You wake up feeling like you had an incredible dream… but you can’t remember what happened? Don’t worry, this is very common. Dream memories can disappear in seconds. Fortunately, a few simple reflexes can help keep track of it.
Why do we forget our dreams so quickly?
You open your eyes and, for a few moments, you still have an image, a person or a feeling in your mind. Then everything fades away.
Dreams occur in particular during paradoxical sleep, a phase during which brain activity is particularly intense. This period becomes longer as the night goes on, which explains why remembered dreams often occur in the early morning.
But remembering a dream doesn’t just depend on what happens during the night. Stress, certain sleep disorders or certain medications can also disrupt sleep and make memories more difficult to retain.
When you wake up, don’t move right away
This is perhaps the simplest reflex to adopt. When you open your eyes, take a few seconds before getting up or looking at your phone.
Keep your eyes closed and try to find the last image you remember. An emotion, a place, a person or even a color can serve as a starting point.
Then let the memories come back gradually. Don’t necessarily try to piece together the whole story: a few fragments are enough to start.
As soon as something comes to mind, write it down. Three words may be enough. You might be able to find the rest later.
Why Keep a Dream Journal?
A notebook placed on the nightstand can quickly become your best ally. Every morning, write down what you remember, even if it seems very vague.
Over time, you will also be able to identify the elements that regularly recur in your dreams.
You can finally tell someone about your dream. Putting into words what you just experienced can help you remember more of it.
And in the evening, can we prepare our memory?
Yes, certain reflexes can also be adopted before sleeping. In particular, avoid going directly from screens to bed. Instead, give yourself a few minutes of calm, with a reading or a breathing exercise.
You can also give yourself a simple instruction before closing your eyes: “I will remember my dreams tonight.” This intention can help you pay more attention to your dreams when you wake up.
Another technique is to use a “memory palace“. The principle is to associate the different elements you want to remember with familiar places, then mentally go through them to bring back the details.