How to dream (and remember them!)
"THE WORLD IS DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE. THOSE WHO DREAM AND THOSE WHO FORGOT."
Everyone dreams. It's the brain's essential housekeeping as our daily lives get turned into memories and we sort out our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Dreams can be an excellent source of inspiration or a way to uncover deeper issues that we ignore when awake. The trick is to make ourselves receptive to that state.
IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS...
There's a good chance you fall asleep quickly and wake the same way. So, the first step is to relax before you sleep as a calm mind is more conducive to dreaming. It's also worth notifying the brain that you want to remember your dreams - simply say the sentence a few times, as you drift off.
Upon waking, pause and give yourself a chance to drift. Don't open your eyes, move or speak: the stimuli will chase away the dream. Stay half-asleep and that will give your brain a chance to remember. Give yourself a chance to remember. As you reach for the details, more of the memory will emerge. Keep a note of your dreams in a bedside diary as the more you focus on them, the more likely you are to remember them.
Give yourself a few minutes of peace in the morning to doze and remember your dreams before jumping out of bed.
IF NONE OF THIS WORKS...?
It could be you are sinking too deeply into sleep for memories to emerge. It's noticeable that we are dreaming less as a nation than we did before artificial lighting. Prior to the 1800s, people would often split their sleep into two and get up around midnight for an hour to meditate, write, pray or even go out on visits! Whilst we don't recommend waking up the neighbors, try drinking more water so you need to visit the toilet, or set an alarm after 4 hours of sleep to rouse yourself.