Does anyone else have this problem?

[nocturnalemission]

I'm just starting out, so I've only tried to build up my recall so far. Since day one, I've had pretty good recall but not great, but it's getting better. The problem is that it always seems to alternate, one night I'll wake up after having a dream and remember it with pretty good detail. But the next night, I will only wake up with a vague memory of what happened. Does anyone else have this problem, and what can I do to have back to back nights of good recall? I already concentrate on recall prior to sleep, but it hasn't helped my consistency.

[ninja9578]

Happens for various reasons. Normal. Try laying in bed after you wake up with your eyes closed. After a minute or two your last dream should come back to you.

[Pastulio_]

Happens to me all the time, unfortunately. Practice, make an effort, and write in your dream journal. Don't slack off on the journal, it really does help.

[Harper]

Hi. I'm new, too. I have been having the same thing happen to me as far as one night remembering three dreams in great detail and then the next night only being vaguely aware that I had a dream at all. I've been trying to get into a more consistant sleep routine because, for me at least, I've noticed that if I stay up too late and go to bed really, really tired, my recall really suffers. I figure it is like any skill -- the more we practice, the better we will get at it!

[EchoSun13]

Yes I expirence this. I just keep writting all I can remember, don't get to stessed about it, and don't force them memories out. Just let them flow to the mind. Good luck.

[nighty]

Yes, I agree with the above posts. I frequently have feelings and fragments of the past night's dreams, but not an actual recall of the "storyline" if you can all it that. I find that just lying there for a minute or two and relaxing - not forcing anything - and just trying to capture an image or picture of the dream will help me then get ahold of the thread of it and follow it along again. I think that just getting it into conscious memory is the main thing and then if you have the time, getting it onto paper or computer is the best. I went through a stage where I was actually writing down a lot of my dreams this way. When I go back and read them after some time, I totally don't even remember most of them! So it was worth taking the time record them. That is how I found my dreamsign, by the way, that LeBerge and others talk about.

[Rai Saix]

Happens to me all the time. But a everyone said, practice makes perfect.

[Robot_Butler]

Just keep at it. Remember, you are trying to develop a new habit, so it can take some time. Dry spells and off nights still seem to happen every now and again. Don't get frustrated or take it personally. There are just so many factors that can influence your recall. Are you trying to remember all your dreams in the morning? Or do you wake up after every REM cycle throughout the night to jot down a few notes?

[nocturnalemission]

Just keep at it. Remember, you are trying to develop a new habit, so it can take some time. Dry spells and off nights still seem to happen every now and again. Don't get frustrated or take it personally. There are just so many factors that can influence your recall. Are you trying to remember all your dreams in the morning? Or do you wake up after every REM cycle throughout the night to jot down a few notes? I tend to wake up around the same time every night ( around 5am then again around 7am) so I think I am waking up after my REM cycles since those times will adjust if I go to bed earlier or later. I am already in the habit of concentrating on recall prior to falling asleep, I keep a pretty detailed journal (as much as possible anyway, still haven't gotten to where I can recall vivid details yet), and I try not to move or open my eyes upon waking until I get the memory of the dreams I had. When I start writing in my journal I tend to start with the most recent dream and work my way backwards as more detail comes to the surface. Thank you everyone who offered advice, most of it was already part of my routine but I appreciate the effort.