Ever woken up from a dream, desperate to remember it, but it just slipped away as you fully woke up? Or have you had a vague sense it was important, but couldn’t remember the details? Frustrating, we know.

Whether you’re trying to figure out what your dreams mean or can’t remember a single one, this article is for you. It’ll explain why you forget your dreams and, more importantly, teach you how to start remembering them.

Let’s get started.

• Dreams are believed to be a result of brain activity, emotion regulation, and memory consolidation, occurring frequently during REM sleep, though some dreams also happen during NREM sleep.

• Several factors contribute to forgetting dreams, including insufficient REM sleep, waking up during non-REM stages, sleep disorders, medications, stress, anxiety, and lack of effort.

• There are ways to improve dream recall, including reflecting on your dreams as soon as you wake up, keeping a dream journal and getting quality sleep, among others.

While experts are still studying the exact causes of dreaming, it’s believed that it’s a combination of brain activity, emotion regulation, memory consolidation, and creativity.

Your ability to dream is linked to your sleep cycle, which consists of stages, particularly the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage. It’s when the brain is most active, processing the memories, emotions and experiences from your day. Dreams can also occur in Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep stages, but aren’t as vivid or emotionally charged as those that happen during REM sleep.

Some research suggests that dreams are your brain’s way of organizing memories and experiences from your waking life. A study published in Frontiers proposes that dreams are by-products of the brain’s organization processes, where memory fragments integrate to form new stories during REM and NREM sleep.⁽¹⁾

There are many reasons you forget your dreams. Let’s explore the most common ones.

As we mentioned earlier, vivid dreams happen during REM sleep. If your brain doesn’t stay in this sleep stage long enough, or your slumber is disrupted before reaching it, you’ll have fewer, less lifelike dreams, making you more likely to forget them.

Waking up during an REM phase increases the likelihood of dream recall because your brain is working to store and process information.

Meanwhile, waking up from an NREM phase causes your brain to focus more on physical recovery, making it more challenging to remember your dream.

Having a sleep disorder like restless leg syndrome, insomnia, or sleep apnea can hinder dream recall. They can disrupt your sleep cycle, preventing you from spending enough uninterrupted time in the REM stage, where vivid dreams are most likely to occur.

Sleep disorders can also cause you to wake up more frequently at night. You may wake up abruptly while in the REM sleep stage, which lowers your chances of remembering dreams.

Some medications used to treat sleep disorders can also affect your sleep pattern and decrease REM sleep. They can also fragment and reduce the duration and quality of REM sleep, resulting in less vivid and memorable dreams.

Stress, anxiety and poor sleep quality at night go hand-in-hand. They can fragment sleep and lead to frequent awakenings that interrupt your progression through the sleep stages, including REM sleep. This results in less vivid, less memorable dreams.

Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which can prevent you from entering the deeper and more restorative stages of sleep, including the REM stage. High cortisol levels can also result in lighter slumber, which increases the likelihood of waking up after the REM sleep stage, decreasing dream recall. Your brain is also more focused on dealing with racing thoughts and stressors, which impacts memory retention.

If dreams aren’t a priority, you likely won’t remember them when preparing for a hectic workday.

The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with you if you can’t remember your dreams. Most people can recall them with a bit of practice and by following the tips we provide below — also, two words: no pressure.

Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: How to remember your dreams through these simple and easy techniques.

Think about your dream as soon as you get up in the morning. The dream may still be fresh in your mind, allowing you to recall it in more detail.

This technique is known as “dream delving,” where you remain in bed awake, lying in the same sleeping position you woke up in for a bit. If there’s one part of the dream you recall, reflect on it more by asking yourself what your feelings were, where you were and what you were doing. Reflecting might help expand the recollection of your dream further.

What if there isn’t time to reflect and remember your dream? Try to do so later in the day, perhaps when you’re starting a short afternoon nap, when you’re closer to a dream state.

Keeping a dream journal is an effective way to track your dreams. Keep one beside your bed along with a pencil or pen. The minute you get up, jot down any details or feelings related to your dream. The act of writing down one dream detail might lead you to remembering more.

A dream diary is a powerful tool for remembering dreams if you don’t have much time in the morning. If a recollection of your dream comes to you later, write it down immediately. Review your journal at your convenience to help you piece together the dream based on what you’ve recorded.

Speaking of journaling, there’s another type of journal that can help you get the quality sleep you need to recall dreams. Keeping a night journal enables you to unwind before bed, promoting deep and restorative shuteye, which enhances dream recall. Why not consider Manta Sleep Journal? It’s filled with guided gratitude and mindfulness exercises that you can complete in under 3 minutes before hitting the sack at night.

Quality slumber at night helps improve long-term memory, enhancing dream recall. It’s deep and restorative, allowing you to enter the REM sleep stage and start dreaming. Remember, this is the stage where the brain actively consolidates memories, which helps you recall dreams.

On the other hand, poor sleep quality can reduce time spent in REM sleep or prevent you from reaching this stage, which can impact your memory and decrease the frequency of intense dreams.

Did you know that a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine at night can elevate your sleep quality, which, in turn, increases dream recall?

A routine that consists of soothing activities, such as meditation, journaling, light reading and stretching, helps you relax from the day’s stressors and fall asleep more easily. This bedtime routine can also include planning to dream.

Planning to dream can help you remember your dreams when you get up. All you have to do is say aloud the words: “I will remember my dreams tonight” several times.

Setting the intention to dream is also performed by those who wish to experience lucid dreaming. In case you didn’t know, a lucid dream is one where you know you’re dreaming while in a dream state.

Most people find that sharing their dream with a friend or family member helps them remember it. Talking about the dream helps strengthen your memory. You may realize you remember more of your dream as you discuss it.

You may also want to try the Memory Palace, a technique that helps enhance memory. It involves creating a mental space out of something familiar, like your house or a building you frequently visit.

The idea is to map out your memory palace before you fall asleep, familiarizing yourself with the layout. Upon waking, assign specific information in your dream to different rooms or areas. You can then walk through your mind palace and collect the various elements of your dream to help you recall other details.

Remembering dreams has a lot to do with getting quality sleep because it allows you to enter the REM sleep stages, where vivid dreaming often takes place.

Getting deep and restful sleep also enhances your memory. Prioritizing your shuteye means more dreams and an increased ability to recall them.

Try to practice the techniques above to remember more dreams. Let us know if they helped by leaving a comment below.

Sources:  

(1) “A Supplement to Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming.” Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00332/full. Accessed 20 June 2025.

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