When we go to sleep at night, we all dream. That’s a fact, but something that is different from one person to another is whether they remember their dreams or not.
We all have a friend who likes to share their dreams with us on a daily basis. You might hear about some strange things that happen in their mind while they are sleeping, and it isn’t always as interesting to us as it is to them.
Then again, perhaps we are the type of person who only has a hazy recollection of what we dream during the night. We might even have a bit of jealousy about other’s abilities to remember dreams, but it is only a small percentage that is able to do so.
CBS News conducted a poll of over 1000 adults in 2021 and found that about 10% said that they could remember their dreams consistently. This may make you wonder why some recall their dreams better than others.
There is research in Italy that may shed some light on the subject. It might actually have to do with a number of factors, and a professor in general psychology at the IMT for Advanced Studies Lucca, Giulio Bernardi seems to have the answer.
He said: “Our findings suggest that dream recall is not just a matter of chance but a reflection of how personal attitudes, cognitive traits and sleep dynamics interact.”
200 Participants took place in the research that had them answering questions and taking tests about their interest in dreams and looked into how quickly they got distracted. Participants wore a device while sleeping that monitored their sleep duration, disturbances, and quality for 15 days. If they remember a dream, they would record it and describe it.
The results were analyzed and the scientists determined that there were five different traits that help people to remember their dreams.
* They have a positive attitude about dreams
* They tend to let their minds wander
* They spend longer periods of time in light sleep
* They live in warmer weather
* They’re younger
Interestingly, those who lived in warmer weather and were younger would report having a lower ability to remember their dreams in the winter. It also shows that older people feel as if they had dreamed more frequently but they don’t have the memories of them. This is something that is known as ‘white dreams’
The lead author of the study, Bernardi said: “These insights not only deepen our understanding of the mechanisms behind dreaming but also have implications for exploring dreams’ role in mental health and in the study of human consciousness.”