Practicing darts while lucid dreaming can improve your game... but only if you're focused.

Image: Flickr/Shannon KringenLike most sports, the more darts you throw, the better you get at hitting the target. But do you *have* to be physically throwing the dart, or is just mentally throwing the dart sufficient? As confusing as that question might be, it's what these scientists studied by having participants throw darts while lucid dreaming, and testing whether these "practice sessions" made them better at darts in real life. And it worked! But (obviously) only if the dreamers weren't distracted while "practicing". Finally, a cheap way to practice for my next speed eating contest!Improvement of darts performance following lucid dream practice depends on the number of distractions while rehearsing within the dream - a sleep laboratory pilot study. "In a lucid dream, the dreamer is aware of the dream state and can deliberately practice motor skills. Two field studies indicated that lucid dream practice can improve waking performance in ...