Help Make This Site Better

A great way you can support b6dreams.com is to write up an experience report of your story of taking B6 for its effects on dreams to publish on this site. Email me for more information or just go ahead and send in your story. I would also love to hear your comments, suggestions, & criticisms of the site.
 
Another way to support this endeavor is to buy some dreaming herbs, such as Calea Z or African Dream Root, or any other number of shamanic herbs and extracts (including Salvia), from some of my sponsors:
 

• I Am Shaman (USA)
• Bouncing Bear Botanicals (USA)
• Shamanic Extracts (Europe)

Feedback from visitors like you (yes, you!) and any purchases made through the links above help me focus on fun project sites like this one as well as Calea Zacatechichi Dreams, which I think you’ll also enjoy reading about.
 

In any event, thanks for coming by – I hope you find what you’re looking for.

 
Happy Dreaming!

Here you can find links on B6, dreams, and lucid Dreaming, links to research studies that mention B6 in relation to dreams, and review a list of sources cited in preparing the content of this website.

B6 Links

• B6 at Wikipedia
• B6 Info at Innvista
• B6 info from Mayoclinic
• B6 info from OSU
• WHF page on B6

Dreams / Lucid Dreaming Links

• Dreams – Wikipedia
• Lucid Dreaming – Wikipedia
• Lucidity Institute: FAQ on Lucid Dreaming
• Lucidity Letter – extensive collection of research articles on dreams and lucid dreaming
• Dreamviews – Excellent resource site and forum on dreams and lucid dreaming.

B6 Studies and Scientific Research

We aware of 2 studies involving B6 and dreams:
1. “Effects of pyridoxine on dreaming: a preliminary study”– By Ebben M, Lequerica A, Spielman A. (2002)
 
Here is the abstract of this study:

“The effect of pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) on dreaming was investigated in a placebo, double-blind study to examine various claims that Vitamin B-6 increases dream vividness or the ability to recall dreams. 12 college students participated in all three treatment conditions, each of which involved ingesting either 100 mg B-6, 250 mg B-6, or a placebo prior to bedtime for a period of five consecutive days. The treatment conditions were completely counterbalanced and a two-day wash-out period occurred between the three five-day treatment blocks. Morning self-reports indicated a significant difference in dream-salience scores (this is a composite score containing measures on vividness, bizarreness, emotionality, and color) between the 250-mg condition and placebo over the first three days of each treatment. The data for dream salience suggests that Vitamin B-6 may act by increasing cortical arousal during periods of rapid eve movement (REM) sleep. An hypothesis is presented involving the role of B-6 in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. However, this first study needs to be replicated using the same procedures and also demonstrated in a sleep laboratory before the results can be considered certain.”

Unfortunately, the full paper on this study is not available online. If you have more information on this study, please contact me.
The abstract above comes from this website.

2. Cheese and Dreams Study – By the British Cheese Board (2005)

Please take into consideration that this study was conducted by the British Cheese Board itself.
That being said, the results are highly interesting, suggesting the large amount of B6 in cheese (and perhaps other substances?) effects a persons dreams.

Here are some excerpts of the study:

“The in-depth Cheese & Dreams study, a first of its kind, reveals that eating cheese before bed will not only aid a good night’s sleep but different cheeses will in fact cause different types of dreams.”

“What is particularly interesting is the reported effect different types of British cheese have on influencing the content of dreams. It seems that selecting the type of cheese you eat before bedtime may help determine the very nature of often colourful and vivid cheese induced dreams”

“Females who ate Stilton had some of the most bizarre dreams of the whole study – although none were described as bad experiences. Highlights included … a vegetarian crocodile upset because it could not eat children.”

Click here to learn more about this study from the British Cheese Board website.

B6dreams.com requested additional information on this from the British Cheese Board but unfortunately never got a response.

Sources

The following sources were used in obtaining information for the FAQ on B6 and dreams.

• Wikipedia -B6
• Innvista – B6
• Mayoclinic – B6
• OSU – B6
• WHF – B6
• WHF – tryptophan
• DreamViews
• Erowid
• British Cheese Board
• Life Extension – B6 abstracts

I would love to publish your experiences with B6. Please email me your story. If you’ve got a blog and you’ve written up a post on your B6 experiences, I’ll also link it here. Contact me here to get started.

Experience Reports

Here are some off-site links documenting peoples experiences with B6 and dreams.

