Vitamin B6 could help people to recall their dreams, new research claims

A new research conducted by scientists at the University of Adelaide says taking vitamin B6 could help people to recall their dreams.

The study included 100 participants from around Australia who took 240mg of vitamin B6 before going to bed for five consecutive days.

“Our results show that taking vitamin B6 improved people’s ability to recall dreams compared to a placebo,” says Denholm Aspy, the research author.

“Vitamin B6 did not affect the vividness, bizarreness or colour of their dreams, and did not affect other aspects of their sleep patterns.

“This is the first time that such a study into the effects of vitamin B6 and other B vitamins on dreams has been carried out on a large and diverse group of people.

After the study, one of the participants said: “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.”

Another participant said: “My dreams were more real, I couldn’t wait to go to bed and dream!”

According to the study’s lead author, “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.

“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.

“In order to have lucid dreams it is very important to first be able to recall dreams on a regular basis. This study suggests that vitamin B6 may be one way to help people have lucid dreams.”

Vitamin B6 can be found naturally in whole grain cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, red meat, liver, and fish.

The study was published in the online version of Perceptual and Motor Skills.