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Lucid dreaming supplements are designed to optimize brain chemical levels which are responsible for modulating dreaming and sleeping.
Lucid dreaming occurs when the person dreaming recognizes he or she is dreaming without interrupting the sleep cycle. Expert lucid dreamers claim to be able to command the direction and content of their dreams.
The benefits of this control over dream activity include allowing individuals to gain creative insights to perplexing challenges, stop recurring nightmares, wish fulfilment and visualisation both for competitive athletes and for individuals who want to overcome anxiety.
Many people use lucid dreaming supplements to increase their likelihood of achieving lucidity during dream-states, but how do these supplements work? Which are the best ingredients to use in a lucid dreaming stack?
Sleep
Dreaming
Creativity- Increases acetylcholine activity for vivid dreams
- Promotes REM sleep stage
- Improves memory of dreams
Top Lucid Dreaming Aids* ❯Lucid Dreaming and the Brain
By definition, a lucid dream is a dream where the dreamer knows she is dreaming without waking up.
In order for an individual to experience a lucid dream, the brain must allow a small degree of consciousness to penetrate into the sleep cycle.
The dreams needs to be able to activate the parts of the brain that are involved in conscious awareness, while still keeping the stimulus barrier in tact to prevent premature awakenings.
The brain’s reticular formation determines which stimuli is worthy of interrupting sleep for. For instance, a new mother, needing proper rest, may sleep through noise from a thunderstorm, but still wake readily at the sound of her baby crying.
The reticular formation sets stimulus barrier parameters which allow us to sleep and dream without being interrupted.
Via its projections to the cerebral cortex and thalamus, the reticular formation applies some degree of control over the sensory signals which are permitted to reach the cerebrum.
Stimuli that are allowed to reach the cerebrum bring conscious attention. In this manner, the reticular formation plays an important role in alertness, sleep and other states of consciousness.
Lucid Dreaming Supplements and Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemicals which diffuse nerve impulses across neuronal synapses to transfer signals. There are certain neurotransmitters which affect wake and sleep cycles.
Four very important ones are acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Note that these substances also perform various other biological and psychological roles beside their potential uses for inducing and/or enhancing lucid dreaming.
Slight alterations in the levels of these four neurotransmitters can cause significant changes in dreaming.
Some lucid dreaming supplements attempt to alter some or all of these brain chemicals for purposes of inducing vivid, semi-conscious dreaming or for increasing memory of dreams after waking up.
Slight alterations in serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine and other neurotransmitters can make it more likely to achieve a lucid dream state naturally or with a technique like the Wake-Back-to-Bed strategy.
It is important to note that these supplements are still relatively unreliable and do not always work right away when taken them. Some users say they offer a high degree of reliability, while others say they are inconsistent or do not work at all.
Research into the efficacy of lucid dream inducers has provided mixed results so far. According to one meta-analysis, there have been methodological flaws in many of the clinical studies conducted on lucid dream supplements and techniques.
Acetylcholine and Lucid Dreams
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in the brain known to regulate sleep, promote REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, help to increase memory and improve learning capacities.
It can encourage lucid dreaming by allowing an individual to easily transition between waking consciousness and dreaming.
Certain lucid dreaming supplements seem to work by increasing acetylcholine. Research shows that higher acetylcholine levels promote longer-lasting REM sleep phases.
This brain chemical is associated with enhanced both DILD (dream induced lucid dreaming) and WILD (wake induce lucid dreaming).
Rather than taking acetylcholine directly (which does not cross the Blood-Brain Barrier), most lucid dreaming aids use supplements like choline bitartrate, Alpha GPC, Huperzine A and Galantamine extract.
Choline is the precursor to acetylcholine and increasing your consumption of this nutrient from foods or supplements will raise levels of this neurotransmitter in the brain. Alpha GPC is another form of choline that is more effective because it has a higher degree of bioavailability.
Many lucid dreamers recommend taking these supplements every day to promote increased dream activity and better recall of dreams the following morning.
Huperzine A and Galantamine also increase acetylcholine levels, but they do so by preventing the breakdown of this neurotransmitter when it is released from neurons in the brain. This increases the amount of cholinergic signalling activity.
It is not recommended to take acetylcholine supplements before falling asleep, as these compounds can cause nightmares or poor sleep patterns.
Instead, users will typically supplement with choline earlier in the day and then use Galantamine or Huperzine A supplements in a Wake-Back-To-Bed strategy about 6 hours after initially falling asleep.
Many lucid dreaming supplements and stacks sold online will contain one or more of these acetylcholine-boosting ingredients along with other natural sleep aids and brain supplements.
5-HTP in Lucid Dreaming Supplements
5-HTP is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is linked to sleep patterns, mood regulation and feelings of happiness.
Serotonin affects lucid dreaming indirectly because it can suppress REM sleep. Increasing serotonin increases non-REM sleep times.
Serotonin is also used to improve the quality of sleep overall. It is used by expert lucid dreamers to better balance REM and non-REM sleep period timing.
When you take 5-HTP supplements, it can increase serotonin levels, also indirectly resulting in an increase in the neurohormone melatonin. This can help to alleviate insomnia and improve sleep quality.
Norepinephrine and Lucid Dreaming
Generally, norepinephrine is associated with waking states. However, some experts believe it is effective for enhancing dreaming. It may act as a trigger for natural lucid dreaming, especially if used synergistically with acetylcholine.
Norepinephrine is said to improve attention to details and capacities to focus during lucid dreams. It may also be beneficial for remembering the details of your waking life while dreaming.
Dopamine and Dreams
Although dopamine does not seem to have an effect on inducing lucid dreaming, it may play a basic role in non-lucid dreaming. It is believed that dopamine can act to increase self-confidence and creativity during dreaming.
Dopamine may be the substance which allows lucid dreamers to take on fantastic voyages – like flying through space, or throwing a car through the air. Dopamine boosters include tyrosine and mucuna pruriens.
lucid dreaming pills, techniques or tips that demonstrate consistency in inducing lucid states.
The benefits of lucid dreaming are not yet clinically substantiated. However, there are several clinical implications of lucid dreaming which may help devise novel therapies.
If you are considering using a lucid dreaming supplement, then it is best to talk about it with a doctor first. Substances which alter neurotransmitters, although only slightly, have potentials to cause side effects and/or interact negatively with other similar substances.
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Article last updated on: July 5th, 2018 by Nootriment