Develop a desire to recall
Some people can remember their dreams better than others. But often it takes time to practice recalling your dreams. You might be interested in what dreams tell you about your unconscious mind or might believe that dreams might predict your future. Whatever the reasons you are more likely to give up unless you have a true desire to recall your dreams.
Practice recalling a daytime incident
Often you won’t remember much from your dreams to horn your remembering skills. So an alternative way to practise is to recall a daytime incident. You can think about how you experienced the situation, the dialogues and the surroundings. Our brains filter out familiar details and you will be surprised how little you can recall of the surroundings. Trying this mental exercise will improve your brain’s recollection skills that will help you better remember your dreams.
Start remembering your dreams
The next time you wake up, spend a little time remembering your dreams. Don’t worry even if you can’t remember anything. If you are pressed for time, allocate time during the weekends, when you are more relaxed.
Return to your original sleep posture
Sometimes it helps you revert back to your initial sleeping position to help trigger your memory. If you sleep on your sides, then get into that posture and try to remember what you were dreaming.
Use reminders
Dreams are notorious for quickly fading away within a few minutes of waking up. So it is important to have some triggers to remind you to start recalling your dreams. Ask your partner to remind you or place a post-it on your alarm.
Maintain a sleep journal
Place a notebook and a pen close to your bed to make it easy to write down your dreams. Just write down what comes to your mind without trying to make sense out of it. You can use symbols or sketches. Anything to help you record it quickly. Alternatively you can have an audio journal by recording it in a voice recorder.
If you are keeping a sleep diary, then you can even combine both. This way you can see how the amount and quality of your sleep affects your dreaming.
Wake up peacefully
A smooth awakening gives you the best chance of remembering your dreams. A dramatic wake up will distract your brain and throws in interference (layers of new memories and data) which can let your dreams slip away.
Keep your alarms nearby so you don’t need to get out from bed. Or better still, try waking up without your alarm.
Keep practicing
Persistence pays off when it comes to dream recall. The more you practice the better you become at remembering dreams.
Avoid sleep deprivation
Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your health. And it affects dreaming as well. Since most of the REM sleep occurs at the latter part of your sleep, cutting down the number of hours of sleep will reduce REM sleep and thus time for dreaming. Sleep deprivation also hinders your ability to wake up naturally.
