June 7, 2015 - Category: Uncategorized

5 steps to easier dream recall – how to remember your dreams

… “I’m not so good at remembering my dreams!” Or “I can never remember what I have dreamt”. I have heard these phrases quite often, despite the fact that we all on average dream 2 hours per night. In order to interpret your dreams, you must of course be able to remember them. Scientists have discovered that on average women are better than men at recalling their dreams, and women also believe – more than men do – that the content of their dreams actually means something. But both men and women can become better at remembering their dreams. Here are 5 great tips to help you to better remember your dreams, and therefore have a basis to become better at the interpretation your of dreams as you then will have dreams to interpret!

1. Show some interest in your dreams.

The moment you start showing your dreams (real) interest, you will find that you more easily will recall them. You simply obtain a better connection with your unconscious, where our dreams come from. In order to find this interest, you can look at your dreams as a part of yourself that is more informed about you – a part which is several steps ahead of your waking/conscious self, which has some strong “views and opinions” about the way you live your life.

2. Decide and say to yourself that you will remember your dreams.

Tell yourself – just before you fall asleep – that you will remember your dreams when you wake up. In this way, you are telling your brain that you will remember your dreams.

3. Write down (or even better record!) your dreams.

Have paper and pen lying on your bedside table. If you use a notebook, be sure to have turned it to the page where your next dream can be written. Then you do not have to take the time to look for a blank page in the middle of the night. Alternatively, you can record the dream on a voice recorder/smartphone, by way of which you typically get much more detailed reports of your dreams . When you start writing your dreams down/record them, you tell your mind and your subconscious that this is something you want – making it easier to recall your dreams. It becomes very effective when you start to reflect on what the content of your dreams can mean, which is a whole new chapter in itself.

4. Focus on remembering your dreams as soon as you wake up

While waking up, we’re still half in the world of dreams. Therefore, make sure that your alarm clock is placed near you when you’re sleeping – so close that you do not have to get up to turn it off. If you wake up too rapidly (by e.g. getting out of bed right away), the dream will disappear from your memory. Instead, remain quietly in bed – in the position you were in when you woke up (i.e. when you are dreaming). Keep your eyes closed and try to stay in this very relaxed, half asleep state – that way you will much better be able to better remember the dream(s). And take care not to fall back to sleep if you go to work – unless you pressed the snooze button! 🙂

5. Get enough sleep!

We dream more and more as the night progresses. We dream the most during the last 4 hours of an 8 hour sleep (compared to the first 4 hours). So in order to have some dreams to remember, you should also make sure to get enough sleep …

What about you – do you have other tips for how we can become better at remembering our dreams?

Michael