Too Tired to Write in the Middle of the Night

I'm trying to get better at my dream recall. I've actually started waking up after each dream like I've wanted to all along but I'm just too tired to pick up a pen and write each dream down. I know that if I started to write dreams down in the middle of the night, I'd never fall back to sleep, and I can't have that. I just take a key word from the dream and try to remember it in the morning to remind myself of the dream so I can log it into the journal then. Does anyone have any suggestions to make writing dreams down in the middle of the night easier? Or any thoughts on improving dream recall any other ways?

I find that my handwriting is illegible when I write in the middle of the night, so I use a tape recorder. Just keep in next to your bed and when you awaken from a dream, speak out the dream clearly. You can write it out in the morning when you've safely got the dream down and your handwriting is more legible.

Yah that's good.. there's a lot of really cool yet CHEAP tape recorders. ;)

Also, if that happens to me, I lay there and recount the dream as specifically as possible in my head at least twice.. that way it's much more imprinted in my brain, and I can remember it easily in the morning.

The tape recorder is a great idea, I'll have to try that. I am the same way as far as not being able to get up and write everything down and then get back to bed so I usually just try to remember it as best I can...but I've come to realize that it is really hindering my efforts because I am forgetting a lot of details that I know would lead me to recognize all my potential dream signs. So I'll try the tape recorder.

i just cant seem to be bothered to write down my dreams in the night! i wake up from alarm clock at the time i set it to and i fiind that sleep is so addictive! :(

I think though that if you actually force yourself to write them down in the middle of the night once in a while, that'll help tremendously with LDs.. because you're overcoming a lot of laziness and putting forth a lot of effort. That's bound to pay off. ;)

Yes, I've finally broken down and put a small notepad, pen, and flashlight near my bed so I can jot a couple of key words and go back to sleep again. I haven't actually got a chance to use it yet but I think it'll work ok.

I just started a journal. To my amazement I've been able to wake up after most dreams after reading the MILD tutorial, but since I'm usually really tired when I wake up I have a bright light right over my head and when I turn it on it wakes me up pretty quickly. Then I'm able to jot down most of what I remember in a book I keep right behind my head. If I had to move anything but my arms when I woke up in the middle of the night, I doubt i'd get anything written down....

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Originally posted by Scwigglie
Yah that's good.. there's a lot of really cool yet CHEAP tape recorders. ;)

Also, if that happens to me, I lay there and recount the dream as specifically as possible in my head at least twice.. that way it's much more imprinted in my brain, and I can remember it easily in the morning.

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yeh tape recorder would be the best for you just make sure not to mumble

Im //()()B15|-| right now...so when i wake up and reemember a dream im so excited i can just get my journal and right it all down then and there.

I'm pretty annoyed right now... all I remember is that last night I had a really cool dream (that's all I remember about it), and I woke up after it, but was too lazy to write it down so I fell back asleep.

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Originally posted by burns91+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burns91)</div>

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but I'm just too tired to pick up a pen and write each dream down.[/b]

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Well, you see, there is probably a very good reason for that. If sleep were not important, I don't think we'd spend about 1/3 of our lives doing it.

I find if you wake up early in the morning/night and remember a dream, just go over it in your head as you lay there and go back to sleep. I will probably just start out as fragments from the dreams in the middle of the night, but after awhile you should be able to remember blocks of various dreams you had that night when you wake up refreshed in the morning. And even when you wake lay there and just try remembering your dreams. I am assuming it will naturally progress to larger blocks, and then perhaps to full dreams... but even that I'm not sure of.

For example if you ask me exactly what I did yesterday in a given 3 hour block, I couldn't possibly tell you everything. I could tell you certain blocks I remember, but wouldn't be able to give an exact run down of the entire 3 hours... I think remembering dreams is no different. (I don't know how long an average dream is; just using 3 hours as an example).

