Why can I remember dreams so vividly?
I think a lot has to do with your making a conscious effort to remember by talking or writing. That way the details don't slip back into neverneverland. You're lucky you can remember so easily. Many people wish they could but can't. Try keeping a dream journal. You'll find it even easier to remember dreams and you'll recollect even more details. You may also discover some pattern to your dreams or some recurring themes. Another interesting thing you might try is lucid dreaming. That's where you wake up IN the dream and realize you are dreaming while the dream goes on and you continue sleeping. When you gain this ability you can begin to direct the course of your dreams as a movie director directs a film. For more about lucid dreaming see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream...
What does it mean to have really vivid dreams?
I have allways had very vivid dreams, they range from experiancing the end of the earth, to freak nature waves, to stepping into different dimensions. The other day i had a dream that i didn't fall asleep and that i was doing somethign elsein bed, the dream was so real that i taught that actually happened. Does anybody else have these type of dreams?
Finally, people who can relate to vivid dreams. But I have searched everywhere and no one explains why I remember dreams from years ago. But here’s the thing, I'll be living my daily life and bam like deja vu an old dream weasels it’s way to my train of thoughts. And I remember all of it, even the way it made me feel when I woke up years ago. It happens very often that these dream memories deja vu things occur. Aside from that I have very vivid dreams, and they aren’t a problem I absolutely love them. I accept my active mind as a gift because you can control it and it can take you places you’d never go. It can make you feel down or longing to just sleep again because these dreams are unfathomably better than real life. I wish I could explain more but it’s hard to put it into words. So what you are experiencing is completely normal.
Have your sleeping habits changed? You have a complete sleep cycle every 90 minutes or so, including REM (which is the dream state), so if you are waking up at the beginning or end of a sleep cycle you’re going to remember your dreams better because they’re closer to your conscious mind.A brief explanation:When a sleep cycle begins the brain drifts first through the lighter sleep patterns where REM is possible, then into the deeper delta brain wave patterns where you are in a deep sleep, and then back up through REM and ultimately a state of almost-awake (many people, like myself, do wake up briefly at that point and then fall back asleep).Deep sleep can last longer than REM so your chances of waking up at that point in the sleep cycle are greater. If you don’t remember your dreams chances are you’re waking up outside of REM.So if your sleep habits have changed, or your diet/lifestyle changed (which affects your sleep habits), then perhaps you’re simply in a better sleep rhythm and waking up on the tail end of REM as your body naturally wants to do.
Grin, grin, grin, I liked Mike’s answer! My question to Troy would be, why are you concerned, or at least wondering, about remembering your dreams? I am also an avid dreamer, and like Mike I enjoy my dreams tremendously, especially my lucid dreams. I have wondered why some people rarely remember a dream, as they miss out on a lot of fun! I’ve also wondered how come some people say they only dream in black and white. I find that strange. So Troy, I’d say enjoy your dreams and be happy that you are able to remember them so vividly!More seriously, I’ve always believed dreams are given to us as help towards issues we have in our waking life. Yes, some dreams are just “sorting out the boxes” in our head, caused by our daily business. Yet sometimes there are some issues or concerns we have, that our dreams can help us find answers to. Dreams are very personal, so if a dream has made a specific impact on you, try and figure out what the dream is trying to tell you. Sometimes it can be very literal, for instance in one of my dreams of last night, my Mini Cooper was stolen in front of a hotel we’re we stayed for only a week. So today I will be very careful where I parked my Mini Cooper! Most dreams are more symbolic. Then I rely on my emotions and feelings during the dream to try and figure out the meaning of the dream. Also what the people, animals, or objects you encountered during the dream, mean to you. Hope this helps!
Why do I remember my dreams so often?
Sleeping is seperated into 4 cycles, the deepest cycle is where you actually dream so if you are having 4 of them then this means you are in deep sleep 4 times through out the night. " The Sleep Cycle One sleep cycle comprises of four stages and last for about 90-120 minutes. There are some texts that list five stages in the sleep cycle. Some consider the first five-ten minutes when you are falling asleep as a stage in the sleep cycle. We feel this is more of a transitional phase and not really part of the cycle. While the other stages of sleep repeat themselves throughout the night, this phase of sleep does not. For this reason" Stage 1: You are entering into light sleep. This stage is characterized by Non-rapid eye movements (NREM), muscle relaxation, lowered body temperature and slowed heart rate. The body is preparing to enter into deep sleep. Stage 2: Also characterized by NREM, this stage is characterized by a further drop in body temperature and relaxation of the muscles. The body's immune system goes to work on repairing the day's damage. The endocrine glands secrete growth hormones, while blood is sent to the muscles to be reconditioned. In this stage, you are completely asleep. Stage 3: Still in the NREM stage, this is a deeper sleep still. Your metabolic levels are extremely slow. Stage 4: In this stage of sleep, your eyes move back and forth erratically. Referred to as REM sleep or delta sleep, this stage occurs at about 90-100 minutes after the onset of sleep. Your blood pressure rises, heart rate speeds up, respiration becomes erratic and brain activity increases. Your involuntary muscles also become paralyzed. This stage is the most restorative part of sleep. Your mind is being revitalized and emotions is being fine tuned. The majority of your dreaming occurs in this stage. If you are awakened during this stage of sleep, you are more likely to remember your dreams. These stages repeat themselves throughout a night's sleep.
Most people dream every night, regardless of whether or not they remember their dreams. However, there are a variety of explanations to why you are suddenly dreaming so vividly: Waking up during certain periods of REM sleep causes you to remember your dreams more than sleeping through the end of your sleep cycle. Perhaps you've changed your sleeping patterns- staying up later, waking up earlier, etc.Making a conscious effort to remember your dreams actually helps you to remember your dreams. Have you been thinking about your dreams or even writing them down? (Keeping a "dream journal" is really effective.) It's possible that you've recently been exposed to stimuli involving dreams- an article about lucid dreaming, a PBS documentary about dreams, an excerpt from Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, etc. Maybe you watched Inception recently, so dreams now have more significance for you. Thus, you remember them more vividly. Try analyzing the content of your dreams. The more your conscious or subconscious mind thinks about something, the more likely you are to dream about it; the more significant the content of your dream, the less likely you are to forget it. Occasionally people are only able to recall forgotten dreams when things in real life jog their memories. You may not remember dreaming about your aunt Sally until you get a surprise visit from her at school. Sleeping under bright lights also causes dreams to be more vivid.Hope this helps.
Why do I ALWAYS remember my dreams?
I remember my dreams EVERY NIGHT. Not just one dream, or part of a dream- I usually remember 2 to 4 of them, in their entirety. They are always very vivid and they always have people that I know in them. I can recall them for a very, very long time afterwards, as if they really happened. None of them have been "premonitions" or anything, but they are usually long and weird and involved. Sometimes they are nightmares, but not usually. Is there a reason for this? I have never met anyone else who remembers multiple dreams, especially so vividly. Sometimes it sucks, like when they are nightmares, but mostly I just want to know why I always remember my dreams.