i was questioning that, since i can remember in two years i havent dream a lot, now i cant remember i cant dream, is like i just sleep is pure black, do you have this? or do you dream too?
i was questioning that, since i can remember in two years i havent dream a lot, now i cant remember i cant dream, is like i just sleep is pure black, do you have this? or do you dream too?
I have never had many dreams, but they experienced an uptick when I started melatonin. Stress also makes me have more nightmares.
There is growing evidence that autism involves a dysfunction of the serotonergic system, particularly the central nervous system (CNS) pathway (Tryptophan -> 5-HTP -> Serotonin -> N-Acetylserotonin -> Melatonin). There are also studies showing that the conversion from N-Acetylserotonin (NAS) to melatonin is impeded in autism.
I did a lot of digging into this to try to aid my sleep and general health. Here are the key takeways:
If anyone’s interested I can dig up the studies/references I used.
(As an aside, sleep apnoea will also reduce the amount of REM sleep, as past a certain point your brain will keep pulling you back into light sleep in order to breathe. If you haven’t checked if you have sleep apnoea, please do so!)
Thanks for sharing! I find this quite interesting as I continue to have this nagging need to establish what is the fundamental difference between autistic and NT neurotypes that result in the practical differences we experience. Do you know where I can read more about the latest science that focuses on this?
20mg sounds like quite an excessive amount. Are you sure about that? Do you have a source to support that claim?
You’re welcome. Unfortunately there’s no one place where you can read up on it; in my case I searched for any studies or papers on autism and/or serotonin to get a better understanding of how the system worked. Whilst some research is behind paywalls, a lot is still publicly accessible (ResearchGate is one such site). Google Scholar is probably the easiest way to search for relevant papers, though, as it usually lists where the full paper (as a PDF) is available.
Some of the papers I’ve come across that may be of interest to you:
As for the quantity of melatonin, that was in discussion with my doctor. He expected that the commonly available 2mg supplements wouldn’t do anything and that it would probably take 10mg to have a significant impact. He also said not to go above 20mg. In my case, 10mg works very well, but was increasing the risk of being tired the next day - so I am currently on 5mg (this helps, but I don’t sleep through the night as well as I did on 10mg).
Also on the safety side of things, be aware that 5-HTP should not be taken with SSRIs without careful medical supervision due to the interaction and risk of serotonin syndrome.