someone at the start of the thread asked how it works ... this is some of it ..
Sleep 101 — The Importance of Dreams
Sleep can be roughly grouped into two categories, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and Slow Wave Sleep (SWS). Both of these types of sleep provide different benefits to the human organism. Slow Wave Sleep is dreamless and fosters bodily and systemic recovery. REM is the dreaming sleep, and plays the vital role of helping the mind process the mental clutter and store the data that has accumulated throughout the day. Studies have shown that without adequate REM sleep, people will literally go insane and crash like a computer unable to reboot after accumulating too much software.
Conversely, strong creativity has been linked to strong REM sleep. Documented stories of composers creating entire symphonies, and authors envisioning the entirety of a published work while dreaming are commonplace. For the creative and active mind, REM sleep is a crucial component, and recent research has indicated that the mechanism by which the body controls REM is closely linked to the release of Acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine Is the Key to Strong REM Sleep
Put quite simply, Acetlycholine release is greater during REM sleep than the Non-REM sleep or Slow Wave Sleep. The greater the levels of Acetylcholine released, the more persistent and intense the REM sleep.
This has been studied by watching the function of memory consolidation in correlation to acetylcholine. In scientific terms, “It is thought that the release of acetylcholine in the neocortex controls the flow of information from the hippocampus to the neocortex…which suggests that procedural memory consolidation may depend more on REM sleep. It is proposed that REM sleep with high level of acetylcholine enhance synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation.” Guis, S & Born 2004 in Power A.E. 2004.
Now whether dreaming is a causitive part of this memory consolidation process or a byproduct of it is not exactly clear, but the correlation is proven beyond empirical doubt. So to sum all this up: More Acetylcholine = More REM sleep = More powerful dreaming.
Lucid Dreams: The (Attainable) Holy Grail of Dreaming
Have you ever had a dream in which you became aware that you were dreaming while you were still in the dream? If so, what did you do? Did you fly? Did you explore sexual fantasies? Did you turn a nightmare around by kicking a whole lot of ass and waking up feeling like Bruce Willis? That is the world of possibility open to the lucid dreamer, and a quick example of why it is such a highly sought after state.
Deirdre Barrett, in her 1992 study on lucid dreaming described four “corollaries” of lucidity: knowing that one dreams, that objects will disappear after waking, that physical laws need not apply, and having clear memory of the waking world. A true lucid dream has at least one, if not all of these categories to qualify.
An early recorded lucid dreamer was the philosopher and physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682). Browne was fascinated by the world of dreams and described his own ability to lucid dream in his Religio Medici: “…yet in one dream I can compose a whole Comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests and laugh my self awake at the conceits thereof.”
A study on memory, testing the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor commonly known as Galantamine reported Lucid Dreams as a side effect of the drug, proving the correlation between increased levels of Acetylcholine and the possibility of more lucid dreams. It only makes sense. If you have more time in the REM dream state, more intensity of your dream state, why wouldn’t you have more of an opportunity to make them lucid? And there is no doubt that AlphaBrain is a more powerful acetylcholine booster than galantamine… In fact, we believe that AlphaBrain is the best naturally derived acetylcholine booster in the world.
Alpha Brain: The best naturally derived Acetylcholine booster in the world?
Why is Alpha Brain possibly the best naturally derived Acetylcholine booster in the world? There are two main reasons. First, we use the best quality, most bio-available, and not coincidentally the most expensive variety of Choline, the raw source of Acetylcholine. GPC Choline (Glyceryl Phorsphoryl Choline) is unrivaled for potentiality and generally accepted as the strongest raw choline source, dwarfing the efficacy of choline bitrartate.
Second, we include the proven acetylcholinesterase inhibitor Huperzia Serrata, with standardized levels of Huperzine A. Huperzine A has been studied successfully in conjunction with Alzheimers, and the mechanism of inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine is well documented. What does this mean so far? It means that not only will you have more raw materials to build acetylcholine (GPC Choline), you will also be actively preventing the breakdown and destruction of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesterase. By using full spectrum Huperzia Serrata instead of Huperzine A, you also get the benefits of Huperzine B and myriad other supporting Alkaloids. For more information on why using full spectrum Huperzia is an advantage, take a look at this article by our supplier here.
Next, consider the philosophy of our nootropic formula. Not only are we boosting Acetlylcholine, we are also using Mucuna Pruriens to raise levels of L-Dopa, and including GABA to make a well rounded and balanced brain formula. This in itself combats unnecessary hyperactivity associated with higher levels of Acetlycholine, but we go even farther by offering an elephant dose of the trusted anxiolytic Oat Straw in a 10x formlation. This allows us to turn the mental power quotient up higher than other formulas, giving a maximum acetylcholine charge, without the unwanted potential side effects.
Finally let us consider our other active ingredients. AC-11 (r), the patented ingredient extracted from the rainforest herb cat’s claw is so powerful it has been proven to repair DNA! In our formula this acts as a nuclear antioxidant, eradicating free radicals that clog the neural pathways and create mental fog. Pterostilbene and Bacopa are powerful cognitive enhancers in their own right and Vinpocetine is a cerebral vasodilator that brings blood into the brain. With more blood comes more nutrients and circulation, and that is always a good thing.
All of this may seem complicated but it can be summed up like this. More acetylcholine gives you stronger REM sleep, and stronger REM sleep gives you more vivid dreams, and the opportunity to turn those dreams to lucid dreams. AlphaBrain is perhaps the best natural acetylcholine boosting supplement in existence, and thereby very well may be the best dream supplement.