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 simple motor tasks. The present pilot study investigated the effect of lucid dream practice in a controlled sleep laboratory setting, using a pre-post design with dart throwing in the evening and morning. The experimental group practiced darts in lucid dreams. Because some participants were distracted during lucid dream practice, the group was divided into lucid dreamers with few (n = 4) and many distractions (n = 5). Change of performance was compared to a physical practice group (n = 9) and a control group (n = 9), showing a significant interaction (P = .013, η2 = .368). Only the lucid dreamers with few distractions improved (18%) significantly over time (P = .005, d = 3.84). Even though these results have to be considered preliminary, the present study indicates that lucid dream practice can be an effective tool in sports practice if lucid dreamers find ways to minimise distractions during lucid dream practice. Moreover, the study emphasises the necessity to investigate lucid dream practice experiences on a qualitative level." Related content: What do Republicans dream about? (Hint: it's not sex.)Are people who dream about murder more likely to kill someone in real life?Want to control your dreams? Shock your brain to induce lucid dreaming!