How to succeed in dreaming

To dream It's a beautiful adventure, bordering on mysticism. But now, thanks to scientific research on human nocturnal activity, we know more: dreaming is a natural medicine to increase the creativity, train the the memory, stabilize mood. Therefore, not being able to dream is a waste of well-being and health, which we often do unconsciously.

Ma as one dreamsOr rather: how do we facilitate this magical state of our mind, in the REM phase of sleep, the one in which eye movement is rapid and we have the most powerful dreams. Here's how 10 tips to make our dreams come true, and make them unforgettable, starting from the assumption that, unfortunately, we sleep less and less. And this is the first misstep that causes us to lose the pleasure and discovery of dreams.

Index of topics

No alarm clock

Unless you absolutely need it, avoid the alarm clock. This is especially true with a smartphone, as you run the risk of leaving it on all night. When the alarm goes off, it does so through a noise An intense one you can't ignore: there's a good chance you'll move and interrupt your dream during the REM phase of sleep. Incidentally, the early morning hours are precisely when the REM sleep cycle occurs.

Zero alcohol, coffee and medicines

These are three substances that keep dreams at bay. Try this experiment: if you go to bed drunk, or even just tipsy, you'll never remember a dream. coffee It's a stimulant, so it's simply stupid to take it before bed. The same goes for medications, especially the stronger ones, starting with the long list of sleeping pills that help you fall asleep or fall asleep. Try asking your doctor about taking them outside of your intended bedtime hours.

Away from children

We know that mothers sleep little and poorly during the first years of their children's lives. They have to be bed-raised, are constantly awakened, and feel uneasy. They lose sleep and dreams. However, once you've stabilized your children's nighttime cycle, if you want to dream, regain and defend your own nighttime space, starting with bed. Dreams are a very intimate emotion, difficult to share.

Train your memory to dream

This exercise has a dual benefit: it trains your memory and stimulates dreaming. The more you can remember what you experienced during your dream experience, the more likely you will be to dream. A good way to remember your dreams is to write down their essential plot, like a diary. Over time, you will have created a fantastic album of memories.

There is no pill to dream.

Don't be fooled by some scammers: there are no drugs on the market that can stimulate dreams. If anything, we know that some natural substances, such as magnesium, tryptophan (found in chicken), or vitamin B, are valuable because they facilitate REM sleep and therefore dreaming. Just eat foods containing these substances during dinner. Finally, melatonin, a natural element, is widely used to absorb the shocks of sleep. jet lagThere's no scientific certainty, but it's very likely that melatonin, by regulating the day-night cycle, is an effective dream stimulator. Keep this in mind.

Cheeses and heavy foods

If during the night the digestion It's tumultuous, and nightmares and more vivid dreams are very likely: it's the metabolism, in this case fatigued, that makes us wake up and remember dreams. But the heavy price we pay is poor sleep. The game isn't worth the candle.

Regular hours

These are the ones that stimulate sleep and dreaming, as they strengthen the REM phase. Therefore, it's a good idea to go to bed at the same time every day and wake up at the same time every day. Without using an alarm clock, as we mentioned.

Drink a lot of water

Up to four glasses before falling asleep. A full bladder interrupts sleep during the night, after the REM sleep, and helps you remember. The downside is obvious: you'll have to get up to go to the bathroom.

Time to reflect and remember

As soon as you wake up, when you feel like you've just emerged from a dream, take your time. Do everything calmly. And try to reflect and remember what you dreamed; it will be a pleasant exercise, even for your memory, and it will give you a habit of remembering that stimulates dreams.

Drawing

In addition to writing, also the draws It greatly facilitates the memory and frequency of dreams. The same applies here as with the pen: the sooner you can record, through drawings, what you've dreamed, the better both for the quantity of things you remember and for your habituation to dreaming. You don't have to be an artist to draw your dreams. Federico Fellini often did it when he woke up, and those drawings inspired many of his films.