• Using Vitamin B6 for Dream Enhancement & Lucid Dreams – A five-night B6 experiment documented at Dreaming Life. Lots of intense dreams and one lucid dream.
• Reach Lucidity Using B-Vitamins? – Jakob’s 4 night B6 experiments. He also had a lucid dream during the course of his experiments.
• The following experience reports with B6 are on the excellent Erowid website.
  Experiments with Dream-Potentiating Herbs – Melatonin, Valerian Root & Vitamin B6
• A Rapid Fire Slideshow – Valerian, Melatonin and Vitamin B-6
• Intense is an Understatement – Melatonin, Valerian and Vitamin B-6
• Vivid Inferno Dream – Valerian, Melatonin and Vitamin B-6
• Curing Insomnia – Valerian, Melatonin and Vitamin B-6
• On My Allergies – Melatonin and Vitamin B-6
• Oneiric Potentiation and Experimentation – Melatonin, Valerian, Vitamin B-6, Skullcap and Hops
• Insane Dreams – Melatonin, Vitamin B-6, Valerian and Catnip
• Vivid, Intense, Spiritual Dreaming – Melatonin and Vitamin B-6
• Crazy, Hazy Dreams – Valerian, Vitamin B-6 and Melatonin
• Sleep Trippin’ – Valerian, Melatonin, Kava and Vitamin b-6
• Come Down to Ultimate Comedown Combo – Melatonin, Valerian and Vitamin B-6

The following are posts from the excellent DreamViews forum talking about B6.

• I Could Kiss You B
• Vitamin B6
• Healthy Dose of Melatonin and B6

Interestingly, other B vitamins are associated with increased dream recall and effecting the vividness of ones dreams. These include Vitamin B3, B5, and B12, and choline.
 
Note: Quality sources of information in relation to dreams and the vitamins mentioned above is needed. Please contact me if you are interested in assisting.

What about supplements sold as dream pills?

There are “dream supplements” available that are marketed essentially as “lucid dream pills.”
 
Here are the 4 most popular of such supplements, and their ingredients:

• Brilliant Dreams: 50 MG of Vitamin B, plus galantamine HBr, choline, and melatonin.
• Dreamscape Pills: 4mg Galantamine, 3mg Melatonin
• Lucider Dreamer Pills: ingredients include 4mg Galantamine, 200mg Choline
• Pro-Galantamine Pills: 4mg Galantamine

Although it seems fairly clear that the above substances can effect dreams (i.e. dream recall, vividness, number of dreams, dream intensity, etc.) there seems to be little agreement on the effectiveness of such supplements for strictly inducing lucid dreams.
 
A separate FAQ on the dream supplements listed above is a possible future project. Please contact me if you’re interested in collaborating.

What about “dream herbs”?

Well known dream herbs include:

• Calea Zacatechichi : also called Dream Herb or simply Calea Z, this is the most popular and widely used dream herb. By smoking or drinking a tea of its leaves, users report that Calea Z induces vivid dreams and even lucid dreams. For more information on Calea Zacatechichi, please see CaleaZdreams.com. Also, see the following study demonstrating the effects of Calea Z on dream content.

• African Dream Root: African Dream Root is another herb reported to induce vivid and lucid dreams.

• Salvia Divinorum: Some users describe their Salvia experience like that of a lucid dream, with a number even reporting out of body experiences. Note: Salvia divinorum is a powerful substance with a wide range of effects. For the safety of the user, this substance should not be taken alone. Please approach this plant with respect and caution.

These dream herbs are available from the following vendors:

• I Am Shaman (USA)
• Bouncing Bear Botanicals (USA)
• Shamanic Extracts (Europe)
]]> http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/vitamins-herbs-and-supplements-for-dreams/feed/ 0 http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-lucid-dreams/ http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-lucid-dreams/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:45:59 +0000 B6Dreams http://local.b6.com/?p=15 What is lucid dreaming?

Lucid dreaming means to be aware in a dream that what you are experiencing is actually a dream.
 
This awareness often leads to control of the dream and the endless possibilities that come along with this.
 
Many lucid dreamers associate controlling the dream as the central aspect of lucid dreaming, but strictly speaking, one does not necessarily have to control the dream to “wake up” in the dream and know that what is happening to them is actually, in fact, a dream.

Will B6 give me lucid dreams?

The small amount of scientific research into B6 and its effects on dreams does not mention any relationship between B6 and lucid dreaming.
 
Anecdotal evidence from dream explorers experimenting with B6 suggests that B6 has help some people achieve lucidity in their dreams.

How can I become lucid in a dream?

There are many different techniques that have developed for awakening ones conscious mind in a dream.
 
Here are 2 well-known methods of inducing lucid dreams:

• Reality Testing: During ones waking life, this technique calls for repeatedly and consistently asking the question “Am I awake? Is this a dream?” and then TESTING this question with an action. A common method is to look at ones hands and try to count the fingers or to look at word and try to change the letters. The goal is to get habituated to doing this test so much in waking life that a person does it in a dream, causing them to become lucid!

• Wake Back to Bed (WBTB): This technique involves waking up after sleeping 3 to 4 hours and remaining awake for 30 minutes to one hour, then going back to bed with the intention to have a lucid dream firmly implanted in mind.

The DreamViews community has put together a guide including these techniques and many others, with extensive reference material linked for certain techniques. Click here to view the Overview of all Lucid Induction Methods at DreamViews.
 
A more extensive tutorial section for various techniques is available here, also from the DreamViews community.
 
There are a number of free software programs available to assist with certain techniques – click here for a list of 12 free lucid dreaming software programs.

]]> http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-lucid-dreams/feed/ 0 http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-dreams/ http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-dreams/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:43:25 +0000 B6Dreams http://local.b6.com/?p=13 What effect does B6 have on dreams?

