How to remember and record your dreams

10 practical tips to help with recording dreams, writing down dreams, and remembering your dreams.

It’s one thing to be interested in dreams, but another thing to remember and record them regularly.

Life is so busy that other things just crowd out those intentions. Moreover, the details of a dream can disappear in the blink of an eye!

I learned to interpret dreams while raising three boys, leading a church and holding down a professional job – so I truly appreciate the challenges involved!

In this article I share 10 practical tips on how to remember dreams and record them.

I approach dream interpretation from a biblical perspective. My belief is that our dreams can come from God, and understanding them is best understood within the context of an ongoing relationship with Him.

How to record dreams

Identify the best way to record your dreams

The first step in remembering dreams is to make a practical plan for recording them. This is something that needs to be done before we go to bed, as we are unlikely to bother if we have not prepared!

When I first started writing down dreams, I always kept a notebook and pen by my bed that I used to record them in.

That was a good place to start, but it did have a few problems! I didn’t want to wake my husband, so if I had a dream in the night, I would have to creep out to the bathroom to put the light on.

These days it’s much easier. Most people have access to a mobile phone or other electronic recording device which have built-in lighting. This gives us several additional options.

Different ways to record dreams

Here are some options for recording or writing down dreams:

• Using a notepad and pen
• Typing the dream into a note-taking app on a mobile phone or tablet
• Typing the dream onto a desktop computer or laptop
• Using a voice recording app
• Using an electronic pen and tablet

Which recording method suits you best depends on various factors, such as:

• What devices/apps you already have/use
• Whether you prefer writing, typing, or speaking
• Whether or not you have a partner who you don’t want to disturb!
• How you plan to review your dreams later

For many years I used a designated dreams folder in Microsoft OneNote. I would type in the dream on waking, then it would automatically sync with all my devices. Then, later, I could revisit the dream on my phone – while on the train or during my lunch break at work.

I currently use my iPad with an Apple Pencil and the Nebo app for writing down dreams.  I can handwrite my dream and then convert it to text in the app. This suits me very well for now.

Action Point:
Decide which method you are going to use for recording dreams – and then implement it! Make sure you have the necessary equipment by your bed before you go to sleep, and then record any dreams you have!

Decide on the best sleep routine

Dreams are best remembered if we wake up naturally after them, rather than to the intrusive sound of an alarm clock.

I find that one of the quickest ways to forget any dreams is to rush straight out of bed and into other activities!

With this in mind, here are some ideas that could help with remembering dreams:

• Try setting your alarm for the latest possible time and ask God to wake you up with a dream before the alarm goes off. Doing this gives us the best possible chance of waking up straight after a dream and having time to write it down. I must admit I struggle with this one – I love the snooze button too much – but I know that many people find it helpful.
• Try setting your alarm earlier than you need to. I find this works better for me.Personally, I need a bit more time to wake up! So, setting my alarm early means that I have time factored in to write down and reflect on any dreams that I have.
• Go to bed early enough so you can wake up naturally. Making sure we have enough time for sleep gives us a better chance of waking up naturally after a dream.
• Make the most of days where you don’t have to rush off early. Since Covid, many of us are able to work more flexibly from home, so that makes it easier to wake up naturally. We can also take advantage of days off by allowing time to write down dreams.

The best approach to sleep and dreams will vary during different seasons of life, but it is definitely worth thinking about your sleep routine.

Once your brain starts to realise that you value dreams, you will probably find that you remember more of them and start waking up at the right time.

Action point:
Decide what time you will set your alarm for. Do you want to give yourself some quiet time? Or maybe you could ditch the snooze function and set the alarm a little bit later? Whatever you decide to do – make a plan!

Be prepared to get up in the night

Many of the most important, life-defining dreams that I have had over the years have come in the middle of the night! So, I know from experience that it’s going to be worth writing those dreams down; and I will regret it if I don’t.

But the truth is, getting up to write down a dream is the hardest thing to do in the night, particularly in colder climates!

When it’s cozy in bed and cold outside it’s easy to close our eyes and snuggle back under the covers!

So the best advice I can give is to be ready! Here are some tips:

• Mentally prepare yourself in advance by asking God for a dream.
• Have a blanket or fleecy top by your bed if it is cold at night.
• Make the decision that you will record any dreams that you have in the night.
• Establish a habit of getting up to write any dreams down.

You know that you probably won’t want to get up to record a dream in the moment itself, so make the choice before you go to bed – and then follow through if it happens!

