Like so many people today, you may be working too many hours, or splitting your time between too many people and activities. You may be living on the surface
of yourself, feeling frustrated, disgruntled, and fragmented. By the time bedtime comes, you’re probably too keyed up to sleep well.
In the morning you may still be too tired to think seriously about the “luxury”of interpreting your dreams. Put some attention on the need to harmonize the flow of your sleep cycle and dream process by eliminating dream inhibitors and focusing on dream enhancers. By doing so, you can nurture yourself and maximize your success in all areas of your life. Familiarize yourself with the following things that either detract from or add to dreamingproficiency:
Dream inhibitors:
Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, barbiturates, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, many mood-stabilizing
drugs, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and stimulants like caffeine and amphetamines — can delay sleep, reduce your amount of REM sleep, and your ability for dream recall. Dream activity also can decrease when you are socially overactive and too stressed. Too much aerobic exercise close to bedtime tends to release adrenaline, which can prevent sleep.
Dream enhancers:
Dream activity occurs morefrequently when you’ve been engaged in quiet, private activities like meditating, reading, studying, or after a period of new learning. Eating foods like turkey, milk, bananas, or cheese, that contain the amino acid tryptophan, before bed can have a sedating effect. Vitamin B complex, especially B6, has been shown to produce more vivid dreams, as has the herb St. John’s Wort. The hormone melatonin seems to help regulate your body clock, and even a small amount has been
shown to help induce drowsiness. Ask your physician before you take any kind of supplements, however, and be sure not to exceed the recommended doses. A warm bath before bed can also lead to dreaming, since as you cool down afterward, you tend to get sleepy.