Participants in a double-blind 2002 study demonstrated that taking 250 mg of B6 over a placebo caused a significant difference in dream content, as rated by the participants, in the following areas:

• dream vividness
• bizarreness
• emotionality
• color

How much B6 should I take to effect my dreams?

Research results show taking 250 mg of B6 as an effective amount to have an influence on dreams.
 
People describing their own research with B6 on message boards and forums dedicated to dreaming have described results from amounts in the range of 50mg to 500mg.

What is the recommended daily allowance of B6?

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has set the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for Vitamin B6 at 100 mg a day for adults.
 

What are the risks of taking too much B6?

Toxic effects of too much B6 include:

• Sensory Neuropathy: “Symptoms include pain and numbness of the extremities, and in severe cases difficulty walking. Sensory neuropathy typically develops at doses of pyridoxine in excess of 1,000 mg per day. However, there have been a few case reports of individuals who developed sensory neuropathies at doses of less than 500 mg daily over a period of months”
• Increased Dream Recall: Interestingly enough, one source on B6 refers to its effects on dreams in relation to toxicity, writing “in moderate toxicity (B6 produces) an increased (capacity for) dream recall.”

How much is too much?

General guidelines for taking B6 for its effects on dreams must be balanced with common sense. Consider the following information:

• Taking more than 500 mg per a day for an extended period of time is associated with the development of sensory neuropathy.
• The upper limit as recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine is 100 mg per day.
• Participants in the B6 dreams study took 250 mg of b6 a day for 3 days.
• Users on forums and message boards writing about taking B6 for its effects on dreams tend to report taking an amount between 100-500 mg.

It’s important to note that you should not repeatedly take high doses for an extended period time. Taking a B6 supplement between 100-500 mg for a few nights, and then stopping for weeks or months, is generally considered a safe method of taking B6 for its effects on dreams.
 
Disclaimer: this is not intended to replace medical advice from a doctor. Concerns about too much B6 should be addressed by a medical professional.

Under what mechanism does B6 influence the dream?

A study on B6 and dreams reports the following:

“The data for dream salience suggests that Vitamin B-6 may act by increasing cortical arousal during periods of rapid eve movement (REM) sleep. An hypothesis is presented involving the role of B-6 in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.”

What is tryptophan?

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid which the body metabolizes into serotonin and niacin.
 
Tryptophan is found in abundance in shrimp, soy sauce, tuna, spinach, soybeans, eggs, bananas, shellfish, turkey, red meat, nuts, and seeds.
 
Low levels of tryptophan is associated with poor dream recall.

]]> http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/b6-and-dreams/feed/ 0 http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/facts-on-b6/ http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/facts-on-b6/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:38:54 +0000 B6Dreams http://local.b6.com/?p=10 What is B6?

The term “Vitamin B6” refers to a group of chemically similar compounds which are metabolically interchangeable: pyridoxine (the alcohol form), pyridoxal (the aldehyde form), and pyridoxamine (the amine form).
 
FYI supplements of B6 come in the form of pyridoxine.

What does the body use B6 for?

B6 assists in proper metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It plays a role in synthesizing RNA and DNA and cell multiplication. Adequate levels of B6 is also necessary for the proper absobrtion of B12, magnesium and protein.

What are some foods containing B6?

The Worlds Healthiest Foods website lists the following as good sources for Vitamin V6:
 
Spinach, bell peppers, and turnip greens, garlic, tuna, cauliflower, mustard greens, banana, celery, cabbage, crimini mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, cod and chard.

]]> http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/14/facts-on-b6/feed/ 0 http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/03/introduction/ http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/03/introduction/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:56:06 +0000 ben http://b6dreams.com/?p=14 Why a B6 FAQ?

B6dreams.com was created to document and share information related to Vitamin B6 and its effects on dreams.

Previous to the FAQ presented here, it appears there was no known B6 FAQ related to its effects on dreaming.

The goal of this website is to document and share what is known and to collaborate this knowledge with others with the hopes of improving our understanding of B6 and its effects on dreams.
About the Site

This website is a project of Dreaming Life.

The initial foundation of the FAQ was written by Ben and supplemented by readers such as yourself.

A great way you can support b6dreams.com is to write up an experience report of your story of taking B6 for its effects on dreams to publish on this site. Email me for more information. I would also love to hear your comments, suggestions, & criticisms of the site.

Another way to support this endeavor is to buy some dreaming herbs, such as Calea Z or African Dream Root, or any other number of shamanic herbs and extracts (including Salvia), from some of my sponsors:

I Am Shaman (USA)
Bouncing Bear Botanicals (USA)
Shamanic Extracts (Europe)

Purchases from these vendors makes it possible for me to create sites such as B6dreams.com, caleaZdreams.com, and dreaminglife.org.

Happy Dreaming!

- Ben : consciousdreaming@gmail.com

]]> http://b6dreams.com/2011/12/03/introduction/feed/ 0 http://b6dreams.com/2008/05/20/hello-world/ http://b6dreams.com/2008/05/20/hello-world/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 00:49:55 +0000 ben http://b6dreams.dreaminglife.org/?p=1 Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
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