Action point:
Decide what you are going to do if you have a dream in the middle of the night. Will you write it down while in bed, or get up to do it? Make sure you have everything you need to hand when you go to sleep.

Ignore the voice that says your dream means nothing

When I’m tucked up in bed, a dream seems so unimportant.

Whether it’s in the middle of the night or in the morning, there’s always a voice in the back of my head that tells me things like:

• “I don’t need to remember this dream – it doesn’t mean anything”.
• “This is such a vivid dream; I’ll still remember it later”. (I never do!)
• “This dream was only me processing something that happened recently”.
• “I know why I had this dream, it’s not important.”
• “I know what this dream is about, I don’t need to write it down”’

This is the biggest hurdle that I have had to overcome in order to record and remember my dreams.

Yet, having made the decision countless times to write down the dream despite those thoughts, I have discovered that it was never actually about what I thought it was!

Thinking about the dream later, while fully awake and more objective, was usually much more fruitful.

There’s always a voice in our head that says this dream is not important.

Our sleepy brains will do anything for a few more moments in bed, or to rationalise away our dreams.

The only way to break out of this is to ignore those voices and write down the dream anyway.

Action point:
Prepare yourself by anticipating these negative voices – and make a choice that you will write the dream down anyway!

Writing down dreams

Record your dream as soon as possible after waking

We all know how quickly dreams seem to vanish. I always think they disappear like quicksand; it’s as though a crevice opens in our mind and swallows the dream – and once it’s gone into our subconscious it’s impossible to recover it, however hard we try!

On the other hand, if we write the dream down, we can recall it (and often still visualise it) when we read it later.

I’ve heard that we forget dreams within five minutes of having them. This means that if we don’t wake up straight away, we don’t even remember that we’ve had a dream. But it also means that we only have a short window of opportunity in which to record them.

To remember a dream, we generally need to write it down within 5 minutes of waking.

It’s true that sometimes a previous dream will suddenly pop into our mind later in the day, but usually something triggers it! Personally, I know how bad my memory is, so I don’t take any chances. I’d rather write the dream down so I can think about it later.

So don’t waste precious time and let those dreams slip away. Write them down as soon as you can!

Action Point:
If you have a dream, instead of hitting snooze or rushing off to some other activity, write down as much of the dream as you can straight away.

Record the significant dream details first

Years ago, when I was first writing my dreams down, I used to find it hard to remember certain details. If I wrote the whole dream out in full, I would forget some important parts by the time I got to the end of the dream.

Some of the details that we can easily forget are things like:

• Numbers, dates and times
• Names of people and places
• Specific words, messages or instructions

These things can very quickly disappear from our memory – yet are often key to the interpretation of the dream.

Therefore, I suggest that as soon as you can after waking, you grab your pen or electronic device and quickly note down all the important words and details that you think you might forget.

Then afterwards, you can go back and write down the whole dream. You can refer to your quick notes and fill in the details.

Because I have recorded so many dreams over the years, I’ve got much better at remembering details, so I don’t need to do this so much. But I still use this technique sometimes if there is a vital piece of information that I need to remember accurately.

You can use my free dream journal template as a guide to help you record the essential information in the right order.

Action point:
Next time you have a dream, try jotting down some specific details first, and then write the whole dream afterwards. See whether it helps you remember better.

Record whatever dream details you can remember

I was talking to a friend recently about recording dreams. She mentioned that she had a vivid dream in the night but didn’t write it down because she could only remember a couple of snippets.

I’ve been there! It’s very easy to dismiss a dream because we can only remember a small part. However, I would recommend writing it down anyway.

Just write down whatever part of the dream you can remember!

There are various reasons for this:

• Often the part we remember is the most important bit. Dreams can contain little ‘pictures’, like prophetic pictures people sometimes get. I have often been greatly helped by a tiny snapshot of a dream. So, record the snippet; it’s actually a bonus if we can remember more!
• Writing down dreams can trigger more of our memory. Once we start writing or recording, other parts of the dream can suddenly start coming back to mind.
• We need to train ourself to remember and record dreams. By starting with what we can remember, we will get better at it – and remember more in future.
• Writing down whatever dream snippets we have demonstrates faith. It signals that we are believing God will speak to us through our dreams, and we are stewarding whatever he gives us.
• It sends a signal to our subconscious. Writing down anything we can remember tells our subconscious (and our spirit) that we take dreams seriously; we will hopefully start to wake up after dreams more frequently.

Action point:
Make a decision in advance to record any dream snippets you have, even if you can’t remember all the details. Practice this and see whether you start remembering more.

Consider drawing the dream

I know some people who find drawing much more helpful than writing.

