Thread: Questions from a beginner; melatonin and benadryl?

Hello all.

I recently found this site, and began some reading on the subject. I also have some questions regarding certain sleep aiding substances.

For about a year now I have been taking melatonin and benadryl to help me sleep, both are available off the shelf. And I was wondering, would taking these affect my dream recall ability, and my chances of having a lucid dream? It seems when I take them, I have a lot harder of a time remembering my dreams the next morning, often it seems like I don't even have dreams at all. It would be hard for me to stop taking them, since they do wonders for helping me sleep. They don't really knock me out, but I do usually fall asleep with in 20 minutes after taking them.

I take benedryl they knock me out. Ummm well i can recall a medium length lucid dream when i took it.so idk i guess it depends on the person?

I might suggest something to counter the sleep aids. If you sleep too deeply, you are most likely to not be conscious enough to even recall dreaming at all, let alone conscious enough to attain lucidity. B-6 is pretty good when used with Melatonin. It seems to speed you up a little bit which helps bring your consciousness a little further to the surface while the melatonin still works to keep you in your sleep cycles. That sort of approach might help you more, but of course it may depend on the person. Just something to consider.

And welcome to Dreamviews. 8)

I see similar sleep patterns on diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in benadryl) in myself to when I'm not on it. But my recall is non-existant.

I don't believe that there is a sleep aid wether it be herbal or medication that is either prescribed or over the counter the does not represss dream recall.
Across the board. I have seen discussion after discussion from valium to herbal tea that does not effect dream recall. Along with my own experiance too.
And it stands to reason. If it knocks you out enough to go to sleep it would seem rather likey to disengage recall and memory. along side with your conscious wich you need to lucid dream!

Exercise is a good way to get tp sleep and maintain the correct sleep pattern.

I agree. One of the main side effects, often played upon in the surgical theatre, of anesthesia and sedatives is moderate to high levels of amnesia.

The next morning I can rarely remember the 10 or 15mins prior to taking moderate doses of diphenhydramine.

If you dont mind me asking I was just wondering why you take these every night and how long have you been doing this? I know in the past I have had my own reasons for taking sleep aids whether it be because of stress or other reasons. When I was taking them I have had no dream recall. I think that I have some dream recall when I take tylenol PM's but not much.

When i take melatonin i have no recall at all, i woudlent sugest taking it if your trying to recall dreams, if you have trouble sleeping the best way to get to sleep without any aids is excersize. It will make you tired and you can hopefully fall asleep better.

If you can exsersize for whatever reason try cutting the dose on your melatonin or benadryl

Originally posted by Dreamers dont kill
When i take melatonin i have no recall at all, i woudlent sugest taking it if your trying to recall dreams, if you have trouble sleeping the best way to get to sleep without any aids is excersize. It will make you tired and you can hopefully fall asleep better.l

Being so new here I certainly do not want to be one to disagree. I will just repeat what I have read in a few places. Maybe it just doesn't apply to everyone, mayve I misunderstood what was meant , as I think excersize several hours before bedtime can help sleep quite a bit.

Excersize gets the adrenaline going through your system, and should be avoided before attempting to sleep. If you have trouble sleeping or getting to sleep this activity (before turning in) could cause problems.

Regarding sleep aids , over the counter or prescribed , many people are different, (knowing this first hand from the differences in my wife's and my own different but very similar conditions which affect intracranial pressures, which can affect the alpha-delta sleep patterns) she (my wife) can take almost anything, and have perfect dream recall. She has currently been put on Ambien, and though it is classed as a hypnotic, it is still very strong.

I on occasion have had to take valium , and have also used restoril, (or stayed awake until the next night to sleep) I've had absolute dream recall, especially after finally getting to sleep with sleep aides.

Of course I totally believe sleep aides could really ruin it for many people, but with some of the top neurosurgeons in the world having claimed that 90% of the population has neurological conditions , which could affect intracranial pressure,and don't even know it yet, people may be more different than we ever dreamed

For many people, exercise atleast an hour before going to bed is a great way of having a good night's sleep.

