Why do some people remember dreams and others don't?

In a dream you can immerse yourself in the strange, surreal world

Dreams transport us into a surreal world where not ruled by logic and reason. But does everyone do it the night journey in Dreamland? Most people remember about one or two dreams a week, and some say that they do not . As shown , held in 2015, a small part of the population — about one person out of 250 reports, do not remember a single dream in his entire life. But what distinguishes people who do not remember their dreams from those who remember? Can the brain to stop creating dreams and how the brain of those who dreams never dream? Let's deal.

Why do we have dreams?

The author of the study in 2015, Rafael Vallat, a neuroscientist specializing in studies of sleep and dreams at the University of California, believes that "is one of the last frontiers in our understanding of the human mind". A study of memories of dreams — what parts of the brain involved — can help scientists unravel some mysteries of the mind. The work of Vallata and other professionals in this area revealed a number of interesting details that seem to separate those dreams from those who are not. But first we should probably clarify: a dream for almost everyone. In fact, dreams can contribute to problem-solving, memory and emotional control.

Perhaps creative people are more likely to remember your dreams

The specialists say that — absolutely normal from the point of view of health and functioning of the brain. As a rule, memories of dreams fade quickly. When we arise, our memory is particularly fragile. The sharp sound of the alarm is sometimes enough to distract us, not giving fleeting memories of dreams can be written into long term memory. However, for unknown reasons, some people remember their dreams better than others. And although science has yet a long way to go in understanding the memory of dreams, it seems that differences in the brain, individual characteristics and aspects associated with the dream are playing in these processes a role.

personality Type affects the ability to remember the dreams

In 2017 in the journal (APA) published a study according to which there are some personality differences between those who dream and don't dream. The basis of the work was methods of personality testing, such as the concept of the Big Five. Testing is essential to understand which personality traits influence the recollection of a dream.

The Idea is that some aspects of life can affect . And the type of personality likely affects the relation of man to the dream as a whole. Those who are prone to logical and analytical thinking will be less likely to pay attention to dreams. Thus according to researchers, individual differences between those who dream and don't dream can also be associated with differences in brain functioning. And, therefore, how the brain works can affect a person's ability to remember their dreams.

Scientists do not exclude that the type of personality that influences our ability to remember dreams

The area of the brain responsible for dreaming is also involved when we think about yourself or others in the past or future. According to Rafael Vallata, in the dream, this area is also active as at the moment of waking from those dreams regularly. Perhaps that is why some people are better at remembering their dreams than others. However, this also can make these people more prone to flights of fancy in General. Also, according to the results of another , the brain of those who have dreams more responsive to sounds during sleep, indicating that the differences in activity of the so-called temporo-parietal lobe — center of information processing in the brain. Thus, it is not surprising that such people are more likely to Wake up during the night and have longer periods of wakefulness, which confirmed another .

And yet, for most people a large part of the memories of the dreams comes down to individual characteristics — some are under our control and some are not. Scientists also know that on average women more often remember their dreams than men. By the way, the participants can discuss whether you remember your dreams and why.

Quality of sleep — the main reason why we remember your dreams

useful not only for your health but also to preserve the memories of the dreams. People who are "devoid of dreams", as a rule, do not sleep. Scientists believe that getting enough sleep helps us to remember dreams.

what kind of dream do you remember most? Tell us about it in the comments to this article.

According to Vallata, people who use alcohol and marijuana also tend to forget their dreams, because alcohol and THC have a negative impact on REM sleep. And yet, Michael Sredl, a researcher from the Central Institute of mental health in Germany, who has studied a broad range of factorswhich can affect the remembering of dreams believes that the best way to remember your dreams — it is a daily dream journal immediately after waking up. However, if you are not sure whether you dream of dreams, there is one effective way to find out. You need to set an alarm for every hour during the night. Every time you Wake up, ask yourself, do you not sleep, and then write it down. Most likely, you will find yourself that at least half the night you dreamed something.