Why we forget dreams

Almost everyone dreams every night. But most dreams are gone minutes after waking up, especially if we move right away or think about the day.

A dream journal helps: people who write down their dreams remember more. The effect is especially strong in people who have hardly remembered any dreams so far.

This matters for lucid dreams too. In a large study with 355 participants, an average of 2.8 dreams was remembered on nights with a lucid dream, otherwise 1.7.

The morning ritual

1. Stay lying down, eyes closed.
2. Ask yourself: Where was I? Who was there? How did it feel?
3. Only then capture it. Fragments count too.