Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Getting ready for bed
• Part 2 of 3: Manage Your Dreams
• Part 3 of 3: Record Your Dreams
• Tips
• Warnings

We all have dreams. Dreams arise as a result of our mind processing the thoughts and experiences of the past day. The brain continues to work during sleep. The only problem is that dreams are easily forgotten. Thus, your goal is to learn how to remember dreams, not just live them. It will be very difficult to actively recall dreams at first, but once you get into the habit of recording and analyzing dreams, they will become brighter than before.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Getting ready for bed

1. 1 Stick to a sleep routine. Your ability to recall dreams will improve significantly if you fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day. With the lifestyle of a modern person, it can be difficult to maintain such a regime, but it will help to increase the duration of the REM (rapid eye movement) phases.
   • Dreams occur during the REM phase.
2. 2 Take melatonin. Melatonin is widely recognized as an ingredient that promotes healthy sleep and richer dreams. Melatonin supplements are prescribed for people who have sleep disturbances. These supplements are recommended to be taken every evening half an hour before bedtime.
   • Melatonin is also found naturally in certain foods.Cherries, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and almonds are just a few of the foods high in melatonin.
3. 3 Think about dreams. Even the simplest thought about sleep can trigger dreams when you fall asleep. Simply reading this article can be a starting point for dreaming. Thinking about vivid and lucid dreaming can lead you to think about the consciousness and experience of the dream. This will help you to have lucid dreams.
   • Typically, your brightest dreams will be lucid. This is not because lucid dreams are inherently more intense, but because such dreams are easier to remember.
4. 4 Do periodic reality checks. Take a minute during the day to stop and ask yourself if you are sleeping or not. This is called reality checking, and by making it a habit, you will increase your chances of lucid dreaming. Do these checks at different times throughout the day before going to bed.
5. 5 Sleep in a relaxed environment. Needless to say, the best sleeping environment is one where nothing will distract you. Make sure your sleeping area is relatively dark so that nothing will disturb your sleep. Of course, it is difficult to guarantee complete rest while you sleep continuously for several hours, but try to do your best to keep your sleeping area comfortable and tidy, this will help you remember your dreams.

Part 2 of 3: Manage Your Dreams

1. 1 Listen to music while you sleep. Although complete silence during sleep is preferable for many people, dreamers who have vivid dreams report having good dreams when they listen to music. The music should be ambient. This way, your brain will not be so distracted by what is happening in the music. There are certain pieces of music that are specifically designed for sleep and lucid dreaming. The six o'clock "Somnium" by Robert Rich is a great instrumental composition for dreams. Max Richter's "Sleep", lasting 8 hours, will also help increase your chances of experiencing more vivid dreams.
2. 2 Set an alarm to wake up during the REM phase. We dream during the REM sleep stage. Most sleep cycles are similar, and you can predict where you will be at this stage. Try setting your alarm for 4.5, 6, or 7.5 hours after you go to bed. The alarm will wake you up when you are still dreaming, or when the dream is still fresh in your memory.
   • However, some people are annoyed by the sound of the alarm, which prevents them from remembering the dream. If you're unlucky with an alarm, try waking up without one.
   • If you sleep next to someone who will be awake during one of your REM stages (such as a roommate), you can ask them to wake you up.
   • Light alarm clocks will wake you up with light, not sound. This is usually a softer way to wake up, making it easier for you to remember the dream.
3. 3 Pay attention to detail. Dreams become much clearer when you focus on the details in the dream itself. Without focusing on the little things, the memory of the dream becomes vague, and much of the information is lost. For example, in a dream you are in a room with a clock - look at it and check the time. Many people report that times can change during sleep. Even if such an action does not give you specific information, the impression of something unusual will help you become aware of yourself in a dream.
   • Even if you cannot remember this step in a dream, simply thinking about it in reality will increase your chances of doing this action in your dream.
4. 4 Identify your personal sleep signs. Look for such signs (repeating signs indicating that you are sleeping), write down all the details of the dream after waking up, notice all the little things in the dream.While you may not be able to easily identify these signs at first, the more you engage in the habit of actively dreaming, the more often you will be able to experience these dreams.
   • Dreaming signs include a distorted (crooked) mirror, as well as a feeling of teeth falling out.
5. 5 Remind yourself that you are in a dream state. Self-awareness in a dream occurs when the dreamer realizes that he is sleeping. This comes from the fact that the sleeper consciously reminds himself that he is in a dream. It can be scary or pleasant realization, depending on how you feel. If you are experiencing a lucid dream, then most likely you will remember it in more detail. As a result, you will have a clearer memory of what you dreamed about.
   • Reminding yourself that you are asleep can be difficult unless you already have experience and the ability to recognize the signs of sleep.

Part 3 of 3: Record Your Dreams

1. 1 Keep a dream diary. Dreams are very personal experiences, and you will have to do most of the research you need to do alone. From the diary entries, you will be able to more clearly remember your dreams of various ages. More importantly, through the habit of writing down dreams, you will train your mind to recall the content of dreams faster and easier.
   • You can take notes on the interpretation of your dream in the morning, as soon as you recorded the dream itself, or later, when you collect your thoughts.
   • It is important to do this as soon as possible after waking up. The longer you delay, the more likely you are to forget what you dreamed about. That is why it is recommended to keep a notepad next to the bed for this purpose.
2. 2 Remind yourself to remember. You should make it a habit to remember what you dreamed when you first woke up. While dreams are not the first thing that usually comes to mind when you wake up, remind yourself of this every morning and your brain will eventually adjust to the activity.
   • Even if you cannot immediately grasp all the events of the dream, remembering its main contents immediately after waking up, you will be able to remember the smallest details for the rest of the day.
3. 3 Interpret your dream. After you have made a diary entry with details and memories of a given dream, it would be helpful to analyze the dream and give it an interpretation. Dreams often have something to do with the feelings you experience in reality. It can be very helpful to look at these dreams and try to determine exactly how you felt and why you felt it.
4. 4 Suggest your interpretation. There are many dream books and similar magazines that offer specific explanations for different images and symbols in a dream. Much of this is based on Freudian pseudoscience and should be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, you have to decide for yourself what certain symbols mean for you personally. For example, a cat will seem to one person to be a positive sign, while to another it will personify horror. Look into dream books if you are interested, but do not take them for absolute truth.
   • Look through various dream books if you are interested in as many meanings of certain symbols as possible and check if they correspond to your interpretations.
5. 5 Talk about your dreams. Memories become more lasting when shared with other people. If you dreamed about something and you can share this dream with someone close to you, do it. Try to tell everything that you still remember.
   • Do not blame or judge yourself for everything that you dreamed. No one can control what we dream, and therefore it is better to open up and tell than to be silent and hide what may bother you on a subconscious level.

Tips

• There are many benefits of vivid dreams. This will help you live in the moment and you will be enlightened in other states of consciousness.
• No one knows for sure why we dream. This can be frustrating for people who are interested in it and want concrete answers.But it also makes the whole process more interesting to learn.
• Watching the animated film "Life Awakening" is worth your attention if you are interested in the topic of dreams and dreams.
• Sensitive sleepers tend to have more vivid dreams.

Warnings

• Dreams cannot be triggered at will. If you are too zealous, then it may work against your own efforts. Let dreams come naturally to you.
• Not all dreams will be pleasant. If you have been worried about certain things lately, these fears can manifest themselves in nightmares.
• Some people just don't remember dreams. This is not necessarily a bad thing; most dreams are unpleasant in nature, and if you don't remember dreams, that means you probably sleep better at night than most people.