Two questions concerning dream recall / reality checks.

After having a spontaneous lucid dream (which I found really awesome of course), I googled for the phenomenon and came on this site. Last night, I primed myself to wake up after each dream so that I could write in my dream journal. I already recorded 8 dreams (although most of them were very short)!

1) I woke up about four times, and I wonder if waking up four times a night impacts my memory, seeing sleep is crucial for long-term memory? Anyone having experiences with this? I have exams within three weeks, so I've been thinking about postponing my dream journal until I finished my exams.

2) I've noticed that in my dreams, the environment is noticeably different from the real world. I still recognize the places I visit however. Could this form a good reality check to induce lucid dreaming? Anyone having experiences with this sort of reality check?

Congratulations on your lucid dream and :welcome: to dreamviews!

1) I can only assume that recording your dreams and constantly using your brain to think back will greatly increase your short term memory. However, waking up after every dream might not do much for your long term memory (although I dont think it would decrease). We wake up many times each night but you often wont remember it, the only difference with what you're doing is you are making a mental note so you remember you woke up. With this in mind, I wouldnt worry about your memory, a dream journal will probably make it better!

2)Excelent that you noticed this! The dreamscape is often very different from the real world, and if you can spot patterns in the dream (or 'dreamsigns') these are great ways of inducing lucid dreams. They work much like reality checks.

I hope you found this helpful, and good luck with lucid dreaming!

1) No, it shouldn't. As long as you aren't spending one hour each time you wake up to write down your dreams, it shouldn't be any different than waking up as though you just woke up for a few minutes naturally.

2) If you learn to do reality checks when something strange or bad happens, then this could potentially become a great reality check! Check out the Reality Check Tutorial for more information on reality checks!

:welcome: Welcome to DV, and I hope I helped!

Thanks for the answers and the warm welcome. I've been doing reality checks today (trying to push my finger through my hand and checking my surroundings) so we'll see if they work or not for me. :)

I've had dreams, too, where I am somewhere familiar (like my old high school) but it looks really different than what it actually is, yet I still know where I am and what it's supposed to be.
I guess if you're conscious enough to do a reality check, it would be a good thing to notice. Hey, this isn't what I remember it as...