If that’s you, why not try drawing your dreams? Drawing is quick – and can also be a good starting point and memory jogger.

I don’t draw all my dreams, but sometimes it’s just too difficult to explain a dream element with words. Sometimes I need to draw something to remember it accurately. This could be, for example, if there is a complicated road layout, an unusual looking item, or a particular detail that can’t be described properly.

Drawing a mind map can also be a very quick way of recording the main details of the dream while it’s fresh in the mind. I frequently used mind maps when I started out with dreams.

Sometimes I search online to find a photo to illustrate a dream detail. This could be an option for those of you who don’t like drawing. I have found that I can’t usually find an exact picture of what I want, but I can normally find something close enough, and I just note the ways my dream image differed from it.

So, to summarise, drawing a dream can be helpful:

• If you find drawing easier than writing
• To record certain details that are hard to describe
• To record the main elements of a dream quickly

Action point:
Try drawing or mind-mapping a dream and see whether it helps!

How to remember dreams

Keep an electronic dream record

If you are serious about understanding your dreams, then I strongly recommend developing an electronic system for storing them.

The reason for this is simple: it’s very hard to find old dreams if we have to go hunting through old journals. But if they are stored electronically, then a simple search is all that’s required to retrieve them!

In my early years of dream interpretation, I wrote all my dreams in journals.  But I also kept a spreadsheet with all the dream titles, and a very simple attempt at interpretation.

Here is a screenshot of what those old lists looked like:

You can see that I highlighted dreams that seemed more important so I could find them easily.

Having a dream list on the computer meant that I could find my dreams again, because I could see the date and look in the right journal. Keeping a list helped me keep track of the dreams I had, and the main messages they contained.

I still make a list, even though my dreams are stored electronically now. The process of making a list helps me to remember the dreams and identify the important parts.

Making an index list of dreams and interpretations helps me to remember the dreams and identify the important parts.

But if making lists isn’t you – don’t worry! I would, however, recommend finding a way to store your dreams in such a way that you can easily find them again.

Unless you have a perfect memory, you’ll need to help yourself in this respect! This might simply mean recording your dreams on a phone/tablet from the outset.

Action point:
Think about how you will store your dreams long-term, and how you will be able to remember and retrieve them when you need to.

Review your dreams regularly

Reviewing our dreams takes a bit more time and planning – but is the secret to my success in dream interpretation!

Dreams are an integral part of my relationship with God. Once I realised God was speaking to me through dreams, I knew that I had to dedicate time to them.

Every few months I would dedicate some time to go through my dream journal and update my dream summary list.  I would review what I thought each dream meant at the time, and then I would see from hindsight whether I was right! I would then adjust the interpretation accordingly and continue to think/pray through my dreams.

Reviewing our dreams helps us to remember them.

Doing this helped me to remember my dreams. Oftentimes, I would be in worship, listening to a sermon, reading the bible, or praying about something, and I would suddenly understand the meaning of a dream like a flash of inspiration!  And the dream would then be a wonderful confirmation of what God was saying to me.

If we don’t review our dreams regularly, then they disappear from our memory over time, and it’s harder for inspiration to strike at moments like I’ve just described.

Action point:
Set aside a date and time when you will review your dream journal.

Further reading

Dr Laura Harris Smith has written a couple of good books exploring diet, health and spiritual factors that can influence our sleep and ability to remember dreams (links to Amazon). These would be good for an in depth read:

• Seeing the Voice of God (includes the science behind dreams and diet tips)
• Give it to God and Go to Bed:  Stress Less, Sleep Better, Dream More

For some quick tips, here are some ideas for improving dream recall from Dr Charity Kayembe‘s Glory Waves blog:

• 7 tips for improving dream recall
• 5 more tips for improving dream recall

Infographic

Conclusion: Recording and remembering dreams

In this article we have discussed 10 practical tips for recording and remembering our dreams!  I would love to hear what tools you find helpful too!  I’m sure there are as many ways of doing this as there are people, so let’s help each other!

To summarise, here are the main points that we have covered:

1. Identify the best way to record your dreams
2. Decide on the best sleep routine
3. Be prepared to get up in the night
4. Ignore the voice that says your dream means nothing
5. Record your dream as soon as possible after waking
6. Record the significant details first
7. Record whatever dream details you can remember
8. Consider drawing (or mind-mapping) the dream
9. Keep an electronic dream record
10. Review your dreams regularly

These are all very practical tips which anyone can use. 

So now is the time to put some of these ideas into practice and start recording those dreams!

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