You had a dream that’s definitely worth recounting but, to your frustration, the more you try to remember it, the harder it is to summon up the images. Perhaps you have no recollection whatsoever of your nocturnal reveries. Well help could now be at hand as scientists investigating this conundrum appear to have found a solution.
Their study was conducted on 100 volunteers all of whom stated that they rarely remembered their dreams. Half were asked to take a vitamin B6 supplement (240 mg) just before going to bed for five days, while the remainder took a placebo with no active principle.
In the final days of the trial, participants given the vitamin B6 supplements reported that they could remember more of their dreams upon waking. In particular, the B6 supplementation appeared to increase the amount of dream content recalled over the course of the day, without affecting the vividness or bizarreness of the dreams, nor any other aspect of sleep.
The study’s authors emphasised that this was the first study to demonstrate the benefits of vitamin B6 in relation to dreams. One of them, Denholm Aspy, said “We spend around six years of our lives dreaming. If we can manage to remain lucid during these dreams, and even control them, we could see benefits”.
Lucid dreams are those in which you’re aware you’re dreaming but continue nonetheless. According to the authors, they may offer multiple benefits, particularly for reducing nightmares, treating phobias, solving creative problems, exercising motor skills and even helping to overcome physical trauma. But to succeed in having ‘lucid dreams’, you first need to be able to recall your dreams. This study shows that vitamin B6 could be a valuable aid in helping you do so.
If you want to try this experiment yourself over several days, the dose used in the study was roughly equivalent to 2 capsules of Pyridoxamine (vitamin B6).
This is a vitamin essential for health which plays a crucial role in the synthesis of several neurotransmitters such as serotonin, melatonin, dopamine and gamma aminobutyric acid. It is also recognised for its role in maintaining psychological stability.
To confirm the vitamin’s efficacy and measure your progress, you can record your dreams in a journal starting on the first day of supplementation.
It’s very simple:
The study at the centre of this article:
Denholm J. Aspy, Natasha A. Madden, Paul Delfabbro. Effects of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) and a B Complex Preparation on Dreaming and Sleep. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2018; 003151251877032 DOI: 10.1177/0031512518770326
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