Before learning the techniques to start Lucid Dreaming, you need to learn how to wake yourself up from your dreams and get back to sleep fairly quickly. Usually in just 10 to 60 minutes from the time you awake.

One method many people have had success with is to find an alarm clock that is loud enough to slowly wake you out of a deep sleep, but not loud enough to startle you into wakefullness. Place it across the room from where you sleep so you must get up to turn it off. This leaves you still groggy enough to be able to go back to sleep shortly there after.

Some people prefer to use the MILD technique to try to wake yourself up immediately after your dreams.

Still others prefer to drink lots of water or tea before going to bed in the hopes the need to go to the bathroom will wake them up soon after a dream.

The purpose of all of these techniques is to get yourself use to waking up so you can recall your dreams immediately and have the opportunity to write them down, without waking up to the point that you can not go back to sleep.

Remembering your dreams is of the utmost importance and any method that works for you is fine, so please do not limit yourself to just the techniques listed here. Experiment, test the various methods and find out which ones work best for you personally.