Too many dreams since I am on Saint John's Wort

[Luisitosax]

Hi:
I am taking one capsule of Saint John's Wort in the morning for depression. Since then I am dreaming a loooot. I can remember clearly my dreams and before this didn't happen. Is this an indication of bad sleep pattern or not? Please I need advice. I am sleeping about 6 hours a night with one or two awakenings of 5-10 minutes a night. Usually I fall asleep rapidly, but I wake up early in the morning.

[nuttgod]

What I can say is that in many traditions which are based in part on magick and where herbs and potions are used St John's Wort is seen as a herb that is assocaited with both dreaming as well as psychic abilities.  The reason being just what you are discussing, both the dreams and the crazy.  I would guess the higher level of aggitation and wanting to rip people's heads off was associated with the "psychic ability" and that on some level in your psyche you believed that people were going to harm you or that you knew they were thinking ill of you and as a result you were angered.  

[Luisitosax]

Well, those are interesting comments.
I think supplements can cause different reactions on people. My dreams don't have a pattern. For example yesterday I dreamt that I was working on "body rescue", I had to search for dead people on an old building where criminals used to throw bodies from their crimes. For me that is annoying
Tomorrow I am going to stop the Saint John and see what happens.
I am going to keep you updated

[Melissa70817]

For me, St. Johns made me insane.  I took it only ONCE and I literally thought I was going crazy...I was in the worst mood to the point I wanted to rip off anyone's head that even looked at me.  I thought it was supposed to do the opposite!!!  I have no idea why I had this reaction and have always been too scared to try it again, wouldn't want the same thing to happen!! I have never heard of it doing this to anyone.

[KatEyes]

Great idea to test your theory on whether the dreams are just when on the St. John's Wort.

I'm not sure what you meant by the dreams are "annoying", but for what it's worth, it's common for people with sleep apnea to have dreams that seem to be related to choking, smothering, etc. - anything about breathing. Some with limb movements that disturb their sleep have said they often dreamed about running, falling, scrambling - all things to do with legs moving. If there's a theme to your dreams it could have significance.

I'm not talking about interpreting the psychological meaning of dreams, but rather being in tune to a pattern of dreams that are born out of a physical sensation the body experiences when asleep.

If time permits, let us know how your experiment turns out and if the annoying dreams stop when you stop the supplement.

[Luisitosax]

Dear KatEyes:

Thanks for your input. It has been helpful. I'll consider the sleep study. I only know that I am a little worried about these dreams because sometimes they are annoying. I have noticed that exactly when I started on Saint John’s Wort the dreams started also. I am planning to stop taking Saint John’s for a week or so and see what happens.
Thanks

[KatEyes]

Hard to say, but some feel remembering our dreams is sign we are awakening during them, which could mean disrupted sleep. As far as not remembering your dreams before, maybe you were sleeping better, or maybe you weren't dreaming much due to sleep issues. Have you ever considered a sleep study? Poor quality sleep can cause symptoms of depression. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.