26 replies to this topic

[Locutus]

I don’t really know if this has been already around but I need to know x3 someone is unable to dream? I am, I always remember my dreams and, when I was little (Until 10 or so) I dreamed every day, though most were nightmares even then I could do mostly all freely until one day the dreams, and even nightmares, begun to fade...

I haven’t been interested in dreams after I stopped playing Nights (Never had a dreamcast, sadly, played with a friend until he went away), though now that I have the Wii game I am interested again in the world of dreams, as well as hoping I will still be lucid if I can dream again.

Does anyone know a way you can regain your dream capability x3? Ten years since my last dream, and I doubt that daydream with my imagination counts, since that is all I have.

[infractus]

Not sure if this has been covered in any previous topics or not... but, you might want to sift through those for any random ideas or inspiration you might get.

Some topics of interest:

http://www.nightsint...?showtopic=2836

http://www.nightsint...d...t=0&start=0

There are a few more out there, I'm sure.. although here's a start.

[Locutus]

Thanks :3 Will take a look and see if it helps X3 I hope it does, truly.

[Kentilan]

From what I've read, you necessarily dream when you sleep (well, provided you sleep enough). If you think you don't dream, then that means you just don't remember your dreams.

For more information about how to remember your dreams:
http://www.dreamviews.com/dreamrecall.php
http://www.dreams.ca/recall.htm

Hope that helps!


P.S.: the original NiGHTS is on the Saturn, not the Dreamcast.

[Locutus]

Hmm... Dunno, but that may be a problem as I have a hard time sleeping since a few years (I can sleep up to 8 or 10 hours but takes a lot... I sleep usually around 4 to 6) though dunno if you necessarily sleep, going to take a look at the links and see if they help :3 thanks.

[Penelopi]

Difficulty sleeping is often due to stress. If it's only happened in the last few years, then it's probably from a bigger workload. Tips to help sleep:
-Don't watch exciting movies or read books that hook you too close to bedtime. I imagine it varies from person to person, but an hour without movies before bed is usually what I aim for.
-Your bedtime may need to be adjusted. The right sleep cycle is different for everyone. Some go to bed early and then get up early. Others can't sleep unless they go to bed later.
-Sometimes where you sleep is the problem. A room may not be quiet or dark enough. Maybe your bed is too stiff. If you have pets in your room, perhaps you can't hear them much but the little noise there is keeps you awake anyways. Experiment and see what the results are, because often you don't know until you make a change.
-Take some time to meditate before bed. Relax, clear your mind, get rid of all that busy buzzing and music that's constantly in your head (or at least try to). Push school/work problems out of your mind.
-Most importantly, try not to worry about not getting enough sleep or being unable to go to sleep. That in itself will keep you awake.

Often the most vital thing to help you remember your dreams is your mindset. Think to yourself that you dream every night, so it's only a matter of remembering them. Tell yourself you're capable of remembering, which is true because you did it as a child.

[PuppyLuver]

I've recently started keeping a dream diary but I'm having a hard time remembering my dreams when I try to write them down in the morning. What can be done to make it easier to remember dreams upon waking up? My mom comes in each morning and wakes me with a loud and fake-cheery "JESS! TIME FOR SCHOOL~!", so not being disturbed before writing the dream down is kinda impossible for me. I tried to get her to help by asking me if I remember anything when I wake up, but I doubt she'll remember to ask every morning. So, any tips on remembering dreams? I really don't want the majority of my dream diary to be "I can't remember" over and over again.

[Nemoide]

Keep writing "I can't remember" and eventually you'll have something to write.

Also start going to bed earlier or something so you don't wake up and have to rush to get ready for school. It is tough though. When I wake up, there's nothing I could imagine being worse than getting out from under the covers, grabbing my dream journal that is ALL THE WAY next to the bed.
But if you keep yourself disiplined, it should become easier.

[viperxmns]

Hmm.. my suggestion would be to try writing a few keywords that best describe what happened in the dream as soon as you gain consciousness.

[infractus]

There was a topic similar here.. that might have some other suggestions or ideas.

Keep NEW conversation here in this one, rather than reviving the old thread.
If there's a big rebirth of the subject altogether, then I'll merge the threads together.

