Thread: Vividness of dreams affected by alcohol?

According to an article from the Journal of Neurology:

Hypnagogic imagery was significantly quicker to produce and more vivid. However, REM sleep was fragmented and shortened. Although the dreams were reportively more vivid and recall was higher than control groups with no alcohol.

So, yes, alcohol does increase the vividness of hallucinations, dreams, and hypnagogic images. However, it also shortens REM sleep durations.
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MrBeelzy, I have definitely experienced the same thing, and know exactly what you mean. My dreams do seem somehow different than normal dreams when drunk(but for me mostly when hungover).

O'nus's scientific take makes sense, but I'm just going to go off of personal experience.

I think we all know when you're hungover, you're not able to sleep very well. Your breath becomes shallower, and you just don't feel great. I think this is conducive to 'shallower' sleep-meaning not being in a deep sleep. This would seem to mean that we're more awake in our dreams in this state, and so dreams would be more vivid.

This is what I've always assumed about the subject-and I'm purely going off of personal experience.

Weirdly I had my first dream after hitting a bit of alcohol...

Originally Posted by alwaysforward

MrBeelzy, I have definitely experienced the same thing, and know exactly what you mean. My dreams do seem somehow different than normal dreams when drunk(but for me mostly when hungover).

O'nus's scientific take makes sense, but I'm just going to go off of personal experience.

I think we all know when you're hungover, you're not able to sleep very well. Your breath becomes shallower, and you just don't feel great. I think this is conducive to 'shallower' sleep-meaning not being in a deep sleep. This would seem to mean that we're more awake in our dreams in this state, and so dreams would be more vivid.

This is what I've always assumed about the subject-and I'm purely going off of personal experience.

Just wanted to note that I was saying the samething but with empirical evidence. I just wanted to make sure it did not seem like I was saying contrary to this...
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I understood that, and both are helpful. Personal evidence is probably more relatable on an individual level, and empirical evidence carries more weight.

Thanks for the clarification though.

That all makes sense. The shortening of REM cycles explains why I always wake up half a dozen times, even if I don't have to use the bathroom or get a drink.
I wonder why the imagery does become more vivid, and easy to produce though.

Interesting topic. Everything i have researched says that the use of inhibitors such as alchohol or drugs reduces the chance of ld's possibly due to the fact that most LD's are supposed to happen during REM. However, i can see how it could help as well. With relaxation and abnormal thinking.

I have no alcohol tolerance because I drink rarely.
When I do drink a pint or two of beer about 2 hours before I go to bed, I notice a huge change in the dreams:

1) Improved recall
2) Often longer and more 'epic' dreams. It's possible that the dreams are not longer, but that several consecutive dreams/REM cycles share the same topic in a series, so that makes it feel like a longer dream.
3) Sometimes 'semi-lucid' dreams where I watch a film, and know that the film is not reality, but don't know that I am dreaming.

My conclusion so far is that alcohol can be a powerful dream enhancer/modifier, at least in cases such as mine, where you do not have a tolerance, and you drink in moderation.

So very interresting. I should try this. I also rarely drink and have a looow tolerance. I also have Opiate medications that multyply alcohol's effect about times 6 or so.

Drinking 2 Corona beers will get me seriously tipsy allready so how about 2 Coronas before bedtime?

If get drunk, I won't really be able to get into a deep sleep and have REM dreams. I'll just stay in some crappy midphase with alot of hypagnogic imagery.

In normal sleep, the dreams in my first REM cycle are a continuation of whatever I was doing during the day. Then in later cycles, I have my crazy dreams that come out of nowhere and don't make any sense.

Originally Posted by SKA

So very interresting. I should try this. I also rarely drink and have a looow tolerance. I also have Opiate medications that multyply alcohol's effect about times 6 or so.

Drinking 2 Corona beers will get me seriously tipsy allready so how about 2 Coronas before bedtime?

As with everything, you'll need to experiment. Try different amounts and at different times before going to bed.
I remember that you said once that you usually sleep all night without waking up naturally during the night, so I suggest that you drink some water before going to bed, and also set an alarm clock for the middle of the night, and when you wake drink some more water, because alcohol can dehydrate you a little and as a result make you wake up with a hang-over.

I use to have better recall after drinking. last time i recalled 3 dreams just like that when i woke up. i didn't have any control in the dreams. I don't remember if they were vivid or not.