Melatonin

[Nyx]

Does anyone take this at all? I've just heard that it can help out with your dreams and sleep stages and such. Just kinda wanted to see some of your thoughts on it. I've been taking it here and there and seem to get a ton of sleep and usually can recall the dreams pretty well from that night. Last night was a long, long dream, but still I have yet to have a lucid dream. Wow and sorry, I just realized this is in the wrong section.

[sanjaysagrawal]

<span style="color:#990000">
Hello,

If you are totally new into Lucid Dreaming, I would suggest you to try experiencing them without recourse to any herbs / chemicals. Herbs and chemicals are best used by veterans in the field who are better able to control their body and mental states.

Melatonin is called "the hormone of darkness"; and is generally prescribed for cases of insomnia. However, there could be side-effects depending upon individual physiological profile. Prolonged use of melatonin can affect internal production of the hormone, see this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16397720).

Net conclusion: Not generally recommended.

My two pennies. :)

Regards,
Sanjay.
</span>

[Seeker]

Good post Sanjay!

I agree, I'm not one to take any kind of suppliment to try to increase lucid dreaming. I usually only use melatonin when I am travelling to help fight jet-lag on the first couple of nights.

[BenQ]

I've taken melatonin as needed for insomnia for quite some time. I never noticed any effects with it in relation to lucid dreaming. I didn't even know people took it to aid in lucid dreaming. From what I understand it simply helps regulate sleep patterns (at least that's what I read on the bottle :).

[sanjaysagrawal]

Hello Seeker, Benq,

Melatonin, or for that matter any artificial drug, is to be used only in moderation. The body has a nasty habit of getting addicted to things very quickly. Once hooked, unhooking takes a lot of time and energy.

Cheers,
Sanjay.

[O'nus]

Melatonin: Melatonin regulates the physiological changes related by light, the time of day, etc. in co-relation with the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Melatonin pills will immediately inhibit monoamine oxidizers (MAO) which inhibit the production of serotonin which produces melatonin from the pineal gland which is then secreted into the blood stream. Soo, by taking melatonin pills, you kind of skip the process of secretion from the pineal gland and the whole physiological change from serotonin (since melatonin is excreted from serotonin).

The effects can sometimes take a while depending on the individuals serotonin levels within the digestive tract (there are strong levels of serotonin within the digestive tract to begin with too... alcoholics will be easy to adjust). Since during sleep the levels of melatonin increase dramatically during the waking stage with the arousal of the ascending reticular activation system (A/RAS), by taking melatonin pills, you keep a regular dosage of melatonin throughout sleep without arousal of the ARAS (and waking you up). The amount of acetylcholine is also dramatically reduced during sleep in order to regulate norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters involved with waking state.

Melatonin can be bought throughout America for, usually, less than $20. It is recommended to take only 2-4mg. (See Proper Intake Times below)

Melatonin cannot be purchased in Canada... legally.

*From my Tutorial, Physiology on Sleep*

[sanjaysagrawal]

<span style="color:#990000">
Hello O'nus,

Yes, melatonin has a lot of medical evidence in its favor, with virtually no side-effects detected (as yet), especially from the point of view of a LD seeker. It is found to be very effective in arresting hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease (see this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15719129)), and is used as an adjunctive therapy in cluster headaches (see this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11252143)). No wonder Melatonin has been classified as a dietary supplement, and available freely across the US, as you have rightly pointed out.

Perhaps I belong to the old school of thought, which abhors any outside stimulus for self-development. Especially anything that has the power to addict. Taking anything which can potentially upset the sensitive rhythm of chemicals and energies in the body is a strict no-no for us. The results may be slow in coming, but are achieved without sacrficing any systemic balance.

My two pence. :)

Cheers,
Sanjay.
</span>

[O'nus]

Perhaps I belong to the old school of thought, which abhors any outside stimulus for self-development. Especially anything that has the power to addict. Taking anything which can potentially upset the sensitive rhythm of chemicals and energies in the body is a strict no-no for us. The results may be slow in coming, but are achieved without sacrficing any systemic balance.


[/b]

I completely agree! Drug free lucidity!

[Seeker]

I completely agree! Drug free lucidity!
[/b]

WOOHOO! I remember when we pushed that initiative! Maybe we need to have a drug-free lucidity week on Dream Views.

[sanjaysagrawal]

[color=#990000]

A Drug-free Lucidity Week! That's a great idea! Almost 40% of the youngsters I come across on the quest for LD try drugs once, get hooked to them, and LD is forgotten or sidetracked! :(

Cheers! :)
Sanjay.