Dreaming Message Board

I do think that could be very interesting.

However, if you are doing this, please be careful. Make sure you research side effects, interactions with drugs, foods, other supplements, etc, how they might affect or aggravate any medical conditions you have.

Valerian is considered a folk remedy for heart problems and can cause heart palpitations. It's also a sedative, so you shouldn't take it with alcohol or other sedatives, and you probably should avoid driving or anything like that (but since you're taking it before bed it should be alright.) Also, because of the effect on the heart, you shouldn't take nasal decongestants or other medicines that contain substances that also affect the heart.

I also just read that it can be physically addictive, so you should keep track of how much you are taking. But since you take it very rarely you should be OK.

I also didn't know anything about Calea Zachatachichi so I did a quick google search and there don't seem to be any negative side effects reported. However, like any other foreign substance, in the long run it probably puts a bit of a strain on the kidneys and liver to excrete it from your body, so use in moderation

Good luck.

Ohh yeah, the calea was truley magnificint. I only bought it one time and I bought enough for 4 nights. First time I tried the tea I hardly tasted it and I had vivrant dreams. It was disgusting. When smoked it is bad, but well worth it. Yeah I checked up on everything and saw about the addictiveness of Valerian. I hardly take it so I doubt I'll get addicted. The melatonin is what makes the dreams strange. That stuff is weird.

Thanks
JM

I think some airline pilots use melatonin supplements to overcome the effects of jet lag; quite scary really, pilots suffering from jet lag I mean.

When I take an antihistamine containing diphenhydramine, I sleep sounder and have better dream recall. Strangely, according to everything I’ve read, diphenhydramine does cause drowsiness, but is supposed to interfere with REM sleep.

I think it's been thought for a long time that all dreams occur in REM sleep; I always thought this sounded wrong and recent studies have shown that we dream in a deeper stage of sleep too.

I have noticed that when I take diphenhydramine my dreams are more vivid and I remember them upon waking.

Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Excedrine PM but most other over-the-counter sleep aids have a higher dosage.

Diphenhydramine is also an antihistamine that makes you drowsy. I take it when my allergies are acting up at night.

Some doctors prescribe antihistamines for insomnia, instead of sleeping pills, because of the side effect of making you drowsy.

Julie, if you are just using them for allergies, why don't you use the more modern antihistamines like Allegra, Claritin or Zyrtec, which don't cross the blood-brain barrier as easily and are much less likely to cause drowsiness?

I only take them at night because I like the added benefit of a good nights sleep

During the day I do take the other types

This is a bit silly, but when I was a kid I used to wish I had an allergy or something similar; I used to think that inhalers were really cool and wished I had to use one so I'd look as cool as Paul Jackson, a guy with asthma in my class. I'm glad now that we don't always get the things we wish for when we are children.