Thread: Awake in Dreams: Acetylcholine

Lucid Dreaming and Acetylcholine

I watched The Random Show with tech-investor Tim Ferriss, where he talks to technologist Kevin Rose about numerous topics—such as, Bitcoin, 2021 resolutions, favourite books, etc.—and I was surprised to see Ferriss recommending Stephen LaBerge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, which is a gem I happen to own. He also touted acetylcholine-raising supplements which increase the chances of lucidity in dreams. I thought that perhaps awareness should be raised here as an aid.

I'm not really one for supplements, but adding its precursor choline to your diet might be a good idea. Beef liver, boiled eggs and cod fish will automatically raise your acetylcholine levels. It isn't surprising why this neurotransmitter promotes lucid dreaming ...

Acetylcholine induces longer periods of REM sleep. It boosts memory (crucial for dream signs and MILD), learning, attention and other cognitive functions. It also promotes arousal, CNS reward, neuroplasticity and enhances alertness upon awakening (good for the DEILD method, too).

But you cannot inject it. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme in our bodies which immediately breaks down acetylcholine—hence the reason why the latter has no therapeutic value as an intravenous drug.

However, at optimal levels, it is cerebrally beneficial. Knowing how much of an unfavorable impact Alzheimer's disease—largely responsible for the deficits of dementia—has on cognition and other mental faculties in general, it is not surprising that the work of the British physiologist Ann Silver on such neurotransmitter in the mid-'70s led to the eventual use of cholinesterase inhibitors to treat neurodegeneration.

So, if anybody has doubts, I hope to allay them with an emphasis that its benefits are scientifically vouched for. I wonder how many people here have their eye on their acetylcholine levels, so to speak ...