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Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

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Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#141

Post by lmarcos »

jk7tarYZAQNpTQa wrote: post #112
dorkwood wrote: post #76

You can improve your dream recall ability. It's not fixed. I did it when I was younger. I was lucky if I could remember one dream per month, and I went to remembering around six per night. Here's how to do it: as soon as you wake up, pay attention to whether you were just dreaming or not. Don't get out of bed and go to the bathroom -- if there was anything to remember from your dreams, you'll lose it by doing this. D…

> if there was anything to remember from your dreams, you'll lose it by doing this. Dream memories are extremely fragile I've always had a natural ability to remember my dreams. And one of the most curious things about my dreams is that I can recall (as in right now) dreams I had decades ago. I can often remember them until late in the day. I can also know when I had a dream I already had years ago (it happens often)…

I thought this was common. I have a few recurring dreams I have had since I was a kid. I may have them once every two years or so, but since they are recurring I can remember them well. I never write down my dreams, though.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#142

Post by dinkleberg »

rl3 wrote: post #65
dinkleberg wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was gonna comment about this. ZMA really seems to have an impact on how vivid my dreams are. When I forget to order another bottle my dreams are far less interesting. It's quite odd. It makes me think about how heavily our experience of life is impacted by our chemistry.

> ZMA really seems to have an impact on how vivid my dreams are. I notice this with zinc/magnesium/calcium. Having taken it every night since adolescence, it's pretty much a requirement for good sleep. Without, REM city. Granted, less calcium and more magnesium these days. > It's quite odd. It makes me think about how heavily our experience of life is impacted by our chemistry. Agreed. There's probably a good argumen…

Thanks for the heads up on the B6, I’ll have to do some research on that. The ZMA pills are convenient, but it wouldn’t be much more effort to just take some zinc and magnesium separately.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#143

Post by Zababa »

iratewizard wrote: post #54
armchairhacker wrote: post #6

I don't get particularly vivid dreams but I sometimes get dreams of really interesting stories. The dream itself is like a movie, I'm not the main character but I'm just kind of watching it unfold. What's really interesting is that these "dream movies" always have a half-decent plot. IMO a lot of movie plots are really bad and stick to typical tropes and lessons. My dreams don't stick to these tropes and have actual…

> IMO a lot of movie plots are really bad and stick to typical tropes and lessons It's a huge problem. I have watched very little American media produced in the last decade because of this. Whenever some coworker talks about how great this new show is, I'll watch it and cringe. It's 90% an A-plot B-plot following the same tired template. Then 10% of it is doing some form of virtue signaling, grievance agitation or ot…

> Plus, thankfully Japan's entertainment industry is going strong by having the different mangas compete with each other until the most interesting stories get adapted into an anime.

That's not really true, it's usually the most popular as it's a money issue. Pick randomly a few seasonals and you'll find that most of them are not that good.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#144

Post by t_mann »

dgellow wrote: post #129
t_mann wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it totally is (see also my response to user dorkwood). I used to have very unpleasant dreams up until I was a teenager and now all my nights are 'turned off', like you describe. When you wake up and your dream is still present, just think about something in your real life and actively tell yourself to forget the dream.

Oh thanks, I will check your other responses

Yeah, I don't have much of a technique to it, it feels more like the conscious decision is the most important part. It also feels like I could go back to remembering dreams if I wanted (maybe not as well as people who have been practicing the opposite for decades, but still), I just don't have any desire to. Unless there's overwhelming evidence that it'd be much better in some way I hadn't realized yet, I'm really quite happy about my nights.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#145

Post by magusdei »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #80

How does one know that you don't create the dream at the point that you're explaining it? Like a false memory. Thinking up an idea and remembering an idea probably have similar patterns on EEG. I guess that experiment has been done? At times I've had pretty interesting dreams, but since I was a teen (decades ago) wondered if perhaps the dream was made on the spot as I "remembered" it. Provided the creative part kept…

>If you have details, let me know.

Athanasius is greek for "immortal" and is a common name of saints, church fathers etc. Lubensk (Лубенськ) is an obscure city near Luhansk. Saint Athanasius of Lubensk refers to Athanasius III of Constantinople, saint of the Orthodox church known as an "enlightener", who died near Lubensk. According to the Wikipedia article[1] he sometimes appears to people in dream visions, so your experience is not entirely without precedent.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_III_of_Constantinop...

