Unisom

Can you have an LD if you take a sleep aid like Unisom (diphenhydramine HCL)? I have problems getting relaxed and was wondering if that would help (or hurt) my chances of becoming lucid.

Anything that supresses conciousness will most likely supress your ability to LD. That includes sleeping aids as well as alcohol.

I would not take unisom unless I were planning on getting 8+ hours of sleep. This should set you up for a really intense REM period about the time you wake up.

Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Benadryl and has antihistamine, anticholinergic, and sedative properties.
I have taken Unisom before and I slept very well, but I didn't remember any dreams at all.

I don't think it will help with dreaming but I've heard of people taking dimenhydrinate (dramamine) to have vivid,
realistic hallucinations that were like dreaming while awake. This is a very bad idea though because at the doses
required to get these effects it is hard on the body.

A few months ago I took something with a mixture of diphenhydramine and acetaminophen and it made me feel
like I had electrical currents running through my body.