Why do some people seem to always remember their dreams while others don’t? How do you remember more of your dreams? Is there a trick to it? Here we are going to talk more about dreams and the tips and tricks of how to remember more of your dreams.
Dreams are still a mystery to dreamers and scientists as well but recent research reveals there is a difference between those who don’t remember their dreams and those who do remember their dreams.
The first thing that seems to play a great role is gender. Dr. Deirdre Leigh Barrett, a psychology professor from Harvard and author of “The Committee of Sleep,” said that women are more likely to recall their dreams than men. This could be due to differences in gender when it comes to overall interest in dreams. Also, it could be a biological or hormonal difference that we are not aware of yet. Another important factor is the age of the dreamer. People in their twenties or younger are more likely to remember their dreams than people who are in their thirties and older.
Another important factor is personality. According to Dr. Barrett:
“More psychologically minded people tend to have higher dream recall, and people who are more practical and externally focused tend to have a lower recall.”
How to Remember Your Dreams?
Still, other factors play an important role when it comes to recalling your dreams. A dreaming period occurs when you enter REM sleep, a phase when your body is experiencing different changes such as changes in blood pressure, breathing and changes in heart rate. Those who wake up at the end of a REM phase are more likely to remember their dreams. Still, we can’t make ourselves wake up at the end of an REM phase nor might we be interested in waking up if it’s two in the morning.
A study from 2013, examined 36 people by giving them a questionnaire about dream recalls and they also analyzed their brain activity while asleep and awake. Researchers showed that those who recall their dreams more often might be different even when they are awake when compared to those who don’t remember their dreams.
While asleep, high and low dream recallers had similar changes in brain activity. However, researchers suggest that the high recallers’ brains might be more active and reactive to sounds and any other stimuli around them.
Scientists believe that some simple tricks can help you recall your dreams more often. Robert Stickgold, sleep expert and professor from Harvard Medical School said:
“I would predict that 80 percent of people who initially said they never dream would say they do now.”
These are the main recommendations for those who want to remember their dreams.
Drink three glasses of water. Don’t drink wine or beer since those beverages can suppress REM.
Think about dreaming. If you don’t think that much about dreaming and you are not interested in your dreams, the chances are you won’t remember your dreams.
Wake up slowly. Once you wake up, stay half-asleep for a while and try to replay your dreams as best as you can.
Also, one more thing to keep in mind is the longer you sleep, the more REM time you will have, meaning more opportunities to dream and to remember your dreams. REM periods tend to get longer thought the night. If you sleep for only four hours, you are missing approximately 80% of your dream time comparing to those who sleep eight hours.
Try to get as much sleep as possible and skip Netflix an hour before you go to bed.
Dr. Barrett said that you can become a high dream recaller only by reading about it and thinking about it. Hope this helps.
