I've discovered something that has DRAMATICALLY improved my DREAM RECALL

**DreamQueen** · 01-30-2009 09:30 PM

Some of you may already be doing this, I don't know. It may have even been mentioned on here before. All I know is since I have been doing this new trick my dream recall has become unbelievably easy. I can now effortlessly recall entire dreams and I can do this every night.

Before I started doing this new thing (which I will disclose shortly) I was able to recall my dreams most nights, but only by the skin of my teeth and only with a lot of mental effort. I would wake up and there would be nothing, not even an image, just a blank, and I will lie still with my eyes shut desperately searching for something, anything, to get back to "where I just was".

(Note: I've found that the technique of lying completely still with your eyes closed when you wake up is almost essential for dream recall. It is a well known technique on here.)

Anyway, after lying still for a while I would eventually get an image which I would desperately strain to hold on to and work from. Slowly parts of the dream would return to me, sometimes a lot, sometimes not much, and every so often I wouldn't be able to salvage anything and my entire night's adventures would be lost forever...

Now for the trick. I hope you are not going to be disappointed! It's nothing revolutionary-sounding! It is simply...

Wear a sleep mask to bed.

This may not sound like much, but the difference it has made to me is phenomenal. Now when I wake up either during the night or in the morning my entire dream comes back to me without me even trying to recall it. It's just there. The effect of the sleep mask is that not only does it physically stop me from opening my eyes when I wake up, it also keeps me in darkness which seems to make recall 100 times easier. I first noticed this when one morning I was having trouble recalling anything and then I reached up and put my hand over my eyes. Instantly my whole dream flooded back.

It is also important when you wake up to lie still and start drifting back to sleep (you don't actually have to go to sleep but just start drifting back to keep your brain in alpha rhythm).

I hope this helps. Please let me know if anyone experiences improved dream recall by wearing a sleep mask

**eppy** · 01-30-2009 10:03 PM

That is very interesting and seems worth trying.
I already have good recall, maybe this will help to improve that even more.
I have always wanted to get a sleepmask

Is there anybody else who can vouch for this working?
It seems like it could also help you with DEILD.

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-30-2009 10:18 PM

That's amazing but I don't think it would help me 'cause I would never know if I woke up or if I'm still trying to fall asleep.

What I do, is that before going to sleep I look at the time and then every once and then I look back to see if I wake up. (it takes me a long time to fall asleep) so when i wake up I think I'm still waiting to fall asleep but I look at the time and figure out have fallen asleep since the last time I checked so then I close my eyes and try remembering my dream. So if I had a sleep mask, I would have to take it off to look at the time anyways....

Good trick though

**aioinae** · 01-30-2009 10:19 PM

I'll try it tonight... but my family'll laugh if they see me.

Then again what do THEY know

**spaceexplorer** · 01-30-2009 10:25 PM

Interesting idea DreamQueen.

I think i have a sleep mask laying around somewhere (one of those impulse buys that i never go around to trying, not wanting to ruin EVER having a relationship with the opposite sex!

, not the most manly sleep wear... but, in this case, if it works as well for me as it does for you, definitely worth trying)

It's been a long time since I used the NovaDreamer, which is an electronic sleep mask, so I cant remember if that increased dream recall or not. And with the flashing and beeping, there are so many other factors involved that i dont think i'd have ever put it down to just the mask itself.

So which particular brand of sleep mask do you use?
one of those foam ones with the holes cut out for the eyes (so you can open your eyes and still see blackness without your eyelashes hitting the material)
or just the plain old fashioned ones that are just a posh blindfold?

If i can track down mysleep mask i'll give this a go tonight... what with it being the weekend, and not having wooed my way into any particular ladys boudoir.

**DreamQueen** · 01-30-2009 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by aioinae

I'll try it tonight... but my family'll laugh if they see me.

Then again what do THEY know

Haha! That makes me think of a funny story... My husband was driving us to our holiday destination a few weeks ago and I was sleeping in the car with my mask on. We stopped at a gas station and while my husband filled the tank I nipped in for some goodies. I didn't realise until I got out of the shop that when the car had stopped and I had woken up I was obviously a bit groggy and I had absent mindedly pushed my sleep mask up onto the top of my head somehow thinking it was a pair of sunglasses. So, I had been walking around inside the store with my hot pink "Sweet Dreams" Sleep Mask on top of my head

hehehe

Originally Posted by spaceexplorer

So which particular brand of sleep mask do you use?
one of those foam ones with the holes cut out for the eyes (so you can open your eyes and still see blackness without your eyelashes hitting the material)
or just the plain old fashioned ones that are just a posh blindfold?

I have heaps of sleep masks. At the moment I'm just using the cheap blindfold-style one coz for some reason I've got it in my head that I have to keep my expensive foam one "for special occasions". God knows what would constitute a special occasion! Lol!

I'm off to the mall right now in fact to buy some more with different patterns on them to add to my collection (as if somehow different patterns make a difference!)

**hellohihello** · 01-30-2009 10:39 PM

I just made a sleep mask out of a black sock and headband LOL!

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-30-2009 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by hellohihello

I just made a sleep mask out of a black sock and headband LOL!

Lol! GO the old natural way of doing things! XD

**Clairity** · 01-30-2009 10:53 PM

DreamQueen, I have both the traditional sleep mask and the foam one with the holes cut out for the eyes. I'm going to have to experiment with both and see if my recall improves! Thanks for the idea!!

Originally Posted by DreamQueen

So, I had been walking around inside the store with my hot pink "Sweet Dreams" Sleep Mask on top of my head

hehehe

That is too funny!!

Originally Posted by hellohihello

I just made a sleep mask out of a black sock and headband LOL!

