What to eat to dream more, because your belly may be the best way to your mind.
Did you know that the food you eat can affect your dreams? It may sound odd, but it’s true! Eating certain foods can stimulate brain activity as you sleep, causing you to have more vivid, lucid dreams. If you want to know what to eat to dream more, you need to understand that there are two simple nutrients that will do the trick: tryptophan and Vitamin B6.
Tryptophan is converted into niacin and serotonin. The latter is a neurochemical that helps to regulate your mood, appetite, and sleep patterns. Tryptophan is used as a treatment for insomnia, and an increase in tryptophan will help you to not only have more vivid dreams, but will help you remember those dreams more clearly.
Vitamin B6 is needed in order to convert tryptophan into serotonin. A study conducted in 2002 discovered that taking more Vitamin B6 can help to increase not only the content of the dream, but also the emotionality and vividness of said dreams. Of course, to get enough Vitamin B6 to see results, you need to consume about 250 milligrams–250% of your daily recommended dose of 100 mg. While you can get your DV of Vitamin B6 from the food you eat, it’s not easy to reach 250 mg just by eating.
Note: There are no foods that contain enough Vitamin B6 to reach 250 mg per day. To get enough Vitamin B6 to increase dreaming, it may be necessary to take a Vitamin B6 supplement. However, an excess of the vitamin (more than 500 mg per day) can lead to numbness and pain in your extremities. If you are going to supplement with Vitamin B6, be VERY careful (and obviously talk to your doctor before adding any types of supplements).
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The key to eating to dream more is to get more tryptophan in your diet. How can you do that? Easy: all you have to do is eat the following foods:
- Soy beans — Each cup of the beans gives you 390 mg of tryptophan. Plus, the beans are high in fiber, packed with protein, and fairly low in calories–an excellent plant-based protein for any healthy diet!
- Chicken –– Chicken contains 410 mg of tryptophan (per 4-ounce serving). It’s also one of the healthiest proteins, with special immune-boosting properties that can help you fight off colds and the flu.
- Turkey –– Four ounces of turkey contains 380 mg of tryptophan, making it an excellent food to help you dream more. It’s also a lean protein with a complete amino acid profile!
- Tuna –– In just four ounces of tuna, you get 380 mg of tryptophan–the same as you get from turkey. Tuna is one of the best sources of protein and healthy fats, specifically brain-boosting Omega-3 fatty acids.
- Kidney beans –– For vegetarians who want to increase tryptophan intake, kidney beans are a great option. Just 1 cup of the beans gives you 180 mg of tryptophan.
- Shrimp –– Each 4-ounce serving of shrimp delivers 330 mg of tryptophan, making it one of the best seafood options to help you dream more.
All of these foods will deliver the tryptophan that your body will turn into serotonin, which will in turn help to increase the lucidity of your dreams. However, you can skip the tryptophan and take a 5-HTP supplement instead. Your body converts tryptophan into 5-HTP before turning it into serotonin, so the 5-HTP supplement will basically skip a step and speed up the process. Taking the supplement an hour or two before bed can help you to dream more and increase the vividness of your dreams.
