Infection, I used melatonin for about 3 months. Every word that is said about it becomming habit forming is true, but I think that this is a psycological thing, not a physical thing. I was using it to correct my sleeping problems. I started out with the 3 mg pill. It worked great. As soon as I hit the pillow I went to sleep. Changing the dosage doesn’t matter because 3 mg is already like 1000% the ammount your body uses. When I first started using it I would feel hung over in the morning for about an hour. Just a slight headache and groggy. This went away after about a week, but the effectiveness never decreases. It just felt like the effectiveness decreased, because if I was up and about after I took my melatonin I wouldn’t get drowsy. However, as soon as I went to bed I would be able top fall to sleep.
I decided to stop using the melatonin because it also contained b6, which if used as regularly as daily can cause brain damage. When I tried to stop using it I couldn’t, because I would be terrified I wouldn’t fall to sleep. Eventuallyu I realized this was juse in my head, and once I stopped using it, there is not problem not using it.
As far as the effects on my dreams went… Melatonin usually eliminated dream recall, unless I slept in the next day. I found that during the night, I must have been sleeping too deeply. However, I helped to prompt lucid dreams regularly when I slept in. Another part of many melatonin pills is the b6 which is also known for enhancing the vividness of dreams.
Now I occasionally take a 3 mg pill if I really need to sleep, but this usually results in the elimination of dream recall. So some times I take a pinch of melatonin. This eliminates early night dream recall, but enhances my dreams in the remainder of the night.
Another thing to consider is pot smokers. When I used to smoke i suffered severe insomnia, but I found out that this was becasue the bud causes a 4000% increase in your melatonin levels when you smoke, so when you need it at night, it isn’t there. Melatonin can be used to offset the effects of chronic pot smoking.
Basically… Melatonin is a good sleep aid, and isn’t really habit forming if you aren’t affraid of not being able to fall to sleep like many insomniacs are. However, I don’t see taking 1.5-3 mg of melatonin as being any worse than having a can of soda every day, and the melatonin also improves memory, concentration and overall mental performance the next day (according to studies).
If you are look for prolonged dream aids, melatonin is probably not the right choice, but if you need help sleeping so that you can dream at all go for it. Otherwise to help you dream I suggest mint tea.