[tetris11]

> soft transition

This completely. I learned early on to not get excited, and to not immediately do the things I want to do, e.g. fly at breakneak speed into space, but gently learn to hover and then build speed and to undetail my surroundings so that a change in speed won't be too jarring that I wake up.

[bitmasher9]

Exactly. If I find myself in a school taking an exam I did not study for I have to realize I’m dreaming, remember I have total control of my surroundings, stand up, walk out of the classroom while thinking about where I want to go. Sometimes the dream throws roadblocks like “I can’t find the door out of this classroom.” The trick when a roadblock happens is to remain clam, remain confident, and find an alternative “Oh yea, the door is behind me.” If I begin losing control I often begin losing lucidity. If I exert too much control (Let’s just walk through the wall, I can do anything) then I will wake up.

[jcul]

I haven't had a lucid dream for a long time, but used to make this mistake too and wake up.

I love the parent comment's description about the system detecting a "glitch in the matrix".

Though I feel it is just if you rouse your consciousness enough you will just break the sleep state.

I do wonder if lucid dreaming affects how rested you are from sleep.

My intuition is that the mind resting comes during deeper sleep and during REM the mind is kind of freewheeling anyway.