Yes I also frequently encounter "new supplement insomnia," which I think is excitement-based. Probably combined with the fact that most "vivid dream" producing supplements work by stimulating the brain, making it harder to fall back asleep.
I didn't like 5-HTP so I threw mine away after trying it several times (100mg). I felt like crap after it in the middle of the night, and it didn't give me any boost to vividness.
Investing time and effort in learning how to fall back asleep relatively quickly is particularly valuable in LD practice. Mix in supplements, and it's an essential skill. With galantamine, I recommend waking up fairly early, like 4 hours, or even 3.5, taking it quickly, and going right back to sleep. Do *not* daydream about exciting awesome dreams to come, I do that and it keeps me up until the G kicks in, then I'm up for hours, and in the end I just lost a night of sleep with nothing to show for it. With that timing, you'd rather use Alpha-GPC instead of the regular cholines since Alpha-GPC has a 3-hour delay to peak plasma levels. So even a 3-hour waking may be possible with enough galantamine and alpha-GPC to hit the 6th hour sweet spot (that's my main dreaming time, personally).
Yuschak says he likes 5-HTP over melatonin for producing REM rebound, as he says waking in the middle of the night after taking melatonin at bedtime is harder to get back to sleep. I found that to be true, and with 5-HTP as well, unfortunately.
Good luck! Yes supplements are not the easy path to awesome vivid dreams or lucid dreams, even, that people make them out to be. At least not for everybody. Having a very well established LD practice with solid day and night work is essential. Then, after that, supps can provide an occasional boost. I think that's the way to approach it.
But it does take experimentation to find what works for you.
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