Thread: Melatonin?

Melatonin is used to induce sleep... though not REM sleep. With Melatonin, an individual will fall asleep more quickly and sometimes have more vivid dreams, but expect the REM periods to come later in your sleep cycle, in the morning hours. People seem to have mixed views on the interaction between Melatonin and lucid dreams.. it seems to induce LDs for some, and inhibit them for others.

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Melatonin is used to induce sleep... though not REM sleep. With Melatonin, an individual will fall asleep more quickly and sometimes have more vivid dreams, but expect the REM periods to come later in your sleep cycle, in the morning hours. People seem to have mixed views on the interaction between Melatonin and lucid dreams.. it seems to induce LDs for some, and inhibit them for others.

Melatonin taken just before bed helps someone to fall asleep more quickly and does not affect REM sleep. It does not cause REM to occur later in the sleep cycle, or inhibit it. If taken a few hours before bedtime, melatonin may advance the sleep phase cycle slightly causing REM to occur sooner and end earlier in the night. This may result in waking earlier than is desired and being unable to get back to sleep.

On the whole, melatonin actually has minimal effect on REM sleep. A lot of melatonin supplements are combined with B vitamins however, which can have an effect on dreams vividness. At best melatonin may cause slightly longer (almost negligibly so) REM periods, and at worst cause nightmares.

Personally I think it is a wonderful sleep aid and I take it every night to help me get to sleep, but I haven't noticed any effects on my dreams or lucidity as a result of taking or not taking melatonin.

Thank you, Aquanina, for enlightening my mistaken perceptions.

You're very welcome!