Sleep Disorders: The Common Causes
and Cures of Sleep Problems

False awakenings are when you dream of waking up and assume you are awake. This dream within a dream can be a very convincing illusion. You may go about your daily routine and even be on your way to work before you realize you are dreaming!

Although not technically a sleep disorder, false awakenings can happen to anyone during REM sleep and are actually a great way to induce lucid dreams.

Lucid dreaming helps in escaping from nightmares. I find I am more likely to become lucid in a nightmare - probably because the emotions are more intense and I am more self aware. Becoming lucid in a nightmare gives you the opportunity to look beyond fear and change the course of the dream. Or you can consciously wake yourself up. Knowing how to control your dreams is an extremely valuable skill.

Every night when you fall asleep, your muscles become paralyzed to stop you acting out your dreams. But sometimes you can wake up before this function wears off. This curious sleep disorder is known as sleep paralysis. Some people suffer from it frequently, with vivid hallucinations. Discover the most common triggers for sleep paralysis and how to overcome the fear factor and turn it into a lucid dream!

Sleepwalking is the opposite of sleep paralysis, in that the muscles are roaming freely. It usually occurs during the deeper stages of sleep - called Slow Wave Sleep - when we are not in REM sleep (and therefore not paralyzed or dreaming). Sleepwalking occurs in 1 in 5 people and has been used as a defense for murder on dozens of occasions. But can we really kill in our sleep?