How to Remember Dreams

Co-authored by Alex Dimitriu, MD

Last Updated: May 31, 2024 Approved

Theories abound as to why we dream, how we dream, and what meaning we can assign to our dreams. Many people believe that dreams can provide insights into our lives and feelings, but the trouble is, they're notoriously difficult to remember. With conscious effort, you can remember more of your dreams and recall them in greater detail.

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Annotated Dream Journal Entry

Dream Journal Template

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

The Morning After

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1
Concentrate on recalling your dream as soon as you wake up. Typically, you can remember only the last dream you had before waking. Don’t move and don’t do anything. Stay in the same position as the one in which you awoke and try to remember as much about your dream as possible before you think about anything else. Think it through from start to finish.
- While you're remembering, focus on the first object you see as you open your eyes. Look at the object; focus on it. That object will most often take the vague recollection of your dream to a place mark in memory where it is easier to recall details. A doorknob, a light bulb, or a nail in the wall, for example, will help you to settle into memories of what you had experienced while sleeping.
2
Record your dream in your dream journal. Jot down as much as possible about your dream, starting with a basic sketch that includes such things as the location of the dream, the basic plot, the characters, the overall emotion of the dream (i.e. were you scared or happy in the dream?), and any prominent images you can recall.^{[1]
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- If you can’t remember anything about your dream, write down the first thing that comes into your mind upon waking. It may be related to the dream in some way, and it might trigger recollections. Also write down how you’re feeling when you wake up. The emotions you experience in a dream usually remain, at least for a brief period, so if you wake up anxious or elated, ask yourself why.
Note: If you can remember any dialogue, you may want to write it down first, as words in dreams are easily forgotten. Record everything you can, even if you can only remember one image. As you get the basics down, more of the dream may come to you.

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3
Increase the number of dreams you can remember by waking up more often in the night. We have several REM cycles in the night, and they get longer and longer toward morning. If you only record the last dream you had before you get up in the morning, there are more dreams you might not be remembering. It’s always tempting to go right back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night, but take the opportunity to remember what you were dreaming before you do—in all likelihood you will not remember it in the morning.^{[2]
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- This is only recommended for people who get adequate sleep and who can fall back asleep easily. Otherwise, skip this step.
- Since you usually only remember the last dream you had, you can remember more dreams by waking up several times during the night. We go through a complete sleep cycle approximately every 90 minutes, so you may find it productive to set your alarm to wake you at some multiple of 90 minutes (such as 4.5, 6, or 7.5 hours) after you expect to go to sleep. Dreams in the latter half of the night are typically longer than those you dream soon after going to sleep, so you probably want to wait until at least the 4.5 hour mark to intentionally wake yourself.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Before you Go to Bed

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1
Plan to get a good night's sleep. We have more facility to remember the dreams which occur when our bodies are in the sleeping stage known as REM, which stands for Rapid Eye Movement.^{[3]
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Research source} The body is at rest, but the mind is active with dreams. If you don't get enough sleep at night, or your sleep is interrupted a lot, you get less REM sleep, and fewer dreams. Try going to bed every night at the same time, and waking up at the same time every morning, to make sure you're getting the right kind of rest.
- Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night to achieve the right amount of rest. People who sleep less than six hours have a hard time remembering dreams, because longer, more vivid dreams take place later in the sleeping cycle.
- Create a restful sleeping environment. Eliminate noises and distractions that might be preventing you from falling into a deeper sleep. Wear earplugs if necessary, and make sure you have heavy curtains that block out light from outside.
2
Put a pad and pen or pencil within easy reach of your bed. It’s best if it just has plain paper with no designs or other distractions. Use this pad only for recording your dreams. Before you go to sleep, make sure it is open to the next page on which you can write so you don’t have to search for a blank page when you wake up.
- Always put the pen in the same spot so that you don't have to search for that, either. (You can write down where you put your pen or other things before you go to sleep so you can find them later.)
- An alternative to writing your dreams is to keep a tape recorder near your bed or under your pillow so that you can verbally recount what happened in your dream.
3
Keep your alarm close to your bed. If you have to get out of bed to turn it off, you will be more likely to forget what you were dreaming about. Set your alarm to go off after you've gotten an adequate amount of sleep. Try not to use a radio alarm clock, since the ads and chatter on the morning show will be distracting.
- If you can wake up without an alarm clock, you won’t have to worry about turning it off.^{[4]
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- If possible, try using a gentler way of waking up. Ask someone to wake you gently and without talking to you or hook up a timer to the lights in your room. Many people find that they are able to better recall dreams if they don’t use an alarm clock.
Tip: Place a post-it note on the alarm clock, with the words "What did you dream?" or similar in large letters, so that it's the first thing you see when you open your eyes (and turn the alarm clock off).
The chemicals in these items can affect your brain's ability to remember dreams. Try not to ingest anything for at least a few hours before going to bed, so that nothing interferes with your memory or your sleep patterns.
5
Calm your mind and body before bedtime. Is your brain typically buzzing before bed? Having a lot of stressful thoughts in your head can make it harder to remember your dreams, which requires deep focus. Before you go to bed, let your mind relax. Let it drift calmly into sleep.^{[5]
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- Avoid taking your phone or laptop into bed with you. Emailing and checking texts right before bed doesn't give your mind the time it needs to clear.
- Try meditating, or using the counting sheep technique, to free up your mind.
You’ve got a better chance of remembering your dreams if you really want to remember them. Assuming you do want to, tell yourself that you’re going to remember your dreams and conscientiously follow the steps to make your desire to remember your dreams come true.^{[6]
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Think deeply about the situation without pressing for solutions or coming to conclusions. Just thinking about the problem opens the door, in a sense, to more vividly remembered dreams, and the dreams may even offer more insights regarding the problem at hand.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

