• Question: Why do we sometimes remember dreams and sometimes not?

    Asked by marc busto to Ceri, Marikka, Matt, Rob, Sally on 10 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Robert Hampson

      Robert Hampson answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Good question.

      It is not my field of expertise, I’m told that dreams are a way that the brain processes information from past experiences during some phases of sleep. During this time, it can change the connections between cells in the brain. If you retrigger these connections, I think this triggers remembering the dream. This is why you often remember the dream halfway through the day when you come across something that was similar to the dream. At other times, if your sleep is disturbed and you are woken up by something your brain kind of rememberes the dream as if you were recently experiencing it as opposed to processing previous experiences.

      There may be others able to give a better answer to this one, its not really my field of expertise!

    • Photo: Sally Cutler

      Sally Cutler answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Afraid not my area, but like to feel that I dreampt up a new cure for infections, and just could not remember it when I woke in the morning!

    • Photo: Ceri Dare

      Ceri Dare answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Usually you will remember dreams if you wake up whilst you are dreaming. So if you want to remember your dreams, set your alarm clock earlier, and then write down everything you remember about your dream as soon as you wake up.

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