. But if I’m too tired my mind can’t stay focused enough for that.
If you’re not sick anymore stay with it, It was about a month from the time I had my first intentional lucid dream to my second, and then I just kept getting them more frequently, until I forgot about it, and now I’m getting them frequently again.
I’m not sick that often either so I don’t really know how it affects lucid dreaming. But I tend to sleep alot while I’m sick so maybe it’s a good thing then again I usually get really strange nightmares when I have a high fever, so… And also when I get sick I have to blow my nose several times/hour during the day. It’s a bit less during the night, but it’s still quite often so that’s maybe a good way to do several short WBTBs during the night while being sick.
I had the flu just last week. Yeah my recall has also been bad because of it, and during sickness I had a very hard time trying WILD or MILD. they just kept me inbetween waking and sleeping state. it was very miserable. Of course it depends on the person. I did have low lucidity durin the times I actually slept however.
Just wait your recall will come back. Mine started comming back just last night. You were sick longer then me so it would be logical to assume that your recall will take a bit longer then a week to come back fully…
The only thing about being sick that helps is my dad letting me sleep all day and not bug me at all so i fade in and out of dreams undisturbed for a whole day. The room being brighter seems to make the dreams brighter and clearer.
Whenever I’m sick, my dream recall decreases rapidly… And so far I can’t remember any LDs during sickness.
However, I think NDs during sickness are far more interesting, because your disease often gets symbolized in the dream in an exaggerated way. Powerful dreams can arise from diseases… but as I’ve said, I haven’t experienced this so far
Last time I got the flu I had some of the best lucid dreaming ever. I think because all I did was sleep eat some chicken soup, take medication, then sleep some more. I must have had lot’s of rem sleep.
Thanks for the input. My recall has improved and I’ve had 2 lucid dreams. I’m not sure what was causing my dry spell, but I’m glad it seems to be over. I may have been doing this to myself. When you think there is going to be a problem, there usually will be one. Medication has given me vivid and crazy dreams in the past. I take over the counter cold pills for the first few days of a cold to help with my breathing. I’m trying to stay away from doctors and modern medicine. It hasn’t helped me much in the past, so now I’m concentrating on natural remedies and eating right. Also when I start to feel sick, I try to visualize my white blood cells multiplying and attacking any foreign bodies in my blood stream. So far, these natural approaches seem to help me more than antibiotics and doctors.
It was a cold alright, and still it did not pass away totally. My dream recall is fine, but in the last 9 days I only got a very short lucid dream, and some lucid awakenings… So maybe it’s probably affecting my lucidity, but I can’t be sure.
Good to know you got over your dryspell SoaringSpirit
Yes, dream recall is poor while sick. It is even worse, because, if I remember something, I forget to write it down until I forget everything. And I cannot do my favorite nose RC, so – less DILDs.
But I still can have WILDs. The problem is that I don’t remember them in the morning.
I also notice, that I have more FAs. If I only remember to do RC every time I wake up, some more LDs are guaranteed. But I am not sure if I really must do it. I usually have lots of LDs before I fall ill, so I am not sure already, what is the cause and what the effect.
i know that for me when i get sick i come much more closer to LDing then when im not,
also, my dream recall is alot more clearer,
but, i also have weirder dreams…
5-7 yrs ago, i had a fever and dreamed my school was burning. i hate school
sometimes my dreams are whacked when im sick, sometimes they even make them more vivid
Does anyone else have this problem? I was sick for about 2 weeks and I’ve been feeling better for 2 weeks, but still nothing. I’ve been more tired than usual; could that be the problem?
).
so I don’t really know how it affects lucid dreaming. But I tend to sleep alot while I’m sick so maybe it’s a good thing 
then again I usually get really strange nightmares when I have a high fever, so… 
while being sick.
Glad to hear it. Don’t worry dry spells happen to everyone. The good news is that they do end.
