Alchohol increases dream recall!?

[Splitter]

Yeah, doesn't sound very likely does it? But the past three times i've been out on the razz since starting my dream journal i've remember a lot more dreams than my sober mind usually does. Last night (yes a had a few ) i had two really intense dreams, some of the most intense dreams i've had in a loooong time. So i propose a new abbreviation: Beer Aided Recall BAR! Ok that's just a joke but seriously... Anyone else found this puzzling? Or can explain it?

[The Subatomic Level]

For most people, I think alcohol either makes dreams harder to recall and/or reduces REM sleep. I drink often, and when I do I never remember my dreams when I wake up initially to use the restroom or for whatever reason. However, when I go back to sleep I can often remember dreams depending on how trashed I was the night before. For example, this morning I woke around 7am after drinking a decent amount last night, and when I fell back asleep and woke at 8:30am I had one of the most vivid dreams in the past 3 weeks. Alcohol can affect everyone differently, but I'm going to assume you aren't getting hammered when you have this improved recall and intensified dreams. So maybe there is something to just casually having a few drinks and having more vivid dreams. I wouldn't know because I'm usually drinking to get pretty drunk . Does anyone know of a thread that talks about the effects of light to moderate drinking on dreaming?

[DuB]

Both of you are right to a degree. Alcohol depresses REM sleep, which in turn inhibits dreams. However, as you sleep and the alcohol starts to wear off, eventually you experience an "REM rebound" effect to make up for all the REM that you missed earlier in the night. This effect is well documented and accepted as fact. The result is that going to bed hammered will lead to dreamless sleep for the first several hours, but if you are allowed to sleep for long enough you will eventually experience extremely long and vivid dreams in the morning just before awakening. In response to Subatomic's last question: there has been literally dozens of threads over alcohol and the REM rebound effect. It shouldn't be too hard to find some using the search function.

[ninja9578]

Normally when you go out drinking, you sleep in the next morning. That sleeping in is all REM sleep and the alcohol from the night suppressed your REM so you have a very active REM cycle. This produces very vivid dreams.