Effects of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and a B complex preparation on dreaming and sleep

Adventure-Heart DJ, et al.

Published in Perceptual and Motor Skills

Methodology

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled home-based trial; participants took 240 mg vitamin B6, a B complex preparation, or placebo before sleep for 5 nights, recording dream salience, recall and sleep quality in diaries.

Key Findings

In 100 participants taking high-dose vitamin B6 (240 mg) or a B complex before bed for 5 consecutive nights, B6 significantly increased dream vividness, bizarreness and dream recall versus placebo, while the B complex did not increase recall and was associated with poorer sleep quality and more tiredness on waking.

Conclusions

High-dose vitamin B6 taken before bed increases dream vividness and recall over a few nights, but such doses are not safe for prolonged use and offer no sleep-quality benefit.

Limitations

Short 5-night exposure at a B6 dose far above dietary requirement, with peripheral neuropathy risk on chronic use; outcomes entirely self-reported via dream diaries; healthy young participants; high attrition/compliance variability in a home-based design.

Supplements Studied

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Vitamin

We found that vitamin B6 significantly increased the amount of dream content participants recalled but did not significantly affect dream vividness, bizarreness, or color.