For myself, as long as it's 20+ mins before I lay down, it's wonderful.

Theory behind it would be a release of endorphins caused by strenuous exercise, and then the subsequent crash from the "natural drug" leading to immediate sleep - and then the very deep sleep periods whilst the body is repairing the torn muscle tissues.

I haven't yet graphed my sleep cycles after exercise to confirm or disclaim that theory yet, but I'll add it to the list!

Well as far as Ambien(zolpidem tartrate) is concerned, I have had amnesia from it before, though drinking alcohol very quickly increases the possibility for that to happen. Ambien is a very powerful sleep aide. I took a single 10 mg pill the first time I used it and was seeing double in about 30 minutes. Of course you are supposed to take it and then get in bed, but I figured it would take awhile to kick in. It didn't take me long to find out that it acts very quickly. When I have taken Melatonin I sleep very well and if its the kind that had B6 in it as well my recall would actually be pretty good, though not consistently. There are lots of factors in it like body chemistry so I think people need to find out for themselves.

As long as it has been since reading about the excersizing before sleep it could very well have been proven that as little as 20 minutes could "burn off" the adrenaline created.

I just recalled what I have read, and that I tried it for myself as I just did not believe that I couldn't get worn out enough to fall asleep, and I was up for at least 2 hours or more afterwards. So I more or less believed what I had read, at that time.

There are lots of factors in it like body chemistry so I think people need to find out for themselves.[/b]

As well as physical differences.


Make certain you really must have something before you change your body's chemistry, please. I have studied herbology from some very well educated persons who traveled as far as Africa to learn herbology.(I only wish I'd retained half of what I was supposed to have learned )

AS often as once everey 2 weeks or every week I stay awake 2 days just so I can sleep, and not have to get really dependent on meds.

I hate it but I think of it as my job, so I can stick around
awhile longer .

The trick is finding what works for you and what doesn't. The national sleep foundation's website has alot of info and advise in this area. www.sleepfoundation.org

About exercising, according to the NSF, experts do not recommend exercising before sleeping not only because of the alertness it triggers, but also because it raises body temperature which leads to a fall in temp. 5 to 6 hours later. It is at this point when your body temp. falls that sleep becomes easier, which is why most sleep experts recommend exercising in the afternoon to promote healthy life & healthy sleep. There also seems to be an indication that afternoon exercising will help promote a deeper sleep in addition to falling asleep faster.

For me, I seem to need direct sunlight to be able to fall asleep fast. I recall reading a study somewhere that said 30 minutes - a hour of direct sunlight in the morning can help you fall alseep fast, and some direct sunlight in the afternoon can help you stay asleep. This rang true for me.

In my old apartment, my bedroom window faced directly East and my bed was opposite the window. So in the morning (if it was a sunny day), I would be exposed to direct sunlight coming in the window blinds for probably about 1-2 hours until I woke up. And I woke up feeling fantastic. On these days, I had no problems getting to sleep fast around 10pm to 11pm. On really cloudy days, I had alot more trouble waking up, did not feel refreshed, and had trouble getting to sleep.

I've recently moved now and my bedroom gets barely any direct sunlight. The window faces approximately West-SouthWest and has a large tree in close proximity. I don't get any direct sunlight in the room and let me tell you it's a freakin' nightmare. Cannot get to sleep. Once I do finally get to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, I have trouble waking up in the morning (actually afternoon) and am not refreshed at all. Within a couple hours of waking, even after 8 hours of sleep, my eyes are dragging and I'm ready to just die. Thank heaven I work from home where I can go to sleep at 3-4 and get up at 11-12, but I really want back on a regular schedule. I am seriously considering moving out just because of the sunlight issue.

Of course everyone is different, but this is just what I've found to be both a primary cause (due to lack of) and a primary relief for insomnia. What can I say? I loves my sun.