Increasing dream frequency and longevity.

Don't know if something like this has been posted before or where exactly I'm supposed to post this, but I want direct replies any way, so here goes. :lol:

It's a simple yet frustrating problem of mine. Usually I have some pretty interesting dreams and like most people here, I have a dream journal. But a lot of the time I forget what it was I dreamt about seconds after I wake up. They maybe too short or simple for me to remember. Or, sadly, there's many nights where I just don't dream at all.

I was wondering if there was anyway I could increase the amount of dreams I have and make them longer. I also wanted to know if you guys have any techniques for dream recall. Any and all help is appreciated. :)

When I first starting finding interest in dreaming, I had the same problem. What I did to fix it was attempt to recall my dreams the moment I woke up. Often I couldn't remember them, even though I knew I had dreamed of something. So, I would keep the fact that I wanted to remember them in the back of my mind throughout the day, and eventually some activity would trigger a memory of it. Keep this up and over time you will be able to remember dreams regularly. Just think about dreams during the day, and even if you don't remember any, your brain will realize that dreams are important to you, and they will become easier to recall.

Also, adding on to what Ancient said, right before going to bed tell yourself you want to remember your dreams. This is called autosuggestion. I also recommend NST (named subconscious technique). This is when you name your subconscious to make instructions towards it more efficient. If you want to know more about it or how it works in more details you can find the tutorial for it on the Wiki section of the website. I can't post the link for it because I've only been registered for five days.
Best of luck in your dreaming adventures.