Anyhow - getting to bed earlier isn't a bad idea. Your body has more time to get down deep into a sleep rhythm. I've noticed a serious change between how detailed my recollection is in the morning when I get at least 5 solid hours as opposed to broken up, waking every 2 hours and going back to sleep..
However, the exception is - wake-induced dreaming (no, not necessarily lucid). I wake up thinking I'm actually going to get something done around the house before I go to work (lol, half the time it doesn't happen) but I don't, and doze off again.. but I'll take advantage of it and try to maintain one thought or one scenario in my mind as I close my eyes..

It works, but usually it's really panicky bouts of false awakenings and sleep paralysis.

[StarsOfCASSiOPEiA]

Key words will help. A word or two on people/maren/misc. characters involved (names, usually), a generic setting, a plot line (if any), etc. are an asset to add to dream recall.

Sometimes I find that there are patterns in my dream journaling. I'll have 1-2 weeks where nothing happens, then a stretch where I'd be able to write pages and pages on what I've dreamt. You might just be having a "dream block", as I like to call it.

Going to bed earlier also helps. Any amount of time you gain- whether it be 5 hours or 5 minutes- will aid you and you won't be so rushed. Writing down keywords or a quick synopsis before anything else happens in your morning is extremely important (at least, for me it is). I tend to forget what the dream was about otherwise.

Hope this helps!

[Lady Spritzy]

keywords help. lots. that's what I do in my dream journal. that, and sometimes dreams I have later remind me of dreams I've had before.
what's really annoying is when you write something 'cuz you woke up in the middle of the night, then in the morning you have no clue what you were writing while you were half-asleep.
Also, someone on another forum (or maybe this one) mentioned probably getting a voice recorder, and speaking about the dream. maybe you could try that when you're in a rush, and come back to it later.

[PuppyLuver]

Okay, let's see if I got the gist of it. Most of you are saying I should get to bed earlier and use keywords upon waking... Sounds like good ideas. Thanks, you guys. I'll try those.

Oh, and about this...

There was a topic similar here.. that might have some other suggestions or ideas.

Sorry... ^^;

[infractus]

@ PuppyLuver - No worries - the original topic is more or less just catching dust.
I only pointed it out for the sake of finding something useful in it. The text is a link to the topic, in case no one knew.

[Nightingale]

Definitely write down whatever you remember, no matter how random. Sometimes writing things down will spark more memories of what happened after/before. (i.e. This morning all I could remember was a restaurant. I wrote that down and remembered that my brother was there, and that reminded me of going into the freezer, and etc.)

Also, AVOID LIGHT. Especially sunlight. For some reason I've yet to figure out it seems to whitewash your brain and make it a lot harder to remember dreams.

[Penelopi]

I think the sunlight makes it harder to remember your dreams because it makes you wake up faster. When I first wake up and recall my dream that I just had, I'm still really half-asleep. Sometimes sleeping in a dark room with no windows can give you some intense dreaming experiences. My best dreaming happened last year when I slept in the basement for over 3 months. Had to move back upstairs, though, because my dad was fed up with it.

[DiENE]

What helped me was waking up a tad earlier, maybe 15-20 mins, and once you wake up, take it slow.

Sometimes if I wake up and my eyes are still shut, I keep them shut, take a few deep breaths (maybe some abdominal breathing) and while doing that try to recall details/images from my dreams. Jotting down details backwards help remind yourself of dreams earlier in the night. If your trying to hard to remember the first thing you dreamed of, you might get frustrated and lose all of it, so you mind as well get some details out of it and start with the fresher thoughts.

[Level 99]

Bumping this because I too am almost always unable to dream. I dream maybe MAYBE once a month, maximum. I firmly believe it is a result of medication side-effects. What sucks is I'm completely off the meds but it seems as though the damage is done and I am unable to dream normally. I used to dream all the time, sometimes lucid, sometimes nightmarish, but almost always. It's a shame because I really miss being able to dream. I've tried different ways to force myself to dream, and none have worked. Meditation, binaural beats, all the common habits, sleep assistance pills (I get occasional insomnia), all still squat. My only resolve, and it works wonders, is to live life and enjoy it like it's a dream, because it usually is even if you don't know it (yeah, I know, I'm corny and insightful).

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Have you tried eating before bed? I find that if I eat something really weird and then fall asleep, I have very vivid dreams. Also, when I kept my dream diary, I had a dream every night. Mabybe you just need to try more dream recall tactics. There is hope!

