Waking up from a dream and being able to remember it is not something that everyone is able to do. Curiously though the ability to remember dreams is something that can come and go. People can go through phases where they remember their dreams far more vividly than normal or the complete opposite where dreams simply cannot be remembered or access on waking. What does this mean? Can it be changed? Here are a few answers to your dream-related questions.
Remembering Dreams
Why am I suddenly dreaming more vividly than normal?
This is a good question, and it can certainly signify a number of things. One of the most obvious links is pregnancy. If you have started to dream vividly, and it is not something to which you are usually accustomed, then the chances are high that you may be pregnant. The reason for this is generally hormone related. There is so much going on when you are pregnant, hormones can play havoc with your emotions and leave you feeling unsettled. But also, as the pregnancy progresses you will find that you sleep less well - this often means that dreams are easier to access on waking as you are never in truly deep sleep.
I have stopped remembering my dreams... why?
This is a hard question to answer but it is most likely down to one of two things. It could be related to how you are sleeping. If you are starting to experience deeper, less disturbed sleep, it might be that you simply cannot access the dreams when you eventually wake up. As opposed to when you sleep more lightly, and it feels like the dream is right there when you wake up. How you sleep could be determined by a partner – perhaps your snoring partner or your toddler is now in a different bed, meaning that you are undisturbed all night. Or maybe the very worries and concerns that kept you up at night, and which were featured in your dreams, have been solved and therefore your sleep is better and there is less to dream about.
It could also be down to actual physical changes in the brain. Many studies have been done to try and determine why some people are better at remembering their dreams than others. The journal Medical News Today reports that people with the best dream recall exhibit higher blood flow in their temporoparietal junctions and medial prefrontal cortexes. If, for some reason this blood flow were to slow, or to be blocked, then the ability to remember dreams would in turn be affected.
What can I do to remember my dreams better?
According to the people at Moona.com a big part of remembering your dreams is making a consistent effort to try and do so. In short, start each day by trying to remember what you have dreamed. This might not work immediately, but the point is, if you don't try to access your dreams intentionally, then you are leaving the act of recalling them up to chance. Be intentional about it and devote time each morning to trying to tap into that place you go to when you sleep. Once you start doing this regularly you should start to see the results. Start a dream diary to keep helping you access, remember and process your dreams.
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