interesting dream recall techniques?

[dZignTank]

I just began my dream recall excercises with a basic dream journal and reinforced thought before sleeping. i don't think it would be easy for me wake after dreams in the middle of the night. i usually remember the last one right before i actually have to wake. does anyone have any creative or interesting techniques other than setting an alarm throughout the night?

[Dror Wolmer]

I don't know about any interesting techniques, though sometimes I wake up without remembering a dream and then I look at, lets say, a tennis raquet, and then I remember i dreamt about something involving tennis.

[Burns]

I'd recommend the MILD technique for dream recall, but that also involves waking up after REM cycles to record your dreams. Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to wake up in the morning and remember each and every dream (and all the details) that you have throughout the night. Some people can remember several dreams in one night, but that's not the norm. I wouldn't discount waking up in the middle of the night just yet. You don't need to record your dream in its entirety if you don't want to, just a few keywords should be enough to jog your memory in the morning.

[Scruffy]

I can sleep straight through till morning fairly easily if I'm not using some technique to wake me up, and I've found one thats easy and reliable: drink lots of water before bed. Just don't start out with too much, or you might not wake up in time. Then, when you wake up to go to the bathroom, wait a moment in bed to see if you can remember anything, and write it in your dream journal. Take another drnink before you go back to sleep. This method also creates plenty of opportunities to try WILD or WBTB.

[Explode]

Haha, I like that one...Thats definatly creative 8)

[kafine]

I've mentioned this recently, but if I can't remember a dream I think of people who usually show up in my dreams. If I dreamed about them, it triggers the memory. This doesn't always work though. This morning I tried thinking of my freind Mrsh and I was left knowing NOTHING about the dream apart from the fact that it had Mrsh in it. Yesh. That's kind of frustrating. Keeping a dream journal definatley helps though. And you have to record EVERYTHING. I have always recorded interesting dreams, but it's recording the short boring ones and the random fleeting images that will help

[Barbizzle]

I say just tell yourslef to remember your dreams when you wake up and then go to bed. You should start remembering your dreams as you awake. Eh, I have never had any trouble recalling many dreams after I wake up, so i dont really know...

[mongreloctopus]

ive found that once i established dream recording as a habit i started to wake up naturally after most REM cycles (depending on how tired i was that night, if i boozed it up at all, etc) enough to be able to get out of bed with no difficulty and record dreams, do a WBTB. i don't even bother with alarm clocks anymore