Thread: What to think of before falling asleep.

Welcome! I think everyone has the problem now and again of their minds being too active to fall asleep, and it stands to reason that focusing on something, like remembering dreams, is counterproductive in 'switching your brain off'.

Maybe it's the way in which you're thinking about it? Instead of repeating "I will remember my dreams" in your head, try thinking in a more abstract manner by imagining your dreams and imagining them being too vivid to forget in the morning. That's what I do anyway. It should make your mind trail off into dream-like subject matter, which should send you to sleep.

Hope this helps (and that you can understand what I've written!)

Well, I'm not really an expert... I haven't had a lucid dream yet. However, I do remember my dreams pretty well. I think the problem may be that you're worrying too much about it, and that's keeping you awake. First of all, I've found that keeping a dream journal is one of the most effective ways to start remembering your dreams more successfully. And yes, thinking about your dreams is also effective, but not if you're thinking so hard about it that it starts to bother you. It's a good idea to think about it for a little while before you go to sleep, but at some point you just have to hope the thought has gotten through to your subconscious. Maybe you need a distraction. For example, I listen to a sleep meditation recording when I want to fall asleep––which is great, because it distracts me from my worries and forces me to focus on relaxing. So, perhaps something like that would help? Hopefully that all made sense...