Thread: Awake in Dreams: Acetylcholine

Originally Posted by FryingMan

I hadn't heard that. That may explain the "deep dreamless sleep" phenomenon after working out. I wonder how long this effect lasts -- does muscle synthesis during the recovery-adaptation phase of strength training on rest days also burn excess acetylcholine? I also wonder about the trade-offs: exercise reportedly also feeds the brain with blood (carrying glycogen) and oxygen, so not working out also is bad for dreaming.

Well. I've been doing strength training for 3 1/2 months now, 3x a week with a trainer. I train in the evenings. About 2 months ago, I noticed my recall lessening. My dreams are less vivid. I used to recall 3-5 non lucid dreams a night. Now I remember 0-2 non lucid dreams.

However... I've been getting lucid like mad! Going from 3-4 times a month to 2x a week. This week alone, I was lucid 2 nights ago, and again multiple natural lucid dreams last night. WTF??? Sometimes I only remember 1 dream, but it's a lucid. My only guess is the exercise is somehow also helping. I mean, I could be wrong, these are just my observations. It could also be affected by my changes in diet, but the pieces of puzzle here fit too nicely to ignore, don't you think?

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

Well. I've been doing strength training for 3 1/2 months now, 3x a week with a trainer. I train in the evenings. About 2 months ago, I noticed my recall lessening. My dreams are less vivid. I used to recall 3-5 non lucid dreams a night. Now I remember 0-2 non lucid dreams.

However... I've been getting lucid like mad! Going from 3-4 times a month to 2x a week. This week alone, I was lucid 2 nights ago, and again multiple natural lucid dreams last night. WTF??? Sometimes I only remember 1 dream, but it's a lucid. My only guess is the exercise is somehow also helping. I mean, I could be wrong, these are just my observations. It could also be affected by my changes in diet, but the pieces of puzzle here fit too nicely to ignore, don't you think?

Maybe you should make a note of when the lucidity happens, relative to when the strength training is taking place. For example, could the lucidity be happening one day after the exercise, as a kind of rebound effect?

In my experience, weight training at night leads to lots of tossing and turning at night, so I avoid that. But I have not studied the effect on lucidity.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

^^ The evening timing may have something to do with it. Recall does go in cycles, and recall quality is closely associated with stress. I recall reading in other threads that you had some work-related stresses, that may be occupying your mind? I know that for me, any sort of online argument leads to crap sleep and crap recall -- I end up composing rebuttals in my head all night long. I've got to stop. Heeeelp!

I did have some work related stress, and during that week my recall and lucidity suffered. However, the recall changes have been going on for a couple months. I've written about it in my journal, and in at least one post, too. Too long to just be stress, especially when it started during summer break. At first I thought it was fluoride related, now I don't think so. Then I considered other options and stumbled across this information.

Originally Posted by Voldmer

Maybe you should make a note of when the lucidity happens, relative to when the strength training is taking place. For example, could the lucidity be happening one day after the exercise, as a kind of rebound effect?

In my experience, weight training at night leads to lots of tossing and turning at night, so I avoid that. But I have not studied the effect on lucidity.

Actually, I do make note! But, not the specific times. I have lucidity calendar, and mark which days I get lucid to track my progress. I started it in June. Here's my progress:

Color coding key:

Green = 1 night lucid in the week (may have had more than one lucid in that night).
Black = no lucid nights that week.
Purple = 2 lucid nights that week (may have had multiple lucids in a night, but at least two separate nights lucid).

Starting here, at this point my work out schedule was in the morning, and also changed days:

Week of June 27-July 3rd: 1 lucid, on Wednesday.
Week of July 4-10: No lucids.
Week of July 11-17: 1 lucid on Friday.
Week of July 18-24: 1 lucid on Sunday.
Week of July 25-31: 1 lucid on Thursday.
Week of August 1-7: 2 lucids, both on Monday.
Week of August 8-14: 1 lucid, on Friday.
Week of August 15-21 No lucids.

At about this point, I increased my workouts from 2x a week to 3x a week, and also got a consistent schedule (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays). I also shifted from mornings to nights due to work starting.

Week of August 22-28: 2 lucids, on Monday and also on Friday.
Week of August 29-Sept.4: 2 lucids, Wednesday and Thursday.
Week of September 5-11 - No lucids - STRESS week.
Week of September 12-18: 2 lucids, Monday and Wednesday.
Week of Sept. 19-25: 2 lucid nights so far, Tuesday and Wednesday, Wednesday I had multiple lucid dreams (3-4).

I am going to continue taking data and see how this progresses.

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

At about this point, I increased my workouts from 2x a week to 3x a week, and also got a consistent schedule (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays). I also shifted from mornings to nights due to work starting.

Week of August 22-28: 2 lucids, on Monday and also on Friday.
Week of August 29-Sept.4: 2 lucids, Wednesday and Thursday.
Week of September 5-11 - No lucids - STRESS week.
Week of September 12-18: 2 lucids, Monday and Wednesday.
Week of Sept. 19-25: 2 lucid nights so far, Tuesday and Wednesday, Wednesday I had multiple lucid dreams (3-4).

I am going to continue taking data and see how this progresses.

The data is of course limited at this point, but do keep going! So far, your succes rates (for getting lucid) appear to be:

On a training day: 37.5%
The day after a training day: 50.0%
Two days after a training day: 12.5%.

There could certainly be many other factors involved than the work-outs, so quite a bit of additional data will be necessary to get a clear picture, unless a highly distinct patterns emerges.

That is so cool! Thank you.