Why do we sometimes remember dreams and other times not?

We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping. However, we are not always aware of what happens in that dreamlike, strange, fascinating universe with often surreal lines but where revealing meanings are inscribed. Why it happens? Why is it that we sometimes don’t remember dreams?

Dalí said that the fact that he did not understand the meaning of his art did not mean that it did not have it. If he commented this frequently it was essentially due to a very specific reality. Much of the works of this unforgettable painter, sculptor, engraver and stage designer were nourished by the world of dreams. Dalí was a true oneironaut, a specialist in lucid dreams that he caused himself during naps.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the population does not have this ability. It’s more, The percentage of people who manage to remember what happened in a dream is very low compared to those who are simply left with an imprint, a sensation, a set of disordered and almost meaningless images. This reality, which for many can be frustrating, has several explanations that we will now reveal.

Why do we sometimes not remember what we dream? The answer is in our brain

People distribute our sleep – on average – in cycles of 90 or 100 minutes, which in turn can be divided into different stages. It is in the REM phase (rapid eye movement sleep) when those most vivid dreams occur, those that take us into the most fascinating and terrifying scenarios. There where emotions and sensations are always on the surface. Likewise, it is also necessary to know that the REM phase, in addition to being the longest stage of sleep, is also the last. Therefore, It is common to wake up suddenly and remember only the last moments of this phase.

Now, beyond the phases of sleep, Something that many neurologists tell us is that the “sleeping brain” has no memory. That is, we are not programmed to store data during this stage because, apparently, nothing significant happens that could be useful to us. Therefore, if this premise were completely true, Why do many of us not remember what we dream and others do?

The answer is offered by a recent study from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. This is a theory that was already stated in 2011 in the magazine Neuron after a series of MRI tests were performed.

The key is none other than the hippocampus. This brain structure related to our emotions and memory would basically be “to blame” for not allowing us to keep many of those dreams that we live every night. Let’s see more data below.

The hippocampus and the dream world

Anyone who thinks that when you fall asleep on the couch or in bed your brain “disconnects” completely is wrong. There is no complete disconnection, but rather they enter another energy mode, so to speak. Thus, One of the last structures to move from conscious to unconscious mode is the hippocampus.

This area is responsible, among other things, for transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Thus, there are people who, for whatever reasons, disconnect from this area a little later than the rest, which allows them to retain many more pieces of that dream tissue.. The rest, 90% of people, if we do not remember our dreams, it is because we disconnect the hippocampus at the precise moment, which our brain sets in order to be able to do other “more important” things.

It should also be said that the hippocampus remains operational for other tasks. For other more essential processes: during these phases of sleep it is dedicated to sifting important information from information that is not. Delete data, delete multiple information and images seen during the day, to save in long-term memory what you consider important. He is so focused on that process that he will rarely pay attention to that dream movie in which we are immersed.

On the other hand, and thanks to an article published in the magazine Neuropsychopharmacologyit has been seen that People who tend to remember their dreams, in addition to having a more conscious hippocampus, had greater activity in the temporoparietal junction (information processing center in the brain).

In addition to this, a study published in 2019 in the prestigious journal Science found that certain neurons that are activated during REM sleep could be involved in the inability to remember dreams. This is because These neurons are responsible for producing the hormone MCH or Melanin Concentrating Hormone, a substance that in turn plays a fundamental role in the regulation of sleep and the circadian rhythm.. Likewise, this hormone is also involved in the “disconnection” of the hippocampus that we talked about previously.

If we don’t remember dreams, what can we do to achieve them?

There are many who often wish they could do it: remember each dream clearly. It is as if by achieving this, they can understand things about themselves that, at first glance, are not conscious or evident. Well, it must be said that None of the techniques that are usually proposed to achieve this are recommended or 100% effective.

The most recurrent theory is the one that suggests Set the alarm clock in cycles of 30 or 35 minutes. That sudden awakening would allow us to remember the dream, which we would then have to transcribe in a notebook. Obviously, this suggestion would only cause us to have poor quality sleep and not rest the way we need. It is not recommended.

To finish, just say that if we do not remember dreams it is because the brain does not consider it important. Furthermore, on average, The dreams that we do tend to remember are always the most important. They are those with a greater emotional component and therefore, those that may contain a message to be interpreted to the extent that it is not possible.

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