The Weird Ways People Are Hacking Their Dreams

You track your steps, monitor your macros, optimize your HRV - so of course people are now trying to hack their dreams.

From lucid-dreaming pills to monk-level wind-down rituals, in today’s blog we're diving into one of the weirdest and most fascinating corners of the sleep world - how people are trying to influence, remember, and even control what they dream.

Some of these methods are surprisingly well-researched. Others… not so much. But they all share one belief - that your dreams aren’t just random brain noise - they’re a creative, emotional, and even performance-enhancing sandbox.

Why Dreams Might Be More Important Than You Think

As crazy as it sounds - we don’t fully understand why we dream.  However, leading theories suggest dreams help us:

• Consolidate memories

• Regulate emotions

• Solve complex problems

• Run simulations of real-life scenarios

In other words, your dream life may be a hidden door in your brain for personal growth.

REM sleep in particular (the stage when most dreaming occurs) is heavily involved in creativity, emotional recovery, and cognitive flexibility. In fact, people who remember their dreams more often tend to score higher in creative thinking and emotional resilience.

Here’s a fun fact - some of the world’s most iconic creative breakthroughs actually came from dreams, including:

• Salvador Dalí’s surreal paintings

• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

• Mendeleev’s periodic table

So there truly is some hidden potential in unlocking your dreams. 

1. The Best Lucid Dreaming Supplements to Try (Carefully)

Lucid dreaming, or becoming aware that you’re dreaming, is the holy grail for dream hackers.  Because who doesn’t want to be able to control what you do in your dreams? And as a result, supplements claiming to boost lucidity are booming.

Here are some of the most commonly used:

Galantamine: Originally used for Alzheimer’s, galantamine increases acetylcholine in the brain. Several studies show it increases lucid dreaming - especially when taken about 4–5 hours after sleep onset (this is when REM sleep peaks).

Vitamin B6: A 2018 study found that taking 240mg of B6 before bed improved dream recall dramatically. More recall = more salience = more lucid potential.

Choline + Huperzine A: Often stacked with galantamine to boost REM density and dream clarity.

Mugwort & Calea Zacatechichi: These traditional herbs (the latter nicknamed “dream herb”) have long been used in Central America to enhance dream vividness. Scientific backing? Minimal. Reddit anecdotes? Endless.

**Note:  These substances can cause side effects such as nausea, interrupted sleep, and next-day grogginess. Definitely talk to your doctor before experimenting.

2. Dream Journaling Actually Works (And It's Free)

Want to remember more dreams - and eventually control them? Start by writing them down.

The more you pay attention to your dreams, the more your brain flags them as important - a concept called dream salience.

A 2015 study found that just two weeks of consistent dream journaling significantly improved recall.

Here’s how to get started:

• Keep a notebook or voice recorder right next to your bed

• Write something - even one word or emotion - immediately after waking

• Re-read your entries to spot recurring themes
  

At the very least, reading your dreams is like flipping through polaroids from a bizarre version of your life. Weird, entertaining, and oddly insightful.

3. Can You Plant Ideas Through Dream Incubation?

Researchers at MIT’s Dream Lab are exploring this very question - and the answer might be yes.

Dream incubation is the idea of deliberately planting a theme, question, or problem into your pre-sleep thoughts, so your brain works on it overnight.

In one MIT study, participants were nudged with audio prompts as they fell asleep. Over 67% ended up dreaming about the topic they were primed with.

Another method called Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) used audio cues (like piano notes) associated with daytime learning. Played during REM, these cues led to better performance the next day.

How to try dream incubation yourself:

• Focus on a question or creative challenge as you get ready for bed

• Journal or visualize it to bring it top-of-mind

• Play a soft reminder (like a voice memo or tone) as you fall asleep
  

Does it work every time? Nope. But when it hits, it’s wild.

4. Other Weird Dream Hacking Techniques People Swear By

A few more dream-influencing tactics floating around:

Split-Sleep Cycles: Some lucid dreamers split their sleep into two 4-hour blocks with a 90-minute wake break in between. The second block is usually more REM-heavy, which can boost lucid potential.

Reality Checks: Throughout the day, ask “Am I dreaming?” or look at your hands/clocks/mirrors (which behave strangely in dreams). This practice can “carry over” into dreams and trigger lucidity.

Smell Cues: Some experiment with essential oils (lavender, rosemary) during REM-heavy hours to subtly influence the emotional tone of dreams. The research is thin, but the practice persists.

REM Sleep Masks: Devices like the Remee mask use timed light pulses to try and “signal” the dreamer that they’re dreaming. Reviews are mixed… but at the very least, it’s a cool sleep gadget.

So… Should You Hack Your Dreams?

Honestly? It depends.

Some people swear by it. Others find it disruptive. But one thing is clear - most people ignore the entire third of their lives spent dreaming… and that’s a missed opportunity to learn something about yourself.

Even a small increase in dream awareness can:

• Improve emotional regulation

• Enhance creative thinking

• Surface unconscious thoughts and patterns

And when paired with solid sleep hygiene you give your brain the ideal conditions to explore.

Tools to Help You Sleep (and Dream) Better

Here are a couple of my favorite sleep tools to optimize sleep quality - including REM sleep:

• Your Perfect  Lagoon Pillow - Ergonomically engineered for cool, deep, REM-rich sleep

• SleepSpace App - Tracks sleep cycles and supports dream-friendly sleep architecture

• Coffee Decaf - Try Big Bad Decaf for real coffee flavor, zero caffeine sabotage

• Lucid Dreaming Stack (Use with caution) - Galantamine, B6, Huperzine A

Want More Restful (and Insightful) Nights?

We built Lagoon to help you figure out how you sleep - and optimize around it.

Whether your goal is lucid dreams or just feeling human again, the right pillow is a game-changer.

Take our 2-Minute Sleep Quiz to find your perfect match.