In deep sleep, dreams can be so vivid you feel as though you’re living that very moment. But as soon as you wake up, at best you might remember the plot line.
But according to a study published by the University of Adelaide, taking a Vitamin B6 supplement could help you remember the finer details of last night’s snooze.
Gathering a diverse group of 100 people from Australia, scientists carried out an investigation into how consuming a 240 mg vitamin B6 before bed for five consecutive days would affect sleeping.
“Our results show that taking vitamin B6 improved people’s ability to recall dreams compared to a placebo,” says research author Dr Denholm Aspy, from the University’s School of Psychology.
“Vitamin B6 did not affect the vividness, bizarreness or colour of their dreams, and did not affect other aspects of their sleep patterns.”
“The average person spends around six years of their lives dreaming. If we are able to become lucid and control our dreams, we can then use our dreaming time more productively,” continues Dr Aspy.
“Lucid dreaming, where you know that you are dreaming while the dream is still happening, has many potential benefits. For example, it may be possible to use lucid dreaming for overcoming nightmares, treating phobias, creative problem solving, refining motor skills and even helping with rehabilitation from physical trauma.”
Participants felt the effects of the vitamin strongly. “It seems as time went on my dreams were clearer and clearer and easier to remember. I also did not lose fragments as the day went on,” commented one of the participants after completing the study while another said, “My dreams were more real, I couldn’t wait to go to bed and dream!”
Foods such as whole grain cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, red meat, liver, and fish contain Vitamin B6.
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health.
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