A University of Adelaide researcher is inviting participants to join a new national study exploring whether vitamin B supplements can influence dreaming.
Denholm Aspy, a psychology doctoral student, is investigating multiple aspects of dreaming for his PhD project. He aims to identify whether specific B vitamins can improve dream vividness, emotional intensity and recall, and whether they may support the occurrence of lucid dreams—dreams in which people become aware they are dreaming while the dream is still happening.
“Early research suggests that taking vitamin B6 may make dreams more vivid, colorful, emotional and unusual,” Mr Aspy explains. “Other B vitamins might also help people remember their dreams or increase the likelihood of lucid dreams. My study will expand on prior findings by comparing the effects of vitamin B6 with a broader B-complex supplement and with a placebo in a large and diverse group of participants.”
This vitamin B dreaming trial complements Mr Aspy’s wider research on lucid dreaming, which evaluates practical techniques people can use to increase their chances of experiencing lucid dreams. A core part of that work is understanding dream recall: being able to remember dreams reliably is often the first step toward achieving lucidity during sleep.
“On average, people spend several years of their lives dreaming,” Mr Aspy notes. “If we can increase the frequency of lucid dreams and help people exert some control over their dreams, that dream time could be used in more purposeful ways.”
Previous studies and anecdotal reports suggest potential benefits of lucid dreaming across a variety of areas. For instance, lucid dreaming may be useful for reducing the impact of recurring nightmares, supporting exposure-like work for some phobias, encouraging creative problem solving, refining motor sequences in a mental rehearsal context, and offering a supplementary approach to rehabilitation after physical trauma. These possible applications remain under investigation and outcomes vary between individuals.
How the study works: participants will be asked to take part for 10 consecutive days. They will receive capsules that contain either vitamin B6, a multi-vitamin B-complex formulation, or an inactive placebo. Each morning during the trial, participants will complete a short questionnaire about their previous night’s dreams, including whether they recalled a dream, how vivid or emotional it was, and whether they experienced any lucidity.
The daily questionnaires are designed to be quick and easy to complete. Responses will be analyzed to assess whether the supplements influence dream qualities, such as vividness, emotional intensity, bizarreness and recall, and whether any changes are associated with a greater occurrence of lucid dreaming. The study compares responses across the three supplement groups to identify possible differences attributable to vitamin B6 or to a broader B-complex supplement, relative to placebo.
Participation offers people the opportunity to contribute to research about sleep, dreaming and cognitive experience during sleep. It may also give participants practical insight into their own dream patterns and whether short-term supplementation corresponds with any noticeable changes in dream recall or character.
If you are interested in learning more about the study or in participating, please consult the study’s survey page for details and how to sign up. The survey provides information about eligibility, what participants will be asked to do, and contact details for the research team.
Source: Kate Bourne – University of Adelaide
Image Credit: The image is in the public domain