Thread: Having difficulties with dream recall

Bad dream recall can have several causes. One of them is stress. Is there anything you are worrying about during the day or before going to sleep? If so, try to find a way to relieve that stress before going to sleep.

Another possible cause is that you are really tired before going to sleep. That way you might feel too tired to feel like remembering your dreams, and just want to go to sleep right away.

I don't think it matters when you go to sleep, as long as you keep a good sleeping pattern. If you go to sleep at 2AM one night, and 4AM the next, it might be difficult to recall anything when you wake up.

I hope this helps somehow.

Thanks for the answer. It's not stress, lately I feel really calm and almost nothing bothers me... Also most of the times I do not go home tired from work, since I just do one thing over and over on the PC... Any other suggestions?

Do you keep a dream journal?

Yes, but from a week ago I have nothing to write in it since I can't remember my dreams.

In that case I suggest using a mantra as you go to sleep.
Lie down in bed, relax, and repeat to yourself something like "When I wake up I will remember my dreams". I used this when I couldn't recall anything for a few months, and that same night I was able to recall two dreams.

When you wake up in the morning and can't recall anything, don't get out of bed. Just lie still in your bed and relax. This way your mind will assume you want to go back to sleep, and access the part of your brain used to create and recall dreams. You might be able to recall something that you have already forgotten as you woke up.

If you are unable to recall anything, write something similar to "I could not recall anything this morning" in your dream journal. This way you will basically be telling your subconscious mind to pay more attention to recalling your dreams, which should also improve your recall.

I also suggest you read through the Dream Recall Tutorial for more information on improving dream recall. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Are you waking up at a different time? Maybe you are no longer waking directly from a dream.

Do your best to solve the mystery, but don't worry about it too much. Some weeks are better than others, and mysterious dry spells will happen. Remember, every night is a new opportunity to break the dry spell.

From what you people said I think that the problem is my sleeping pattern.. Because I almost never go to sleep at the same hour and almost never wake up the same hour. However I try to always sleep 8 hours exactly, not more and not less. Unfortunately I don't think that this is actually something I can change, at least for now. Do you think that's the problem?

I think this might be the problem.

I used to go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning. Each morning I was able to recall at least four dreams.

Now I just go to sleep whenever I feel tired, which is usually anywhere between 2 AM and 5 AM, and wake up every morning at 10 AM. Now I can only recall one dream every morning. I also don't seem to be able to recall my dreams in as much detail as I used to.

Same here (from another guy with a lucid count of 8). The more regular my sleep schedule becomes it seems the better my recall is.

Are you telling yourself to remember? Good to do before going to sleep. Do you wake after your dream periods? Need to wake up to recall. Drinking juice before going to bed helps me.