[TRiPPY]

I always get my most vivid dreams when I've spent a lot of time outdoors in a visualy stimulating enviroment, especialy when its a new place I've never seen, it ends up in my dreams that night but as a condensed 'what my brain picked up most' version. THOUGH if you tire yourself out too much before bed it tends to make sleep more important than dreams. Your body does a 'woah im tired now*zonk*' and upon wakening its a lot harder to remember dreaming at all.

[Level 99]

I always get my most vivid dreams when I've spent a lot of time outdoors in a visualy stimulating enviroment, especialy when its a new place I've never seen, it ends up in my dreams that night but as a condensed 'what my brain picked up most' version. THOUGH if you tire yourself out too much before bed it tends to make sleep more important than dreams. Your body does a 'woah im tired now*zonk*' and upon wakening its a lot harder to remember dreaming at all.

That may contribute to it, considering I average maybe MAYBE 5 hours of sleep a night. There's just too much to do in the day! Also, what is this "outside" you speak up? I sit in a desk on a floor with no windows within the nearest MILE 8 1/2 hours a day or longer, though it's good work. Winter is the worst though: come in when it's dark out and....leave when it's dark out.

Oh, and Noctourne: yes, there is hope, and that's definitely a good thing considering I do dream once in a blue moon. I guess I've sort-of removed the concept of "downtime" from my life and, along with the meds backlash which is a huge part, just don't "give dreams a chance" Ba-dum-ching!

[Zero-Shift]

From what I recall in psychology, people always dream when asleep. The question is whether or not they remember them upon waking up and I believe this is directly related to when the person wakes up. Sleep works in a cycle of high and low brain activity and you're more likely to remember stuff if you wake up during high activity phases.

Persoanlly, I remember my dreams most often when I'm getting a decent amount of sleep regularly. In college when I was getting maybe 4 hours a night I didn't recall dreams hardly at all.

[DiENE]

I get about 7-8 hours 70% of the time, I remember the dreams, but I never take a moment to recollect my thoughts of the night prior.

Stress always gets in the way :\

In high school I always found Sunday nights to be so restless and I would toss and turn with anxiety. Rarley happens now but I loath it when it does. Buuuut... if I do get to sleep its only 50-90 mins, and my dreams are usually very clear, and I remember them too.

[StarsOfCASSiOPEiA]

I get about 7-8 hours 70% of the time, I remember the dreams, but I never take a moment to recollect my thoughts of the night prior.

I'm lucky and manage to get 8-9 hours of sleep, and I sometimes have your problem too. I'll have a week full of awesome lengthy dreams, then a week of some shorter ones or just scenes or clips, and then nothing for three or so weeks.

I think the amount of sleep a person needs is totally individual.

Unlike DiENE, though, I've had lots of success with my dream diary. At least, WHEN I have something to write in it. >.>

[DiENE]

I'm lucky and manage to get 8-9 hours of sleep, and I sometimes have your problem too. I'll have a week full of awesome lengthy dreams, then a week of some shorter ones or just scenes or clips, and then nothing for three or so weeks.

I think the amount of sleep a person needs is totally individual.

Unlike DiENE, though, I've had lots of success with my dream diary. At least, WHEN I have something to write in it. >.>

Yeah I started (a few) one like 2 years ago and there's still plenty of writing space in it I want a fresh start again anyhow, the journal was kind of girly and had streaks of ribbon like color...not me. At least it was black.


One of my dream journals was a Hello Kitty pocket journal that was a Happy Meal toy, I would bring it to work and write in it there (worked at like 5:30 in the morn) It was nice to see the dream descriptions getting a half page longer each time I wrote.

[Penelopi]

It was nice to see the dream descriptions getting a half page longer each time I wrote.

That's only until you start writing 3+ pages per dream. Then you try to find ways to make it shorter, so that you can do other stuff during the day.

[Level 99]

Strangely enough, I had an extremely vivid dream Saturday night. I've not had a dream that vivid in ages, and it was beyond strange as well. I made sure to check how much sleep I had gotten, and it was maybe about 6 1/2 hours. It had strange splashes of color on some people and was very movie-like, with music, dialoge, and narration. A lot of really good things happened Friday and Saturday so maybe it had to do with that, I don't know.

I'll have to look into the high-low brain activity thing. If there's a way for one to find out their own levels of high-low activity and estimate the intervals, then maybe I can set a timer that is relative to when I'm going to bed as opposed to static alarms.