Taking a break from ZMA: bad dreams

oyaji poi

oyaji poi

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Has anyone else had this? I decided to take a week off from ZMA after taking it consistently for a month. The last time I did this I was camping and drinking, so didn't really remember my dreams. But this time....the dreams were even more vivid and detailed than when I first started taking ZMA.

Usually the ZMA dreams are benign. Never waking up screaming in terror with a raging hard-on (like some people around here). But the "break from ZMA" dreams have been vivid and have dealt with real life issues, but in a worst case scenario.

Anyone else had this?
 
No, not from ZMA. But i don't take it regularly enough. Only after especially hard training days.

Melatonin, however messes with my head. The last time i took it I was a machine gunner during WWI mowing down the enemy. I don't know which side i was on though. But i still have that image in my head.
 
ya, i took melatonin last night. It's a weird chemical. My conscious brain keeps trying to wake up, but my body is still asleep. It's really weird, like I'm drowning in sleep or something. I'll even open my eyes and see the room, but will be asleep at the same time. Maybe it's just a dream though, giving the illusion of being awake.
 
oyaji poi said:
Usually the ZMA dreams are benign. Never waking up screaming in terror with a raging hard-on (like some people around here). But the "break from ZMA" dreams have been vivid and have dealt with real life issues, but in a worst case scenario.

Anyone else had this?
Click to expand...

Vivid? Yes. Very f-ing weird? Yes. Emotionally disturbing, and bothering me throughout the day enough so I would quit taking ZMA? No.

I can understand how they (the dreams) might, though. I had a very bizarre dream last night that involved my wife dying while skiing in the mountains. I woke up thinking "Jesus, that's not very cool".

Dreams are just a way for the mind to vent all the emotional and/or repetitive crap that goes through it on a regular basis; in this case, my wife is leaving on a conference tommorow, and I just worry when she travels, so it makes sense I'd dream about what I did.

ZMA just "amplifies" normal dreams, IMO. Either that or I'm messed up and regularly dream psychotic shit, which could easily be the case.
 
MikeMartial said:
I can understand how they (the dreams) might, though. I had a very bizarre dream last night that involved my wife dying while skiing in the mountains. I woke up thinking "Jesus, that's not very cool".

Dreams are just a way for the mind to vent all the emotional and/or repetitive crap that goes through it on a regular basis; in this case, my wife is leaving on a conference tommorow, and I just worry when she travels, so it makes sense I'd dream about what I did.
Click to expand...


Everybody together now: Awwwwwww.......
 
The freaky-deaky dreams are occurring when I don't take ZMA. On ZMA I dream that I'm a viking and other cool shit like that. The first few nights during a week of not taking it, I have some weird ass dreams.

But not about current events, really old stuff. Like, 10 years ago.
 
I can say in my opinion thats kinda scary and makes me think. How safe is it if it messes with you like that. I get heavy dreams when I eat alot before I sleep and thats not a concern. But if this shit messes with you even when you dont take it that might be a sign of your body wanting it like an addiction. It would be nice to see a study or words from the company about it. Is there a warning, may cause intense dreaming.
 
I still haven't figured out how everyone is taking ZMA (take on empty stomach, don't take with dairy) when, right before bed, they're eating cottage cheese or a casein shake.
Unless nobody is following the directions?
 
oyaji poi said:
The freaky-deaky dreams are occurring when I don't take ZMA. On ZMA I dream that I'm a viking and other cool shit like that. The first few nights during a week of not taking it, I have some weird ass dreams.

But not about current events, really old stuff. Like, 10 years ago.
Click to expand...

Ahh, I gotcha. I misunderstood, and thought it was WHILE you were taking ZMA. Weird dreams off? Never heard of that. It could easily be blamed on melatonin, if you've replaced your ZMA with that. If you are "sleeping clean" and still having bizarrio dreams, I'd say you have some repressed issues.

Perhaps you need to have a session with KK. :icon_chee I think he studies psychology as a hobby.
 
el gato negro said:
I still haven't figured out how everyone is taking ZMA (take on empty stomach, don't take with dairy) when, right before bed, they're eating cottage cheese or a casein shake.
Unless nobody is following the directions?
Click to expand...

ZMA 40 minutes before you hit the sack.
Casein right before bed.
Problem solved.
 
Im taking zma right now and i seem to remember a lot more detail in my dreams than before, no nightmares or nothin just remember it a lot more.
 
before i started taking ZMA i would never remember any aspect of my dreams. I would like have dreams of nothing now i just remember my dreams but they're not like frightening or nuthin
 
Okay, and here's where a guy who studied psychology comes in handy. First things first, let's make a couple of things clear:

1) No one NEVER dreams. If you didn't dream, you'd be brain-dead. Dreaming, and not being able to recall your dreams are two different things, and there's tons of ways to practice (yes, it's a procedure) dream recall.

2) ZMA does not invoke dreams. It's not the ZMA that's doing it directly per se. Bear with me for a minute.

Any product designed to enhance sleep has the potential to invoke more lucid dreams. Why? Because you're FINALLY getting to the deepest states of REM sleep, where your unconscious mind deals with whatever your concerns are. And no dreams are as "weird" as people think they are. I have crazy lucid dreams that are elaborate and were so complex I used to actively avoid them (insomnia), and it wasn't until I learned to read the symbolisms that I finally understood what was going on. Your unconscious mind is as intelligent and reasonable as your conscious mind, the difference is you have no control over what imagery your unconscious mind shows you in regards to certain issues. For instance, some people have dreams of all their teeth and hair falling out. Usually this has something to do with an event in their life that affects their self-consciousness towards their appearance. And almost every symbolism is that simply linked to what goes on in waking life.

So going back to the ZMA. If it helps you sleep better, you're going to dream more and more lucidly. That comes with the territory of reaching REM sleep (with ANY product). As for things like melatonin, people often experience a grogginess upon waking. That has to do with the body becoming adjusted to getting to that stage of sleep and attempting to do as much repairs as it can. When it becomes used to getting that much sleep the grogginess usually subsides.
 
KK, do you know anything about the neurochemical effects of ZMA? For instance, what is the mechanism that makes for deeper sleep? I've seen it theorized (from dubious sources, but no one else seems interested) that all the ingredients to make DMT (the shit Rogan trips on) are in the Pineal gland, which is also where Serotonin/ Melatonin come from. Could the ZMA be triggering a "pineal dump?" Thus the fucked up dreams?
 
KK, do you know anything about the neurochemical effects of ZMA? For instance, what is the mechanism that makes for deeper sleep? I've seen it theorized (from dubious sources, but no one else seems interested) that all the ingredients to make DMT (the shit Rogan trips on) are in the Pineal gland, which is also where Serotonin/ Melatonin come from. Could the ZMA be triggering a "pineal dump?" Thus the fucked up dreams?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure there is a neurochemical effect of ZMA. The mechanism that makes for deeper sleep would be two things, one is the magnesium. Ever take magnesium citrate, which is the most potent kind? Puts your body in a very deep state of relaxation. The second aspect is that many ZMA formulas such as GNC's Pro Performance ZMA also contain things such as Hops and Valerian Root, which also aid in more restful sleep. So I don't think it's JUST the ZMA itself, and if it is, it's the magnesium.
 
If you want a better understanding of KK said then that book I posted a little above is right up your alley.
 
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