Saving Gotham with a sharpened toothbrush, sleeping with the hottie from apartment 2A or finally telling your parents you hate chicken marsala — how these lucid dreams, and more, can be yours.

PATIENCE & PRACTICE

Dreaming is a strange unknown in a world full of questions, but like everything else, can be manipulated with a little determination and practice. The first rule of controlling your dreams, say experts, is to have discipline. If it makes you uncomfortable to be patient, dream exploring just isn’t your thing. Move along.

JOURNALIZE IT

The more you write down what you remember after waking up, the more that can be recalled while you’re dreaming. This is essentially a “lock and key” to controlling your internal world, says journalist and author Jason Louv. “The more detail you record, the more detail you’ll remember the next night,” says Louv, “and the more you’ll start to gain control of what you’re dreaming.” You’ll never be in charge until you know you’re dreaming.

TEST REALITY

It sounds stupid, but asking yourself repeatedly during the day, “Am I dreaming?” will force your brain to do the same while you’re snoozing. “Reality Testing proves to be more effective when practiced more often during a day,” says Lynne Levitan, author of the book “A Course In Lucid Dreaming.” She and her team found that this silly practice doubles your chances of lucid dreaming. 

WAKEY WAKEY

A quick hack to getting into the zone is to wake yourself up about 4 hours before you need to. Fart around for about an hour doing menial things like meditating, staring at the wall or counting sheep — then go back down. These late morning refreshers are proven to be the most effective if you’re trying to reach a certain sleep point, as the final hours are most rich with REM activity and is the best shot of going lucid. 
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DREAM MORE BETTER

Yes, there are easier ways to escaping reality, we’re glad you asked.

Oneirogen: From the Greek óneiros meaning "dream" and gen “to create": any substance, practice, or experience that promotes or enhances dream states.

 

Melatonin
Available in just about any store that sells things, melatonin naturally occurs in animals and regulates sleep and wakefulness. An easy fix for restless nights, too.

Mugwort
Of or relating to several leaves with oil containing thujone (an active ingredient in absinthe). Some who use it claim the plants aid in out of body experiences.

Binaural Beats
Created in the ‘70s, binaural beats uses two different frequencies entering both ears at different times. This creates a type of rhythm that stimulates a brain state. There are apps for this.

Quit Weed
*sad horn* It’s true. Even though it might help people get to sleep, weed actually inhibits REM activity. When you quit, it powers back like an ex you kind of like having around.