I just tried taking a standard B vitamin complex + C pill (along with my usual multivitamin, flaxseed oil and grape seed extract, FWIW) for the first time (first time I could get a decent amount of continuous sleep at least) before bed last night… wow. My dream recall was very vivid and strong… I remembered about 2.5 dreams (I remember an either one or no dreams a night, about half and half) and lots of details. Part of the extra half of a dream is from just one image I remember from a third dream, and I also remember merely the fact of being lucid for still another dream - so that means I remembered parts of 4 dreams, including two entire ones, when on the majority of nights I can barely remember anything. I decided to test my dream recall some more by not writing my memories down and seeing how they faded - and I hardly forgot anything (probably because of the original strength of the memories).
I don’t doubt the placebo effect here, but I really didn’t have particularly high expectations for the vitamins to work. I’ll see if it gets any better or worse tonight. For the record, I am not even remotely sold - I’ll make sure to be extra skeptical tonight to reduce the placebo effect.
Some time ago there was a research to the effects of B6 on dreaming.
The research was double blind, so the placebo effects are pretty much eliminated. They gave the subjects 250mg of B6, some 100mg (or was that 50mg?) and some none of course.
The results clearly indicated that B6 has indeed an incredible effect on the vividness of dreams.
Fwongo, I don’t think you should worry about the placebo effect. If it’s there, it will probably only enhance the effects.
But trying out yourself is always good!
Anyway, 250mg is A LOT of B6 and I wouldn’t recommend this amount. Certainly not when taken for a longer period of time. There’s a risk of peripheral neuropathy. (Negative effects on your peripheral nerves, especially the long ones like hands and feet).
Just stay below 100mg and if you take it for a longer period of time 50mg would be better.
Personally I stick with 50mg/day but not for a very long time.
100mg can do no harm, but I would not recommend taking that for a long period of time. I have read a report of someone who got the peripheral neuropathy after several months of 100mg/day.
I wouldn’t give all the credit on the placebo effect. I’ve been taking multi vitamins and having more LD’s for while, but I only today put two and two together and figured they may be linked. I didn’t consider the link for the month or two before I thought about this.
I scavenged my cupboard for vitamin B pills, found some. They are something that has all sorts of different B vitamins. I think it had 2.2mg of B6. Do the other b-vitamins do anything to vividness of dreams?
I sure have had more vivid dreams, but not sure if its because I drink mint tea also, and have started practicing my dream recall also…
Cant hurt to pop one of those B vitamin pills so I keep at it, take one before I go to sleep.
I think that first night i took one I didnt get anything, now I bite them and then swallow them, surface area increases so they should be digested faster (more b vitamin at same time). The times I have bitten it my dream recall has been better.
If it’s there, it will probably only enhance the effects. 