Lar's Dreaming FAQ
1. General
1.1. Does everybody dream?
Yes. All humans (and mammals) have REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
The most vivid dreaming
occurs in REM-sleep. You start a new REM phase roughly every 90-minute
throughout the whole
night with increasing duration. But all this can change depending
on what you eat, if you are
on drugs, or if you have missed your REM sleep for some reason.
People stopping with REM
deprivation drugs will experience a REM rebound. So you dream a
lot during the night, and most
of your dreams are forgotten. If you don't pay attention to them
and only sleep a few hours you
most likely will not remember any dream at all. Dreaming in non-REM
tends to be more
thought-like.
1.2. Why do we dream?
Dreaming is highly involved in learning and memory. If you have
a bad experience, it will be
digested in your dream. Most likely in a nightmare. Dreams are quite
often a reflection of your
day memory. The protein-synthesis is highly active during REM, so
if you want to learn, then
staying in REM is a good move. REM is also necessary to supply the
cornea with oxygen. Delta
sleep, associated with large, slow brain waves, is what most people
call the deepest kind of
sleep, when you are hardest to awaken. It is necessary for the brain/body
to rest and heal. A
good balance between delta sleep and REM is important for learning.
Growth hormones are also
produced during delta sleep.
1.3. How can I increase my dream recall?
Some people remember every dream they have; others can't remember
any dream. But with the right
techniques and enough practice virtually everyone can remember their
dreams. The first step is
paying attention to your dreams. Think about them. Write them down.
Talk about them. Discuss
them. Your best recall is when you wake up. So you should write
them down or record them with a
tape recorder right after you wake up. But spend some time recalling
as many dreams and details
you can before you start writing them down. Alarm clocks are dream-killers,
so stop using them
if you want to retain dreams. If you wake up naturally will you
most likely wake up from REM
sleep. So you should get to bed early so that you don't have to
use an alarm clock. You can
still set the alarm clock, but make sure you have gotten to bed
so early that you wake up
before the alarm clock goes off. Sleeping longer will also make
you dream more. You will almost
literally have continual REM sleep after 8-9 hours. If you sleep
9 hours are you almost bound
to remember at least one dream.
Waking up several times during the night may increase dream recall
and possibly induce Lucid
Dreams (see my Lucid
Dreaming FAQ). Since dreaming has a lot to do with learning
and memory
should you try new activities and learn new things. This will increase
dreaming and thereby
dream recall. Drugs, food and herbs may also affect your dream recall.
And as usual the power
of suggestion is extremely powerful, so you should state, aloud
if you want, your intention to
recall your dreams. Here is also where hypnosis may enter the picture.
Listening to hypnotic
tapes may help a lot.
1.4. How do external stimuli affect my dreams?
Your senses never rest. Whatever input you get from hearing, vision,
smell, touch or taste may
be incorporated into your dream. You may have dreamed that your
alarm clock is ringing in your
dream, while it is really ringing in the physical world too. This
is how lucid dreaming devices
work. They give your signals as light or sounds that you have to
train yourself to recognize.
But it can go the other way around too. While dreaming lucidly you
can command yourself to talk
while dreaming. This way you can record your dream while it is occurring.
Having a tape
recorder that turns it self on when you speak comes in handy. You
can also train yourself to
move your eyes in a certain pattern.
1.5. Do substances like drugs, herbs and foods affect our
dreams?
Yes. During REM protein-synthesis is highly active, so your body
needs high levels of amino
acids. The neurotransmitter in use during REM is Acetylcholine.
It is made from the B-vitamin
Choline and the vitamin B-5.
But there are more vitamins that can make us dream more. The body
can synthesis the B-vitamin
Choline. But in order to do that it needs vitamin B-12, Folic acid
(B-9), the amino acids
Methionine and Serine. Vitamins B-12 plays a role in the activation
of amino acids during
protein formation. It has also the ability to increase the production
of Acetylcholine and
normalize neurotransmissions in the brain.
