How to Improve Dream Recall and Keep a Dream Journal

For people of all ages, dreams are a fascinating and unique experience. According to some theories, dreams can serve as an escape from a person’s waking reality, but they can also serve as a reminder of things they may need to improve upon. It is also believed that dreams have a significant role in the functioning of the subconscious mind. Having dreams might help them develop and refine particular behaviors because they act as a channel for the subconscious mind to interact with the conscious mind.

Dreams are common because people’s brains are still working while asleep. Their minds may be working to solve issues from the day or simply replaying events from just before bed. Although there is no conclusive explanation for why people dream, hypotheses include PTSD, excessive brain activity, and hallucinations. There might be several causes.

Why Do People Find It Difficult to Recall Their Dreams?

People occasionally struggle to recall their dreams because they don’t stay awake long enough for the brain to finish creating new memories. Your brain continues to create new memories while you sleep. The longer you sleep, the more probable you will recall the dream because it has been pieced together in your brain before you got up. After a short while, the brain needs to finish creating the memory before it can be stored in long-term memory, so if you wake up, it’s possible that you won’t remember what you dreamed.

The Science Behind Dream Recall

Since the beginning of time, humans have been fascinated by their dreams. We still don’t fully understand why we dream or whether they are significant. One of the most frequently asked questions is why some people remember their dreams while others don’t. This article attempts to summarize the most recent scientific research on this subject.

Why do some people recall more dream details than others? In actuality, there are two different questions here. Why do some people remember their dreams on certain mornings but not others? This is the first question. In this piece, they are referred to this as “within-person day-to-day variation.” Or why did they have an idea on Tuesday morning but nothing on Wednesday morning?

The second question focuses on the distinctions between people: why do they never remember their dreams, although their friend usually does? These are the so-called between-person characteristic variances. These two questions have a unique response, as you shall see in a moment.

Defining the day-to-day variation

There are several reasons why dream recall varies from day to day. The stage of sleep you were in immediately before waking up is arguably one of the most critical factors. According to studies, the likelihood of recalling a dream after waking up from so-called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is between 80 and 90 percent, compared to less than 50 percent in other sleep stages (and practically zero percent in so-called deep slow-wave sleep, or NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement or Stage 3). Due to this, some individuals now refer to REM sleep as dream sleep. Even though this is a bit of an oversimplification, the fact that you awaken while in REM sleep significantly enhances the likelihood that you will remember a dream.

Defining between-person trait differences

How come you remember your dream(s) every morning, but your partner, friend, or child doesn’t? Researchers have investigated this issue for many years. They found several differences between frequent “dreamers” (people who recall their dreams on average once per day) and “non-dreamers” (people who never recall their dreams) by contrasting the personality traits, brain activity, and sleep of these two groups. These differences are outlined below.

Age and Sex: 

Dream recall generally declines with age and is more significant in women than males.

Personality:

On scales measuring anxiety, openness to new experiences, absorption, and creativity, dreamers perform better. They also have more vivid fantasies and a propensity for daydreaming. The analogy of dreamers as “artists” and non-dreamers as “engineers” is frequently utilized.

Interests in Dreams:

How you feel about dreams may be one of the best indicators of dream recall. Dreamers are more likely to remember them, and vice versa, if they are interested in their dreams.

Sleep:

Our research discovered that dreamers have lengthier periods of nighttime awakenings. No differences between dreamers and non-dreamers in REM or deep sleep quantity has been found.

Brain Reactivity at Night:

Our research discovered that dreamers’ brains are more sensitive to sound at night. Put another way, they may be roused more quickly and are more aware of their surroundings.

Resting Brain Activity:

Our research also discovered that dreamers exhibit increased baseline activity during wakefulness in areas of the so-called default-mode network. This network is generally activated during daydreaming or mind-wandering.

Keeping A Dream Journal

Dreams are enigmatic. There are many hypotheses about why humans dream, but no one is certain which theory is accurate—or if each theory is accurate to some extent. A dream journal can be a memory aid and a priceless window into your subconscious. It takes some self-control to keep a dream notebook, but if you get into the habit, it’s likely to be a constant source of comfort and intrigue. A dream journal is excellent for remembering important details that require interpretation or increase your dream recall. In the end, it ought to be an enjoyable activity that aids in your understanding of your subconscious.

How Dream Journal Might Be Useful Tool for Creativity and Insights?

Working with dreams primarily entails recording them when you wake up to recall them later. Because of how human memory works, a dream can quickly vanish with time or can change into multiple divisions without a written or audio report.

Although almost all of us have occasionally experienced dreams so unusual and vivid that we can still easily recall them years later, many people have trouble remembering their dreams regularly. There are various causes, from a person’s sleeping patterns and adjustments to our daily routine to our “wake-centric” cultural bias and the social stigma associated with talking about dreams.

According to studies, people frequently recall dreams that involve events with a powerful emotional pull; therefore, writing them down can be a helpful method to face these emotions. Writing down my dreams has helped me become more conscious of my inner existence and the partially conscious emotions that permeate my being and demand my attention. I’ve discovered that if I wake up from a dream encounter feeling indifferent rather than shaken by terror, amazed by a gorgeous view, or healed by a dream image, I’m more inclined to make longer entries and connect with the content in waking life.

Dream journaling acts as a creative outlet. The fundamental mechanisms governing waking consciousness no longer hold in the indescribable world of dreams. Time is not linear anymore. Your perception of yourself and other people can be hazier. Narratives and forms that make no sense appear. We can simultaneously take in viewpoints from other people. There is growing evidence that dreams recall might increase creativity. To preserve these moments of inspiration past the following day, you must somehow capture them.

How To Start Dream Journaling?

It’s easy to start a dream journal. Following regulations is not as important as keeping an open mind and trying new things. Dream specialists make several recommendations to enhance dream memory and begin your dream journaling practice, which include:

To explore your dreams, make it a goal.

It is very important to pay vivid attention to dreams. To reinforce your drive and desire to recall and learn from dreams, some experts advise repeating a sentence to yourself before bed, such as “Tonight, I’m going to remember my dreams.”

Try out various methods of dream journaling to find the one that works best for you.

Even though your dreams seem vivid when you first wake up, if you don’t try to write them down, they frequently vanish from your memory within a few minutes or hours. It’s not necessary to use a sophisticated journaling tool; you can use a notepad and pen, a smartphone app, or a voice recorder.

If you choose the latter, it’s important to remember that after you’ve recorded many audio entries, it could be challenging to search for and recover them. It’s crucial to place your setup close to your bed so you can easily record your dreams without moving around much.

Stay as still in your body as you can when you wake.

While still in a semi-drowsy state, let the dream memories arise. Suddenly waking up might cause startling which can lead to forgetting. Instead, make an effort to reenact the dream’s events mentally. Do write down your memories, sketch your dreams, or whisper them into your voice recorder while moving slowly and gently. Regularly writing down your dreams can help you remember them more clearly.

Conclusion

The brief period following awakening seems to be the only moment of the day when we have been immersed in our inner life for hours without outside influences. We are suspended in the liminal stage between wakefulness and sleep. Dream journaling is one method for preserving this state of mind’s unrestrained ideas, feelings, and visions for a little while. When beginning a dream journaling practice, being open and receptive to the dream world is more crucial than strictly adhering to the rules. Like everything else, patience and practice are essential. Keep in mind that only you are aware of the meaning of your dreams.