How to Remember Dreams
Plan to get a good night's sleep., Put a pad and pen or pencil within easy reach of your bed., Keep your alarm close to your bed., Don't eat, drink alcohol or take medication right before bed., Calm your mind and body before bedtime., Make a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Plan to get a good night's sleep.
We have more facility to remember the dreams which occur when our bodies are in the sleeping stage known as REM, which stands for Rapid Eye Movement.
The body is at rest, but the mind is active with dreams.
If you don't get enough sleep at night, or your sleep is interrupted a lot, you get less REM sleep, and fewer dreams.
Try going to bed every night at the same time, and waking up at the same time every morning, to make sure you're getting the right kind of rest.
Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night to achieve the right amount of rest.
People who sleep less than six hours have a hard time remembering dreams, because longer, more vivid dreams take place later in the sleeping cycle.
Create a restful sleeping environment.
Eliminate noises and distractions that might be preventing you from falling into a deeper sleep.
Wear earplugs if necessary, and make sure you have heavy curtains that block out light from outside. -
Step 2: Put a pad and pen or pencil within easy reach of your bed.
It’s best if it just has plain paper with no designs or other distractions.
Use this pad only for recording your dreams.
Before you go to sleep, make sure it is open to the next page on which you can write so you don’t have to search for a blank page when you wake up.
Always put the pen in the same spot so that you don't have to search for that, either. (You can write down where you put your pen or other things before you go to sleep so you can find them later.) An alternative to writing your dreams is to keep a tape recorder near your bed or under your pillow so that you can verbally recount what happened in your dream. , If you have to get out of bed to turn it off, you will be more likely to forget what you were dreaming about.
Set your alarm to go off after you've gotten an adequate amount of sleep.
Try not to use a radio alarm clock, since the ads and chatter on the morning show will be distracting.
If you can wake up without an alarm clock, you won’t have to worry about turning it off.
If possible, try using a gentler way of waking up.
Ask someone to wake you gently and without talking to you, or hook up a timer to the lights in your room.
Many people find that they are able to better recall dreams if they don’t use an alarm clock.
Place a post-it note on the alarm clock, with the words "What did you dream?" or similar in large letters, so that it's the first thing you see when you open your eyes (and turn the alarm clock off). , The chemicals in these items can affect your brain's ability to remember dreams.
Try not to ingest anything for at least a few hours before going to bed, so that nothing interferes with your memory or your sleep patterns. , Is your brain typically buzzing before bed? Having a lot of stressful thoughts in your head can make it harder to remember your dreams, which requires deep focus.
Before you go to bed, let your mind relax and be free of heavy thoughts.
Let it drift calmly into sleep.
Avoid taking your phone or laptop into bed with you.
Emailing and checking texts right before bed doesn't give your mind the time it needs to clear.
Try meditating, or using the classic counting sheep technique, to free up your mind. , You’ve got a better chance of remembering your dreams if you really want to remember them.
Assuming you do want to, tell yourself that you’re going to remember your dreams and conscientiously follow the steps to make your desire to remember your dreams come true. , Think deeply about the situation without pressing for solutions or coming to conclusions.
Just thinking about the problem opens the door, in a sense, to more vividly remembered dreams, and the dreams may even offer more insights regarding the problem at hand. -
Step 3: Keep your alarm close to your bed.
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Step 4: Don't eat
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Step 5: drink alcohol or take medication right before bed.
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Step 6: Calm your mind and body before bedtime.
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Step 7: Make a conscious decision to remember your dreams.
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Step 8: Think about a major problem or emotional concern or read right before you fall asleep.
Detailed Guide
We have more facility to remember the dreams which occur when our bodies are in the sleeping stage known as REM, which stands for Rapid Eye Movement.
The body is at rest, but the mind is active with dreams.
If you don't get enough sleep at night, or your sleep is interrupted a lot, you get less REM sleep, and fewer dreams.
Try going to bed every night at the same time, and waking up at the same time every morning, to make sure you're getting the right kind of rest.
Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night to achieve the right amount of rest.
People who sleep less than six hours have a hard time remembering dreams, because longer, more vivid dreams take place later in the sleeping cycle.
Create a restful sleeping environment.
Eliminate noises and distractions that might be preventing you from falling into a deeper sleep.
Wear earplugs if necessary, and make sure you have heavy curtains that block out light from outside.
It’s best if it just has plain paper with no designs or other distractions.
Use this pad only for recording your dreams.
Before you go to sleep, make sure it is open to the next page on which you can write so you don’t have to search for a blank page when you wake up.
Always put the pen in the same spot so that you don't have to search for that, either. (You can write down where you put your pen or other things before you go to sleep so you can find them later.) An alternative to writing your dreams is to keep a tape recorder near your bed or under your pillow so that you can verbally recount what happened in your dream. , If you have to get out of bed to turn it off, you will be more likely to forget what you were dreaming about.
Set your alarm to go off after you've gotten an adequate amount of sleep.
Try not to use a radio alarm clock, since the ads and chatter on the morning show will be distracting.
If you can wake up without an alarm clock, you won’t have to worry about turning it off.
If possible, try using a gentler way of waking up.
Ask someone to wake you gently and without talking to you, or hook up a timer to the lights in your room.
Many people find that they are able to better recall dreams if they don’t use an alarm clock.
Place a post-it note on the alarm clock, with the words "What did you dream?" or similar in large letters, so that it's the first thing you see when you open your eyes (and turn the alarm clock off). , The chemicals in these items can affect your brain's ability to remember dreams.
Try not to ingest anything for at least a few hours before going to bed, so that nothing interferes with your memory or your sleep patterns. , Is your brain typically buzzing before bed? Having a lot of stressful thoughts in your head can make it harder to remember your dreams, which requires deep focus.
Before you go to bed, let your mind relax and be free of heavy thoughts.
Let it drift calmly into sleep.
Avoid taking your phone or laptop into bed with you.
Emailing and checking texts right before bed doesn't give your mind the time it needs to clear.
Try meditating, or using the classic counting sheep technique, to free up your mind. , You’ve got a better chance of remembering your dreams if you really want to remember them.
Assuming you do want to, tell yourself that you’re going to remember your dreams and conscientiously follow the steps to make your desire to remember your dreams come true. , Think deeply about the situation without pressing for solutions or coming to conclusions.
Just thinking about the problem opens the door, in a sense, to more vividly remembered dreams, and the dreams may even offer more insights regarding the problem at hand.
About the Author
Jose Patel
Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.
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