Vitamin B-6 is another important vitamin. It is a co-enzyme, which
participates in over 60
enzymatic reactions involved in the metabolism of amino acids. It
is involved in the production
of several body proteins and neurotransmitters. It is particularly
indispensable to the action
of amino acid neurotransmitters, like Serotonin, Dopamine, Melatonin,
and Norepinephrine, which
effect brain function. It is also involved in the metabolism of
Selenium, Calcium, and
Magnesium.
Melatonin is a neurotransmitter/hormone that is only active during
sleep. It is being
metabolized when you fall asleep from Serotonin, a neurotransmitter
that is being metabolized
from the amino acid Tryptophan. Melatonin increases non-REM sleep
and makes it easier for you
to fall asleep. But it has also an interesting rebound effect that
gives more frequent and
vivid dreams. The vividness might even give you a lucid dream.
The amino acid Tryptophan can be metabolized into Serotonin and
Niacin (B-3). Vitamin B-6
promotes this conversion. Taking Niacin or Nicotine patches will
increase the Serotonin
production. The more Niacin you take, the more Serotonin is produced
and more Melatonin is
metabolized. Calcium and Magnesium promotes Serotonin production
as well. Zinc is in every cell
of the body and is a part of over 200 enzymes, so Zinc supplements
may increase REM-sleep, too.
DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol) is a very important B-vitamin. It flows
easily through the brain's
blood barrier, where it is converted into Choline. During REM, Choline
is added the coenzyme A
(Vitamin B-5), and we have Acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter in
use during REM.
5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-TryptoPhan) is a Serotonin precursor that also
flows quite easy through the
brain's blood barrier. It is a good alternative to Melatonin.
Vitamin C helps metabolizing several amino acids and hormones.
It is also important to have
adequate levels of amino acids. A few important ones are Phenylalanine,
Tyrosine, Methionine,
Cysteine, Serine and Tryptophan.
Using Tobacco, Alcohol or Coffee prohibits the absorption of necessary
vitamins and amino
acids. Depressants suppress REM sleep, one is Alcohol, but taken
in right doses can create a
rebound effect so that you wake up remembering many vivid dreams.
And anti-depressants may
increase dream recall. Caffeine will make you sleep lighter, will
increase your dream recall
and maybe even give you a lucid dream. Herbs like Valerian, Mugwort,
Mullein, Kava Kava,
Dittany of Crete, St. Johns Wort, Calea Zacatechichi, Salvia Divinorum,
Scutellaria Indica,
Licorice Root, Vervain, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Datura, Bee Pollen,
Catnip, Hops, Scullcap,
Mimosa, Lavender, Damiana, Withania Somnifera, Passionflower, Chamomile,
Cardamom, Gotu Kola,
Ginkgo Biloba, Ibogaine, Verbena, Rose, Cinnamon, Marigold, Nutmeg,
Peppermint, Holly, Yarrow
and Anise may help you dream more, recall more or even have a Lucid
Dream. Make sure you know
more about these herbs before you use them: some are to be used
in pillows, some are to be
smoked, some are to be used in tea, etc. And finally we have psychedelic
drugs like DXM that
may induce Lucid Dreams. Some of the drugs and herbs can be addictive,
and be poisonous if
taken in too large doses. Crystals and Magnets may also affect your
dreams.
1.6. Is it possible to control your dreams?
Yes. If you are aware that you are dreaming can you develop full
conscious control over the
dream. These are referred to as lucid dreams and it is one of the
most exciting part about
dreaming. But more on this will be discussed on the Lucid
Dreaming FAQ. Have you tried Virtual
Reality? Well, VR is a flop compared to Lucid Dreaming. Things can't
get more virtually real
than in a lucid dream. You may use all your senses in a lucid dream,
yes, even your psychic
senses!
1.7. Is sleep deprivation dangerous?
Yes. REM deprivation:
Increased frequency of occurrence, duration and intensity of REM.
Increase in seizure threshold, and progressive rise in heart rate.
Increased activity, food motivation and sexual behavior.
No major emotional problems.
Delta sleep-deprivation:
Prolonged sleep deprivation (+48 hours) results in severe mental
disturbance, attention
deficit, withdrawing, visual complaints, hallucinations and time
distortion. After 5 days you
may even end up in a mental institution.
Go to the next chapter - Dream
Interpretation and Symbols
Copyright L Lars Rune Foleide -1999
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