But what if you could know you were dreaming, and subsequently control the dream?

如果你能知道你正在做夢，然後又能控制夢，那會怎麼樣?

It turns out lucid dreaming is entirely possible and with a little effort and practice, even you can do it.

這樣，「清醒夢」便可能發生了，只需要一點點的努力和練習，你也做得到。

Now, some of you might be saying, "I don't even dream."

或許也們有人會說：「我不會做夢啊！」

But the truth is everybody has about 3-7 dreams a night.

事實上，每個人每個晚上都會做三到七分鐘的夢。

The problem is we quickly forget them.

問題是，我們做一做就忘了。

The first strategy towards lucid dreaming is keeping a dream journal.

做清醒夢的首要策略是寫夢的日記。

Keeping the journal improves your ability to recall dreams, and helps facilitate lucidity.

把夢記錄下來，使你能回想做過的夢，讓夢的過程更明朗。

So every time you wake up, write down what you can remember, even if it's nothing, just to form the habit.

每當你醒來後，便把你記得的部分寫下來即便你忘得一乾二淨，還是要保持習慣。

The next step is performing reality checks.

下一步，確認你是否身處真實的世界。

In a dream, something as simple as reading a sentence, counting your fingers, or checking the time can often go astray.

在夢裡，連簡單的事情，例如：念讀句子數手指、看時間都會做得亂七八糟。

Try it right now: look at the time, look away, and then look back.

試試看這麼做，看一下時間，不要看，再看回來。

Assuming you aren't currently dreaming, the time probably stayed the same.

假裝自己現在不是在做夢或許時間會停止不動。

However, in a dream, the time or the words you were reading will often completely change.

不過，在夢裡，時間和你念讀的文字常常會變來變去。

The key is to do these reality checks often when you're awake.

重點是，在你醒著的時候做檢視。

This way they become second nature and when you're dreaming you're likely to perform the same test and realize that something's wrong.

這麼一來，就會變成「第二自然」當你做夢時，你就有可能做同樣的事 然後發覺到有甚麼不對勁。

After this comes a technique known as Mnemonically Induced Lucid Dreams or MILD.

這種方法叫做「記憶誘導清醒夢」。

As you're falling asleep, begin to think of a recent dream, and imagine yourself becoming lucid.

當你要睡著時，開始回想一個最近做的夢感覺你的意識變得清醒了。

The idea is to reinforce the intention to realize you're dreaming in your dream.

這麼做便能加強知道你在做夢的感知。

Keep repeating the phrase "I will have a lucid dream tonight."

一直告訴自己：「我今晚會做清醒夢」。

The highest rates of success tend to come if you wake up in the middle of the night get up for 30 minutes, and then go back to sleep with these intentions in mind.

成功的最高機率多半在半夜醒來之際醒個三十分鐘，再去睡個回籠覺，並謹記「我今晚會做清醒夢」。

Finally, once you've had success with MILD, an advanced technique known as Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (WILD) may be attempted.

最後，直到你的記憶誘導清醒夢成功了你可以做更進一步的「喚醒誘導清醒夢」。

The idea behind this is to keep your mind aware while your body falls asleep.

秘訣是當你睡著時，讓你的心境保持清醒。

The risk here is that you'll experience sleep paralysis.

不過你有可能面臨睡眠癱瘓的風險。

A completely normal phenomenon that prevents your body from moving during sleep except you'll be awake, which can be somewhat frightening.

有個全然正常現象，在睡眠中使你的身體動彈不得除了在你睡醒前，這個現象感到些許駭人。

The extra caveat with WILD is that, during sleep paralysis the brain can play tricks on you,

睡眠癱瘓時，喚醒誘導清醒夢會給予身體警示大腦會對你耍把戲，

inducing strong feelings of fear and causing hallucinations of dark and scary figures approaching you.

誘導出強烈的恐懼感、黑色可怕物體接近的幻覺。

Scientific research into lucid dreaming has provided an insight into the location of meta-consciousness in the brain,

清醒夢的科學研究給了我們對大腦正念區塊進一步的認識，

provided opportunities for dream therapy and nightmare recession,

提供了夢的治療、惡夢治退的可能，

and even begged the question if sleep and wakefulness are distinct events, or part of a continuum.

也生出了個疑問睡著與睡醒是否有明顯的分際，抑或帶有連帶的關係，

After all, dreaming of doing something is almost equivalent to actually doing it when looking at the functional system of neuronal activity in your brain.

畢竟，當我們著眼在大腦神經的功能時夢到了甚麼 相當於你現實中做了甚麼。

So, are you sure you're not dreaming?

所以囉，你真的覺得你不會做夢嗎?

Got a burning question you want answered?

你有十萬火急的問題想要問嗎?

Ask it in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter,

你可以在推特或臉書上的留言處提問，

and subscribe for more weekly science videos.

並訂閱每周更多的科學影片！