What Is A Dream Journal And Why Should You Keep One?
How do dreams improve your creativity?
Let's put aside everything that can't be proven and let's focus on what has been proven many times, that dreams improve your creativity and make you smarter. All these benefits of dreaming, including improving memory and everything else, are most pronounced during the REM phase. But contrary to what was thought until recently, it is not necessary to reach the REM phase, but napping that includes dreaming has a positive effect on your creativity and brain in general too.
As measured by electroencephalograms (EEGs), your brain activity is significantly increased during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep when you dream compared to the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) phase, which occurs an hour to an hour and a half before REM. Lucid dreams are the type of dreams where creativity develops the most and your memory improves.
These are dreams in which people become aware that they are dreaming and then they can control them to a certain extent. Exactly how much they are able to control them depends on individual characteristics but also on practice, because lucid dreams can be mastered more and more.
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How to dream more?
You have probably noticed among your family members and friends that there are certain people who are always able to remember their dreams in great detail and retell them. While some others can never remember what they dreamed the night before and you are maybe one of them. There are ways to dream more and if you want, you can try to implement these things into your routine. Over 90% of people who have tried that routing have noticed that they dream much more often compared to the time before they started doing following things.
Convince yourself that you’ll dream
While it may seem too simple, this is a very effective way to really dream tonight. Before you fall asleep, think about how you will dream tonight and it will stimulate the brain. Also, you can think of some specific things that will then come to your dream. Don't be demoralized if you don't succeed right away. Repeat this several evenings in a row.
Give yourself more sleep
In addition to the obvious reasons why it is important to get more rest, there are two reasons why it can help you dream more often. The first reason is that when you are dead-tired, the activity of your brain will be significantly reduced once you fall asleep. The second reason is that the longer you sleep, the more times you will enter the REM phase and that gives you more opportunities to dream.
Wake up at the middle of REM phase
You are much more likely to remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of it (usually the middle of REM phase) than in the morning. You can do this by setting the alarm about 4 hours after you go to bed. It gives you a good chance to wake up in the middle of a dream, write it down and continue sleeping. Just don't do this too often, especially if you're having trouble falling asleep again. Then you can jeopardize your rest in the waking world and sleep patterns.
Pump your melatonin level up
You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t watch TV or scroll through Instagram before bed, because the lights your device emits disrupt the production of melatonin which is a sleep hormone. It is recommended that you turn on night filters that are available on all smart devices, but even that is not a complete solution to the problem. Therefore, it would be ideal not to be exposed to this type of light for an hour before going to bed, and also to sleep in a completely dark room. Those suffering from insomnia or other circadian rhythm disorders should take melatonin supplementation.
How to run the dream journal?
Dream journal or dream diary is a place where you will write down your dream world. While it may sound more complicated than it really is, all you need is one notebook and a pen. You can choose a notebook with an interesting cover, because after all, many things from your subconscious mind will be written there.
Place it next to your bed
You have to place your dream diary right next to your bed. If you need to get out of bed and go to another room, even if it is only a few seconds, during that time you will forget at least part of the sleep if not the whole. So keep it at your fingertips and as soon as you wake up, start writing, while the memories are still vivid. Also, you will find easier to fall back to sleep if you don’t have to get out of bed.
Write down every day
It is necessary to be consistent in writing down your dreams, and not to do it occasionally. To start remembering your dreams regularly and for lucid dreaming to become possible, you need to write it down every day or at least every time you remember a dream, no matter whether those are good dreams or bad dreams. Never skip, let it become a habit even when traveling. Keep your dream journal close to you always.
Try to mention as more details as possible
Although it is not easy to concentrate on the details in the moment you wake up, do your best to write down as much detail as possible about what happened in the dream. Try to recall everything and not only the few most important things. While in the moment you wake up it seems that you will remember everything in the morning, believe us you will not. Only if you write everything down in detail will you be able to remember it.
Spot the dream patterns
Every day, analyze what you wrote in your dream diary. This way you will get valuable insight and in time you will start to notice patterns. It may not happen after 10 days, but after 6 months it certainly will. Every brain works in a unique way and that is why everyone can notice certain patterns in their dreams. These patterns and dream symbols will help you control lucid dreaming.
Why should you have a dream journal?
Without dream journal, it is almost impossible to practice lucid dreaming and understand patterns. No matter how much you want to try lucid dreaming, you will not succeed without help of notebook placed at your bedside.
Helps you to practice lucid dreaming
We have already mentioned lucid dreaming several times and how to practice it, so we will not go into details again. But to be able to fly and do whatever you want in lucid dreams, and also to be able to distinguish a dream from reality, as well as to be able to wake up when you want to, before you get into a situation similar to the movie “Inception“, you have to start dream journaling practice.
Understanding the patterns
Same goes for patterns. Patterns and lucid dreaming are inextricably linked. Even without a dream journal, you will probably realise that there is a certain pattern of your dreams, but you will only notice the pattern that is most often repeated. And when you start writing down your dreams, you will realise that there are many patterns, not just one.
Important tips for keeping a dream journal
You should do at least 5 reality checks daily to be able to distinguish waking life and dream life. Reality check can be a finger through a palm, to look in the mirror, to turn off the light, to see if you have tattoos and various other things that will tell you whether you are awake or dreaming. In time, you will start doing this during lucid dreaming. Also, when writing, focus primarily on your emotions, since dream recall is based on emotions often. And of course, write down every dream!
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