# Lucid Dreaming > Attaining Lucidity > Lucid Aids >  >  Effects of Melatonin

## UnrealReality

I had what felt like my first real SP/OBE experience the other night. I've been trying to attain that ever since, and haven't yet been able to. But I've noticed a correlation between that night and other nights where I felt a funny feeling- Melatonin.

I buy the 10mg from GNC, but I cut them in half, so essentially I took about 5mg (maybe 6mg since I took the _slightly_ bigger half)

Does anyone recommend trying the full on 10mg dose in order to test if this were to happen again, and has anyone else ever experimented with this type of thing? Although dreams suffer since there is more nREM in the beginning stages, I feel it was an excellent aide to WILD. 

Any feedback or experiences?  :SleepMeditate2:

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## n00bf0rlyf3

Since you took it, suppressed your rem and you woke up in the night i'm assuming so when you went back to WILD the rem was right there waiting for you. If the 6mg worked for you, keep using it, but if you want to try 10 do it and report the results  :tongue2:  I have tried using 5-htp 50mg but nothing happened for me

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## Moiraine

Melatonin is a very interesting hormone. I'm sure most of everyone here is familiar with at least the basics from doing a few quick google searches. I would not recommend the 10mg though. With most "drugs" the common thought is that more is always better. Not so with this one. In several studies melatonin has been shown to be more effective in smaller doses, like the 300mcg range. This was for normal and restful sleep though. Myself, I have tried all the different levels ranging from this dose to 10mg. It does seem worth using _infrequently_ to attempt a WILD or to simply have one extremely vivid, powerful dream. Personally, I've found that the 1mg dose or lower does seem to work better for me, and this is after a ~year of recording personal DJ entries with different levels of melatonin and B6.

Also interesting: there is quite a bit of mysticism surrounding our brain's pineal gland but one of the proven functions of the "third eye" is to synthesize melatonin. However, many adults (around 90%) have a calcified pineal gland due to factors such as climate, sun exposure, toxins and stress. One of the worst toxins is fluoride, which has been shown to rapidly calcify this gland. The good news is most of this damage can be nullified by getting a good ~20 minutes of direct sunlight each day.

A Fluoride-Free Pineal Gland is More Important than Ever

Concerning high doses: It might also be worthy to note that those who smoke marijuana have extremely elevated levels of melatonin--I think it was something like four thousand times higher than baseline--and many smokers report complete destruction of dream recall for at least several nights following one session. My point is I believe you should experiment with lower doses, possibly 1mg, before trying 10mg and then you can compare for yourself.

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## gab

_Moved to Lucid Aids._

Please be very careful about following anybody's advice about drugs and doses. For example, 10mg of melatonin is a HUGE dose, as 0.3 mg are recommended as a sleep aid. You have a reduced chance of becomming lucid even at 0.5mg. Happy dreams :smiley:

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## ace55

I took 1mg melatonine...I wont take anymore than that dsoe...a few nights ago and it made me sleepy, but didnt knock me out. It worked to aid in falling asleep. I actually bought it from Walgreens last week for the first time, it was the "Natures Bounty 1MG per tablet" brand. but I spoke with the pharmacist whom said its an "okay" suppliment for sleeping aid. She said not to go beyond 3MG but 1MG-1.5MG is fine once in awhile to help fall asleep if you're having one of those "stress out days" and cant sleep that night. Melatonine has some side affects so if you're healthy or on any other medications especially if you're pregnant dont take it. See a doctor if you feel unsure about using it.  10MG is a way over the top dose. I can't even imagine that much...the 5MG dose is high as it is. Anyhow I didnt recall one dream that night funny enough when I took melatonine at around 11PM and I only took the 1MG tablet. 

Also sometimes I noticed Melatonine is mixed with B6. Natrol had a 1MG Melatonine brand with 10MGs of B6 in it. Waaaay too much B6. 

I dont know. There's so much stuff out there you can't keep up.

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## GreyBeard

<----Not a doctor

I have Melatonin in 5mg tablets.  I find that is more than I need and generally cut them in half or quarters.  2.5mg seems to be plenty for helping me get to sleep.  I also tend to have weirder dreams when I take Melatonin, which I assume is attributed to REM rebound.  I have tried 10mg dosage once, but didn't notice any spectacular.  I was just more drowsy than usual.  If you subscribe to the REM rebound effect, then high dosages are pointless if you are already supressing REM with low dosage.

I have read of people who use 10mg regularly, but that dosage is definitely not for most.

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## Moiraine

> _Moved to Lucid Aids._
>  You have a reduced chance of becomming lucid even at 0.5mg. Happy dreams



Sorry but where did you find that melatonin reduces chances of becoming lucid even at small doses? Or is this just from personal experience? Not denying it might be true, I'm just curious. 

Also, I definitely agree people should be careful taking high doses of anything. Melatonin is actually fairly safe, though, if you look up the effects. It actually acts as a strong antioxidant on the brain because it is one of the few things that passes the blood brain barrier. Many people do not produce enough melatonin, especially adults. A lack of daily sunlight exposure and trouble sleeping _could_ be signs of deficiency, which is worrisome because melatonin has many functions on sleep patterns but is also one of the important brain protecting chemicals our body uses to repair itself while we sleep. This might be part of the reason why marijuana protects the brains of its users from the damage of other drugs, because melatonin levels of these users are extremely high. Long term, high dose exposure could lead to some risks, but mainly with people who have pre-existing conditions. Like everything else we consume on the planet. Just stick with doses below 1mg. And by all means, if you feel it necessary, schedule a doctor visit. But in my experience even doctors can be misinformed. Do your own research.

Melatonin supplementation increased the life span of rats by 20%.
Effects of long-term administration of melatonin... [Neuroreport. 1995] - PubMed - NCBI

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## GreyBeard

> Sorry but where did you find that melatonin reduces chances of becoming lucid even at small doses? Or is this just from personal experience? Not denying it might be true, I'm just curious.



I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe gab is referring to Melatonin's REM supression mechanism.  It's all about when you take it.  If we are talking about a WBTB, then 0.3mg will help you get back to sleep, but more than that will supress REM and reduce your chance at a lucid dream.  This is mentioned in Thomas Yuschak's book, which you can take with a grain of salt, but I can vouch for it in my own personal experiences.  However, if taken before bed it can supress REM in the early sleep cycles, which may cause a REM rebound later on.  This can lead to an INCREASE chance at lucids.    Personally, I take 2.5mg melatonin before bed and tend to have crazier dreams than if I don't take any melatonin at all.

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