Have you ever woken up with vivid memories of a dream, only for them to fade within minutes? Or perhaps you rarely remember your dreams at all? While some people recall intricate dream sequences every morning, others wake up with no recollection of dreaming.
Why do some remember their dreams, but others don’t? For decades, scientists have pondered this question. Now, a new study sheds more light on the factors influencing how we remember our dreams. Scientists have learned that sleep patterns, cognitive traits, and even personal attitudes shape this mysterious phenomenon.
Researchers at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca conducted a study involving over 200 participants aged 18 to 70. Each participant recorded their dreams daily for 15 days, using voice recorders immediately after waking up. In addition to tracking dream recollection, participants wore sleep-monitoring wristwatches to measure their sleep quality.
The study found significant differences in how often people remembered their dreams. Some individuals woke up with clear memories, while others reported “white dreams”—the sensation of having dreamed but without specific recollections.
Based on these findings, the researchers came to a few distinct conclusions about what drives dream recollection. First is the individual’s attitude toward dreams. Those who hold a more positive view of dreams—or even daydream frequently—seem to have less issue recalling them.
Additionally, it seems sleep pattern is also important to dream recollection, as those who experienced longer periods of lighter sleep had a much higher chance of remembering their dreams. The researchers also say that age also matters—as older individuals reported more “white dreams.”
Finally, seasonal conditions appear to play a part in the likelihood of dream recollection as well, the researchers note. All of this together suggests that how we recall our dreams is not made up of random factors. Instead, there are distinct reasons why some of us can remember our dreams while others can’t.
Perhaps next, scientists can finally prove one of the many theories on why we dream and provide us with even more understanding of how our brains work. For those of us who struggle with remembering dreams, maybe one day, AI will record our dreams for us and take some of the guesswork out of the equation.
