Does having lucid dreams really make you more rested than other dreams? (Reading "Insomnia" by Stepehn King)

I'm not sure about that, but after i have had a particularly energetic dream i always wake up exhausted. Your mind needs rest.

I always feel better after a dreamless night's sleep.

For more information, i'd contact the sleep advisory Council for books and websites on these things.

In my opinion, lucid dreams do not always mean one is more rested upon waking. Depending the type of lucid dream and the one who is dreaming, there is a lot of mental activity exerted. Lucid dreams can create a whole sense of feelings; peace, excitement, joy, wonderment along with feeling exhausted, tired and worn. I don't believe lucidity is entirely indicative of feeling more rested.

REM sleep and the duration is needed for overal mental and physical health - this is what makes a person feel rested.

To answer the second part of your question about ways to lucid dream. First off lucid dreaming is being *consciously aware* of what is going on the in the dream. It lies within the power of visualization. The conscious mind takes control over the dreamscape, gaining some measure of creative power and influence over it. One may or may not control what happens while in dream. If one is able to alter, control or fix the dream, that's great. Awareness is the crux of it. After that, you can practice a variety of lucid dreaming techniques. It takes mind power to realize you are dreaming in which you can make yourself run, fly, swim, walk through walls and visit places etc. There are many methods you can try.

When you realize you are dreaming, you can do a few quick checks to become more lucid. One is the basic reality checks. Do them during the day so you become more accustomed to the process. While in dream you can put through your hand through a wall, door, window etc. Usually anything super-human works well, flying, running fast, jumping high etc. Also you can wave your hands in a certain motion to let "you" know you are dreaming. These triggers should be established prior to sleep. There are many more ways to achieve conscious awareness these are just a few quick ideas.

For insomnia though, I would recommend bringing this to your drs. attention as there could be physical reasons: hormonal changes, decreased melatonin, genetics, other medical conditions.

I could see that being true, if you lucid dream, you can control what's going on. Therefore if you're dreaming about stressful situations, you can ease your mind by changing the dream. Makes sense to me.

insomnia is the inability to get to what is called rem sleep. rem sleep, (rapid eye movement), is the deepe sleep people reach for only a few moments a night. without it, the body does not really reach a full relaxation state which, though only a few moments, is really needed for the body to fully relax. a simple three minutes of rem sleep is better than eight or ten hours of regular sleep. it is usually achieved near the end of the sleep cycle. as you get older, the need for sleep decreases, but the need for rem sleep grows.

im a lucid dreamer. yes i can change my dreams if i want. i also dream in color. seriously..but i do not know how one goes about having lucid dreams. it just happens.

yes

YEAH YOU CAN GIVE YOURSELF LUCID DREAMS..........