How to Remember More of Your Dreams
In many ways, our dreams are a mystery, but there are a number of theories about why we have them. Dreams might help us understand how we're feeling, help us learn, or even give us ideas. Some people find it easy to remember their dreams, but if you want to get better at remembering yours, here's some advice.
Most dreams happen during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase. If you don't sleep well, you may not get enough REM sleep to have many dreams to remember. Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night, which is easier if you have a good bedtime routine. Don't drink alcohol close to bedtime either — The Sleep Foundation says it can decrease how much REM sleep you get.
Tell Yourself to Remember
As you're going to sleep, try telling yourself that you want to remember your dreams. Sleep expert, Doctor Jade Wu, from Duke University told Good Housekeeping that just telling yourself "I'm going to remember my dreams tomorrow morning," can train your brain to recall more when you wake up.
You start to forget your dreams very soon after you wake up. So when you wake up in the morning, try not to get out of bed or think about other things too quickly, says Scientific American. Instead, give yourself time to think about your dreams and see if there are any pictures or feelings from them that you can describe.
It's also a good idea to keep a notebook and pen beside your bed, so you can immediately write down anything you remember about your dreams.
