Unisom

[TooSweetToLast]

Can you have an LD if you take a sleep aid like Unisom (diphenhydramine HCL)? I have problems getting relaxed and was wondering if that would help (or hurt) my chances of becoming lucid.

[Seeker]

Anything that supresses conciousness will most likely supress your ability to LD. That includes sleeping aids as well as alcohol. I would not take unisom unless I were planning on getting 8+ hours of sleep. This should set you up for a really intense REM period about the time you wake up.

[Santa]

Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Benadryl and has antihistamine, anticholinergic, and sedative properties. I have taken Unisom before and I slept very well, but I didn't remember any dreams at all. I don't think it will help with dreaming but I've heard of people taking dimenhydrinate (dramamine) to have vivid, realistic hallucinations that were like dreaming while awake. This is a very bad idea though because at the doses required to get these effects it is hard on the body. A few months ago I took something with a mixture of diphenhydramine and acetaminophen and it made me feel like I had electrical currents running through my body.