DOSE: T+ 0:00	0.7 - 0.8 g	oral	Silene capensis	(tea)
T+ 0:00		oral	Ginseng	(tea)
T+ 24:00	0.7 - 0.8 g	oral	Silene capensis	(tea)
T+ 24:00		oral	Ginseng	(tea)
T+ 48:00	0.7 - 0.8 g	oral	Silene capensis	(tea)
T+ 48:00		oral	Ginseng	(tea)

BODY WEIGHT:

94 kg

I've become interested in sleep quality and lucid dreams. After extensive reading about methods to boost them I took gradual steps toward a regular 7 hours sleep cycle fasting for at least 4 hours before sleeping and trying to meditate half an hour before sleeping. It's also worth noticing that I've an healthy lifestyle and workout daily.

As first thing in the morning I write down how I felt the night before, what I remember of the night and how I feel in the morning.
The journal makes it easier to apply the MILD technique (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming), which focuses on memorising the last dream in detail and then re-entering that same dreamworld in an aware state. After a month I unarguably increased the quality of my sleep and was aware of my dreams almost every night. Aware, but not in control and they still faded fast.

I decided to take the next step buying dry root of Silene capensis (African Dream Root) and assuming about 0.8 g each night in a tea. I blended the root first, because is more difficult to do when it rehydrates, then I added 10 g of ginseng, honey and cinnamon and about 35 cl of boiling water. I drank the tea for 3 nights in a row without any expected effected, not even tonic.

Unfortunately the first day I drank it was the beginning of a very stressful period under several aspects and started a vicious cycle where I underperformed and tried to compensate at the expenses of my sleep, loosing all my progresses. I tried it anyway because part of the stress was due to decisions I'm struggling to take and was looking for answers within myself, but nothing happened. Thus, I stopped till I settle the situation.

I think my REM sleep shortened and current scientific theories support its crucial importance in feeling rested and dreaming lucidly. There are tools on smartphones and smartwatches to monitor the quality of sleep, including REM cycle and might be interesting to use them in the future.

Exp Year: 2020	ExpID: 114353
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 24
Published: May 14, 2020	Views: 1,586
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Silene capensis (386), Dreams (85) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Preparation / Recipes (30), Personal Preparation (45), Combinations (3), Alone (16)