For the Rest of the Day

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Something you see or hear later in the day might trigger a memory of a dream from the night before. Note these recollections without delay and think about them to see if you can remember how they fit into the rest of the dream. It also helps to continually think about your dreams throughout the day.
2
Go back to your bed and lie down. Sometimes the memory can be jogged when you assume the same physical position you had while dreaming. Try to put your head in the same place on the pillow, arrange your body the same way, and close your eyes. If the dream comes into your head, think of it before getting up to write it down.
- It might help to open your eyes and look at the object you first saw when you woke up.
Tip: Try creating the same atmosphere in the room - close the curtains, turn off the lights, and eliminate noise.
Remembering your dreams takes effort and practice. The more you become conscious of your dreams, the more likely you are to remember them. Get into the habit of committing to remembering your dreams and night and writing them down first thing when you wake up. The process will become easier over time.
Eventually you'll figure out what factors help you remember your dreams. Try to notice patterns pertaining to the time you go to bed and wake up in the morning, the temperature of the room, what you ate for dinner. Do any of these variables seem to influence your ability to remember your dreams?

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Question

Is it normal to not remember your dreams?

Alex Dimitriu, MD
Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional
Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine.

Alex Dimitriu, MD

Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional

Expert Answer

Yes, so try not to get discouraged if you can't remember your dreams at first. It's normal for humans to forget their dreams! Dreaming is your brain's way of problem-solving, testing hypotheses, and going over emotional situations, and it's normal for people to not remember these things.

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Question

How can I increase my chances of remembering my dreams?

Alex Dimitriu, MD
Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional
Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine.

Alex Dimitriu, MD

Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional

Expert Answer

You're more likely to remember a dream if you wake up while it's occurring. For instance, people have more a tendency to remember their dreams if they have sleep apnea, loud upstairs neighbors, or anything else that disturbs their sleep, since they might wake up during the dream. There were even researchers at Stanford who got people to remember their dreams by watching them for rapid eye movement and waking them up during that exact phase.

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Tips

When you're dreaming, you are in an entirely different state of mind. Try lucid dreaming.^{[8]
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Research source} When you are in this mindset and you are lucid dreaming, sometimes you have the ability to recall your past dreams. Think of it as if you had a part of your brain that stores dreams that you have, and you can only access it by dreaming.

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Certain foods such as almonds and cherries help make dreams more vivid. The more vivid your dreams are the more likely you will recall the dream.^{[9]
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Record exactly what happened without necessarily trying to make sense of it yourself, either. For example, if your dream starts inside a house and you then find yourself in a forest, avoid the temptation to assume you walked out of the house. Dreams that are foreign to everyday experience could be lost by trying to apply waking logic to the events.

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Warnings

If you have trouble sleeping or difficulty getting enough sleep, don’t try to record dreams in the middle of the night. Just go back to sleep.

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Be careful about interpreting dreams. The interpretation of dreams is not science, so don’t jump to conclusions, and don’t place too much importance on a dream. For example, a dream about death does not mean that someone will die, or that something bad will happen.

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Do not try to remember a frightening dream, because it might frighten you for a long period of time.

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