<!--QuoteBegin-Scwigglie
I think though that if you actually force yourself to write them down in the middle of the night once in a while, that'll help tremendously with LDs.. because you're overcoming a lot of laziness

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needing sleep = laziness?? Oh, forget it, I'm not even going to bother further commenting on that one.

think about it dream scape, when you wake up from a good nights rest your not exactly up for a tennis game. Your brain needs to boot up.

Guess what guys recall requires discipline so stop your whining and get writing :-P
If you really want to have LD’s show some commitment and fight through the grogginess!

yeah!!! writing helps!!! i wrote two whole pages in the middle of the night. i made me do it!!! i forced myself.. and the results were amazing! i remembered like more with each little thing i wrote or thought about!! once you make yourself do something, you will find it easier to to do it the next few times!

I agree, once you start writing you often remember more. Also, writing it down helps to lock the memory into your mind so you won't forget it.

While I am by no means an expert (my dream journal now contains three entries since I bought it five days ago), I find that it helps to literally keep your journal and pencil right next to your bed. Before you go to sleep, think about remembering your dreams. I find that when I focus on recall, I wake up and instantly think to write down my dream. My first entry ended up being three pages long because I remembered the details so well.

Just keep everything you need to record your dreams convenient. Conversely, move your alarm clock farther away so that you have to physically get up to turn it off. I found that I sleep through far fewer courses at college when I have to get up to turn off my alarm.

First of all, I'd like to thank the designers of this website for the amazing information available. I'm an aspiring dreamer and have been finding this place really helpful for my first steps to LDs.

I had tried the journal technique sometime ago, but quickly gave up. After having a couple of really vivid dreams, I decided to keep a journal again. I can never wake up during the night, even though I concentrate and tell myself to do so the whole time before falling asleep. The first morning I couldn't remember any dreams, but as I started jolting down things, the different pieces came to my head. As for the second, I woke up sometime after REM (I believe), and right before REM for the following night, because of noise outside. Both nights I couldn't remember any detail whatsoever from my dreams, and couldn't feel anything specific about my mood. Later that day an image of the dream came to my head, but it was nothing more than that image.

Is it possible to also get better at waking up during the night by writing journals? I was thinking about setting an alarm on to try to wake me up around my last, or next to last REM of the night, but I never know how long it takes me from trying to sleep, to actually being asleep.

Anyway, once again... GREAT website! :) You guys now have another noob-dreamer-follower.

I have a journal next to my bed but I am also still too tired to write after midnight. I know it's a discipline issue. As for using a tape recorder, I'm kind of afraid somebody else will hear me.

Maybe I'll keep the dreamjournal and a flashlight under my pillow so it's as close to me as possible and I won't have to get up.

What I do is keep a journal on my phone, which is something most people keep by them anyway these days. This app called SomNote is what I use. Before I go to sleep I make a new entry for that night's dreams, then leave it up and go to sleep. Wake up, reach for the phone and type out the dream. I have horrible handwriting and it's hard to write when I'm tired, as well, so this way works well for me, as well as keeping everything organized and in one place. Hope this helps!

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Originally Posted by Burns

I'm trying to get better at my dream recall. I've actually started waking up after each dream like I've wanted to all along but I'm just too tired to pick up a pen and write each dream down. I know that if I started to write dreams down in the middle of the night, I'd never fall back to sleep, and I can't have that. I just take a key word from the dream and try to remember it in the morning to remind myself of the dream so I can log it into the journal then. Does anyone have any suggestions to make writing dreams down in the middle of the night easier? Or any thoughts on improving dream recall any other ways?

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I have been having your same issue. The first few nights I was all excited to get up and and write down my dreams, but now I find it very hard!
So I've just been using the Voice Memo app in my iphone. I have on my home screen so all I do is tap that, record my dream, save it and write it down the next day. To do this I only have to open my eyes a couple of times and the process is a lot less invasive (for my wife as well) than turning on the lights in the middle of the night!
Hope this heps.

Big time necro thread. I am gonna close it down. it is 10 years old and there are plenty of other threads like this around.

Thread Closed, reason: Necro
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