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#146

Post by t_mann »

encrux wrote: post #113
t_mann wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious, I've been doing pretty much the opposite, deliberately forgetting my dreams. Most dreams I remembered weren't pleasant, and forgetting them created a sort of 'blacked-out' period of genuine recreation. Like, I usually constantly think about things to optimize/study/do, and being very aware of what was happening in my sleep seemed to carry over that pattern into my sleep, if that makes sense (if not, then jus…

Not a researcher, just interested in the topic: I see it like this: You spend a third of your life asleep. By not "utilizing" your dreams, you effectively waste that time. dream recall is very easy to learn and even easier if you actively write down your dreams. From there on, it's not much further to start looking into lucid dreams, where you can take control, even over nightmares. Facing my nightmares in my teens (…

Sure, but are those hours really wasted if they make you feel refreshed? Sleeping is very important in terms of long-term memory organization, health etc. I always felt that those life hacks of trying to learn new skills or solving difficult problems in your sleep were pretty short-sighted optimization attempts, since those hours are not "lost", but indeed very productive, only in ways we don't directly notice. I might reconsider if there is overwhelming evidence of the benefits of recalling dreams, until then I am very happy about what I've achieved in terms of getting restful sleep. In terms of lucid dreaming or facing distressing memories, I prefer doing those things in more controlled meditation or therapeutic hypnosis settings (for which we do have evidence that it works).

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#147

Post by justsomehnguy »

jamal-kumar wrote: post #83
dorkwood wrote: post #76

You can improve your dream recall ability. It's not fixed. I did it when I was younger. I was lucky if I could remember one dream per month, and I went to remembering around six per night. Here's how to do it: as soon as you wake up, pay attention to whether you were just dreaming or not. Don't get out of bed and go to the bathroom -- if there was anything to remember from your dreams, you'll lose it by doing this. D…

When I was younger I used to mess with some really obscure shit called oneirogics. It's obscure enough that I can't even google it. It's basically substances or methods you can use in order to dream harder. Cholinergic (affecting choline, basically the opposite of anticholinergics which are horrible pesticides ruining everything), and other ways (Maracuya (passionfruit) leaves under the pillow with its distinct smell…

> It's obscure enough that I can't even google it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneirogen

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#148

Post by superb-owl »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #80

How does one know that you don't create the dream at the point that you're explaining it? Like a false memory. Thinking up an idea and remembering an idea probably have similar patterns on EEG. I guess that experiment has been done? At times I've had pretty interesting dreams, but since I was a teen (decades ago) wondered if perhaps the dream was made on the spot as I "remembered" it. Provided the creative part kept…

This was a common objection to the notion of Lucid Dreaming for a long time. Scientists accused lucid dreamers of making up a post-hoc story about being in control.

Finally Stephen LaBerge did a study where he was able to move his eyeballs in a distinct pattern during the REM phase [1], proving that he had conscious control while asleep.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05547-0

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#149

Post by superb-owl »

Anecdotally, I absolutely believe the results here.

I went from rarely remembering my dreams to recalling 5-6 dreams per night, and regularly lucid dreaming. While I shy away from any distinct interpretive framework (e.g. Freudianism) taking the time to ask "where did this come from?" or "what is this telling me?" has given me huge insights into my own hidden fears, anxieties, and desires.

I can honestly say I'm a much happier, more well-adjusted person as a result.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#150

Post by CTDOCodebases »

dgellow wrote: post #130
huimang wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hardly ever remember dreams, maybe once per month or less. Sometimes if I eat specific foods like pizza right before bed it can trigger a potent dream, but I avoid eating stuff late at night now anyhow. I haven't specifically tried to dream less but I've never tried to remember anything either. When I wake up, I immediately start thinking about my plans for the day and/or check HN/instagram (admittedly, a bad habit…

The pizza anecdote is a funny one :) I can imagine a mad scientist in their lab trying different topping before forcing themselves to sleep, to identify the perfect pizza to trigger a specific dream!

Anecdotal I think but cheese dreams are a thing. Food does have an effect on dreams though. I know certain foods contain choline which causes vivid dreams in some people.
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