85: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 8585: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 85
UK Health Radio Podcast
Sleep Science Today features Dr. Clare Johnson sharing practical ways to use lucid dreaming for nightmares, insomnia and skill-building during sleep. The conversation blends science, personal experience and gentle techniques aimed at making nights calmer and more healing.
43:53•5 May 2026
Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares and Insomnia: Sleep Skills with Dr. Clare Johnson
Episode Overview
- Lucid dreams arise when someone realises they are dreaming while still asleep, creating a vivid, responsive inner environment.
- Building dream recall through journaling or voice notes makes lucid dreams more likely by strengthening the link to the dreaming mind.
- Nightmares can be softened or transformed by becoming aware in the dream, calming fear and changing one element of the story.
- Simple practices such as humming, breath counting and gentle yoga-style relaxation can ease insomnia and reduce night-time hyperarousal.
- Lucid dreams can support waking-life skills, from athletic moves and public speaking to language learning and exam preparation.
“You can change your nightmares. You can change your nightmares.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation on Sleep Science Today swaps alcohol for another powerful altered state: the sleeping mind. You’ll hear sleep expert Dr. Clare Johnson talk with host Andrew Kolsky about lucid dreaming, nightmares and insomnia in a way that’s practical, funny and surprisingly comforting. Dr.
Johnson starts by breaking down what lucid dreaming actually is – that moment when you realise, “Oh my goodness, everything I see and touch and experience is a dream,” while your body is still fast asleep. She explains how simple habits like keeping a dream record, using voice notes at night and asking, “Am I dreaming right now?” during the day can gradually train your brain to wake up inside your dreams.
The heart of the chat is how this can help with fear. Drawing on her own history of intense nightmares, Dr. Johnson shows how learning to become aware in a bad dream lets you calm the scene, talk to the ‘monster’, or even turn it into an ally. Her line, “You can change your nightmares. You can change your nightmares,” sums up the message perfectly.
She also shares a gentle step‑by‑step ‘lucid imaging nightmare solution’ that people can use even if they’ve never had a lucid dream. For anyone lying awake at 3am, there’s plenty on insomnia too, from humming to support melatonin to simple breath‑counting tricks that quiet racing thoughts. Along the way, Dr. Johnson describes athletes refining complex moves in lucid dreams, students revising languages in sleep, and people with pain or trauma finding some relief in “floating in bliss”.
Friendly, curious and science‑minded, this episode suits anyone dealing with anxiety at night, vivid dreams or chronic sleep issues – especially those on a recovery path who want safer, kinder tools for their nervous system. It might leave you wondering: if you could change just one recurring nightmare or stressful dream, which one would you start with?
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