How Melatonin Affects Dreams

Quick Health Scoop

• To help fall asleep or stay asleep, some people take a melatonin supplement^† 
• Melatonin helps regulate your circadian rhythm—your internal clock that regulates the sleep/wake cycle^†
• Dreaming can happen during both non-REM sleep and REM sleep.
• The dreams that occur during REM sleep tend to be more vivid.

If one of your health goals is to support your sleep—in terms of both quantity and quality—then you might occasionally reach for a melatonin supplement. While the brain naturally produces melatonin (a hormone that plays a key role in regulating the body’s sleep/wake cycle¹), a melatonin supplement works as a 100% drug-free sleep aid. It appeals to people who occasionally need help falling or staying asleep. Before you turn to sleeping pills, you may want to look at your sleeping habits to determine if you need to make any changes.^†

But what about melatonin dreams? Is there a link between melatonin and vivid dreams, weird dreams, or nightmares? Does melatonin affect your REM cycle?

Let’s dig into what the research says about melatonin, dreams, and the stages of sleep. 

REM vs Deep Sleep: What’s The Difference? 

Before looking at any connection between melatonin and dreams, it helps to understand the two main stages of sleep. 

• Non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep: When does non-REM sleep occur? This phase occurs first and is the change from wakefulness to sleep that consists of three sub-phases. It starts with a short, light sleep, where your heartbeat, breathing and eye movements slow down and your muscles start to relax, followed by another light sleep where your body and brain slow down and relax even further. Finally, you reach the deep sleep phase that you need to feel refreshed in the morning.²
• REM sleep: When does REM sleep occur? This initially happens about 60 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Your eyes move rapidly from side to side (although your eyelids remain closed), your brain activity increases, your breathing gets faster and irregular, and your heart rate increases. Most of your dreaming occurs during REM sleep, although some can also occur in non-REM sleep. Memory consolidation most likely requires both REM and non-REM sleep cycles.² Your first REM period is short (about 10 minutes), but as the night goes on, you’ll experience longer REM sleep and less deep sleep.³

You’re not in each stage of sleep just once. Instead, you cycle repeatedly through all stages of sleep roughly four to six times a night, sometimes waking up briefly between cycles.⁴ How long is a sleep cycle? A full sleep cycle takes about 90 to 110 minutes.³

Melatonin And Dreams

Now that you understand the stages of sleep—and that dreams can occur anytime—let’s look at melatonin and dreams. While dreaming can happen during both non-REM sleep and REM sleep, the dreams that occur during REM sleep tend to be more vivid.

Some research has suggested that melatonin plays a role in your dreams, and here’s how it works.

Melatonin and vivid dreams: When you’re sleep deprived and are getting less than optimal periods of REM sleep, you’ll experience a longer-than-usual period of REM sleep when allowed to get sufficient sleep – a phenomenon known as REM rebound. Longer periods of REM sleep following sleep deprivation can result in vivid dreams and are totally normal.⁵ Also, a variety of other factors can contribute to vivid dreaming, including fragmented sleep, stress, medication, pregnancy, and sleep disorders.⁶

Melatonin and nightmares: When you have intense, vivid, or weird dreams with unsettling content, some identify these dreams as 'nightmares.' But as mentioned above, if you were sleep deprived prior to taking melatonin and can finally get a good night’s sleep, this can result in more vivid dreams.

If you want to stop having vivid dreams, practice good sleep hygiene (like maintaining a regular sleep schedule) and cultivate peace of mind (accepting both the good and the difficult experiences in life) by engaging in stress relieving practices such as yoga, mindfulness meditation and other relaxation exercises.⁶

Learn More: Melatonin Facts -- Answering Your FAQs

What are other melatonin side effects—and how much should you take?

Besides the fact that you might experience more vivid dreams, the other side effects of taking melatonin are fairly mild. Research shows that melatonin side effects can include  dizziness, headache, nausea, and sleepiness.⁷  

When it comes to proper dosage, how much melatonin should you take? The safe amount of melatonin that can be taken ranges in doses of 0.5 to 10 mg per day, but it really depends on your age and specific sleep issue.⁸ Typically, it’s best to start with a low dose (0.5 to 5 mg) and increase it as needed (up to 10 mg), to find the lowest dose for you that is effective at supporting sleep without causing side effects. To determine what dose of melatonin is best for you, or if you are having ongoing sleep issues, speak to your healthcare practitioner.^†

Learn More: Is Melatonin Safe?

The Bottom Line

When it comes to melatonin and dreams, more research may be needed to pinpoint how melatonin affects REM sleep and dreaming.

For more sleep-related health education articles or to find a melatonin supplement that works best for your particular needs, check out our melatonin collections page.^†

Continue to check back on the Nature Made blog for the latest science-backed articles to help you take ownership of your health.'

Learn More About Sleep & Melatonin:

• What to Eat Before Bed to Make You Sleepy
• Should Pregnant Women Take Melatonin?
• Should You Give Kids Melatonin?

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References

1. Mayo Clinic. “Melatonin.” March 30, 2018. Accessed on: September 23, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-melatonin/art-20363071
2. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.” August 13, 2019. Accessed on: February 15, 2021. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/patient-caregiver-education/Understanding-sleep#5
3. Cleveland Clinic. “Sleep Basics.” December 7, 2020. Accessed on: February 15, 2021. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12148-sleep-basics
4. Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Sleep.”  2021. Accessed on: February 15, 2021. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sleep
5. Sleep. “Partial REM-sleep deprivation increases the dream-like quality of mentation from REM sleep and sleep onset.” September 2005. Accessed on: March 3, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16268377/
6. SleepFoundation. “Vivid Dreams.” October 20, 2020. Accessed on: February 16, 2021. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/vivid-dreams
7. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Melatonin: What You Need to Know.” 2019. Accessed on: September 18, 2020. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know
8. Healthline. “Melatonin: Benefits, Uses, Side Effects and Dosage.” September 14, 2018. Accessed on: September 18, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/melatonin