Sounds like my first sleep mask where I just laid a black nylon sock over my eyes!

.

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-30-2009 10:55 PM

What are sleep mask supposed to be used for anyways? Just wondering

**Clairity** · 01-30-2009 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by SleepyCookieDough

What are sleep mask supposed to be used for anyways? Just wondering

They are used to block out the light..

.

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-30-2009 11:04 PM

Originally Posted by Clairity

They are used to block out the light..

.

The light we see when our eyes our close? Ah, this damned light! Fare enough

**hellohihello** · 01-30-2009 11:15 PM

Can't you use this as part of MILD?

"Next time I can see I will RC" over and over again? I mean you can't see with a sleep mask.

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-30-2009 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by hellohihello

you can't see with a sleep mask.

Yes you can, DreamQueen said so herself

Originally Posted by DreamQueen

I looked through my sleep mask and realised my cat spilled the milk all over the floor

It only blocks the light with a thin product that they get from sheep in hibernation. Then there's more stuff but I'm not a professional, don't know anything else. Oh and I was kidding, all I said was false, sorry, so yeah you cannot see through mask, welll I think.

**Paradox-db3** · 01-31-2009 12:09 AM

Grand idea, DreamQueen! I don't own a sleep mask yet, but I'm sure I could use an old pair of underwear and some fishing line! LOL!!! Okay, maybe I'll go out and purchase a real one! I'm looking forward to trying this out!

**DreamQueen** · 01-31-2009 01:01 AM

I really hope this works for all of you as well as it does for me. I would love to know I'd made a difference in many peoples' lives with my idea. I actually find the sleep mask so effective that it doesn't even matter if I move when I wake up, my dream will still be accessible.

It seems to me that "complete darkness" is the key to dream recall.

It's quite interesting looking back at older entries in my dream journal. A lot of them are short, and are preceeded with the words "very scanty recall". Nowadays I'm writing pages and pages every day about my epic adventures! It's actually been quite surprising. I've discovered that I go to the movies in Dreamland two or three times a week. I'm also in a public toilet at some stage nearly every night

I sing, I dance, I fly on jet planes and I'm nearly always running late!

Originally Posted by Clairity

DreamQueen, I have both the traditional sleep mask and the foam one with the holes cut out for the eyes. I'm going to have to experiment with both and see if my recall improves! Thanks for the idea!!

I haven't tried my cut-out one yet but it will possibly work just as well. However, bear in mind that the other one completely stops you from opening your eyes and this may make a crucial difference.

Originally Posted by hellohihello

Can't you use this as part of MILD?

"Next time I can see I will RC" over and over again? I mean you can't see with a sleep mask.

Funny you should say that. A few months ago I was WILDing with my sleep mask on and I had a FA during which I could see through my sleep mask. I find when I WILD with a sleep mask on and have a FA I am usually wearing the mask. However, I tend to lift it off immediately so I can see clearly.

I can't wait to hear back from people who have tried it out! Just remember, you sometimes will still need to search the memory banks a little when you wake up, but hopefully it should be a lot easier with the mask

**spaceexplorer** · 01-31-2009 01:02 AM

I cant believe people are seriously going to be putting socks on thier face.... sleep masks dont cost much guys, do you want varrucas on your eyeballs? :S lol

right, almost bedtime so i'm going to try out DreamQueens idea.
Hope you're right Miss, cause i can feel my manlyness slipping away as i speak.

**DreamQueen** · 01-31-2009 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by spaceexplorer

I cant believe people are seriously going to be putting socks on thier face.... sleep masks dont cost much guys, do you want varrucas on your eyeballs? :S lol

right, almost bedtime so i'm going to try out DreamQueens idea.
Hope you're right Miss, cause i can feel my manlyness slipping away as i speak.

Yeah we sure are a desperate bunch lol!

Just hope your mask isn't hot pink like my fav one

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-31-2009 01:06 AM

I think I'm going to put an animaled stuff on my eyes... or a towel... More sanitary than sucks and underclothes

**Mercen_505** · 01-31-2009 01:38 AM

I've had some great success with my nightly orange juice regimen, but I'm always ready to try something different. I love my dreams so much I want to remember all of them, even the non-lucid ones... heh. I'll give this a try tonight and see if anything different happens.

**Pride** · 01-31-2009 01:54 AM

Thank you for this suggestion, i am defently trying this tonight with my sleep mask i never use.

Ill report back tomorrow.

**DreamQueen** · 01-31-2009 02:58 AM

The one thing I would suggest to everyone is to make sure you don't wake up tomorrow and immediately start thinking excitedly "Is it working? Is it working?" lol! You still have to relax and think about "what you were just doing". But hopefully it should make a difference. I think the key is to not expect miracles, just go to bed as normal reminding yourself to try and recall your dream as soon as you awaken and forget you even have the sleep mask on

**SleepyCookieDough** · 01-31-2009 03:31 AM

What is the use of cut-out sleep maks if there's holes for the eyes. The light can still penetrate.... It's useless, isn't it?

**DreamQueen** · 01-31-2009 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by SleepyCookieDough

What is the use of cut-out sleep maks if there's holes for the eyes. The light can still penetrate.... It's useless, isn't it?

It's hard to describe. They are made with thick foam and kind of have a ridge all the way around the perimeter so that the pads are held off your face at a small distance from your eyes. So, your eyes are in a little encolsed space and you can open them without your eyelashes hitting the mask. Sort of like black goggles, only not plastic! They're very comfy to wear.

**deepsleep** · 01-31-2009 03:43 AM

This seems like a good idea. (sorry if anyone else posted this above me i cba to read all the posts) But you could get a sleep mask type thing to put over ur eyes or something when you go to sleep.

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