Some say dreaming has become a lost art in our modern world. The fascination and religious fervor associated with fantasy and mythology of ancient cultures is lost to our technological society. But who says science and technology can’t teach us how to re-tap into this bottomless pool of creativity?

While dreaming can occur in all stages of sleep, it’s REM sleep that tends to produce the most colorful and memorable dreams. REM occurs in higher propensity in the morning hours, or during the last half of sleep. By understanding REM sleep we can find ways to maximize its duration and intensity.

So here are 3 “dream hacks” to maximize REM sleep, thus improving dream vividness and recall.

Suppress REM for a Rebound

Your brain holds REM in very high regard (though not quite as high as slow-wave sleep). So when you suppress REM sleep for one night, your brain will give you a double dosage the next night to compensate.

There are many ways to suppress REM — alcohol, marijuana and anti-depressants are all known to knock out REM. But if drugs aren’t your thing, simply waking up a couple hours before your natural wake-up time will rob you of REM, meaning next time you go to bed REM intensity will increase, making dreams longer and more vivid.

In general, a 30 minute decrease in REM one night will lead to a 35% increase in REM length the next. Studies have also suggested that REM rebound dreams are subjectively much more intense and vivid.

REM rebound might not be the most sustainable — or recommended — dream hack at your disposal, but it does work.

Take 5-HTP

5-HTP is a popular supplement among avid lucid dreamers, used to promote more vivid dreams.

5-HTP is the immediate precursor to serotonin. Serotonin levels in the brain promote deep sleep. At a 100mg dose, 5-HTP is out of the system within 5-6 hours. So during the last couple hours of sleep your brain will go into REM rebound. This is why many people report “wild” and “crazy” dreams while taking 5-HTP — it promotes deep sleep in the first half of the night so that REM in the second half is more intense.

Do research on the possible side-effects, including “Seratonin Syndrom” before popping a 5-HTP supplement. For healthy people not taking anti-depressants, a 100-150mg dose before bedtime most likely will not induce side-effects.

Take Galantamine

Galantamine can cause extremely vivid and long dreams, making it probably the most popular supplement for lucid dreamers. My first galantamine dream was radiantly colorful, alive, and animated — perhaps the most memorable dream I’ve ever had. Galantamine works by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine in the brain. Whereas high serotonin levels promote deep sleep, it’s high acetylcholine levels that promote REM sleep (to use a simplified neurotransmitter explanation of sleep stages). Galantamine keeps acetylcholine levels up, making REM longer and more intense.

To improve dream vividness, galantamine must be taken half-way through the night. One method is to wake up after 4-5 hours of deep sleep, take 8mg or less of galantamine, then fall back asleep and let the dreams commence.

Do research before taking galantamine. You shouldn’t use it on consecutive nights, and you shouldn’t take it before a full night of sleep since it will suppress deep sleep in the first half.

Further Reading (books)

• Advanced Lucid Dreaming - The Power of Supplements, by Thomas Yuschak. This is a great resource for anyone looking to use supplements to improve lucid dreams. It’s the only resource I know of that gathers all dream supplement information into one place.