We've all had dreams that were so beautiful and so real that we felt disappointed when we woke up. You may try to go back to sleep in hopes of continuing the dream. Unfortunately, your chances are very slim – however, by practicing sleep meditation techniques and focusing your mind on the right image, you may be able to return to another version of the dream so that you can experience the same experience in a different way.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Get back to sleep ASAP
Step 1. Don't move
When you wake up from a sweet dream, don't move. When you move after waking up, sensory stimuli to the environment around you will disturb the rest of the dream that hangs in your mind. This will make the important elements of the dream disappear.
Step 2. Keep your eyes closed
It will be easier for you to fall asleep again when your body is ready to sleep. This means that you have to be still, your body must remain relaxed, and most importantly, keep your eyes closed. Light has a brain-awakening effect that should be avoided: if you want to increase your chances of continuing the dream, this must be done quickly before the impression of the previous dream disappears.
Keeping the room dark while sleeping can minimize unwanted light stimulation
Step 3. Take a deep breath slowly
Keep your breathing under control. Try to take slow breaths like someone who has just finished exercising. The sooner you restore the tempo of your breathing like a sleeper, the better the chances of going back to sleep while the dream component is still in your subconscious.
- Regular breathing techniques, such as the 4-7-8 breathing method can help you fall asleep faster when trying to fall back asleep.
- To do a 4-7-8 breath, you must inhale slowly to a count of 4, then hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale quickly for a count of 8. When the brain gets enough oxygen intake, the body will feel relaxed and more easily stimulated by hormones that make you fall asleep.
- Many people claim that regulating their breathing can put them to sleep within a minute.
Step 4. Remember the last impression of your dream
Try to remember your dream that was cut off in the middle of the road. What is going on? Who is involved? What are the conditions around you like? How do you feel about what happened in the dream? Remain lying down with an empty mind and unchanged emotions until you can fall back asleep.
- Dreams are basically random combinations of bodily sensory reactions, as well as feelings and thoughts that reflect the real world. If you stay focused on repeating the interrupted dream, there is a high chance that your next dream will contain the same things and events.
- Many sleep researchers believe that emotional response is the most influential factor in how much you remember from a dream.
Method 2 of 3: Keeping a Dream Record
Step 1. Remember as much as you can
If you come back to your senses and can't get back to sleep right away, think about the dream you just had. Remember carefully the most important and memorable details of the dream, as well as your role in it: what you were doing, how you responded to the events that took place, etc.
- It's important to try to remember the dream as long as you can while it's still in your short-term memory. The part of the brain that forms and stores memories is inactive during dreaming so the details will soon be lost, perhaps forever.
- If you're not sure whether a particular detail is accurate or just a figment of your imagination, forget it. This will help you recreate a dream that is similar to the original with details that come from your own creative touch.
Step 2. Imagine something concrete in your dream
Turn the impression you get into something tangible and physical. Focus on the appearance and sound of what you're imagining, its background, and other aspects that you can still remember. This allows your mind to turn the image into something real when you try to dream again.
One good method for recalling details in memory is to ask the six basic questions journalists usually ask when searching for news: who, what, where, when, why, and how
Step 3. Write down the details of your dream
Write down what happened in the dream from your point of view in as much detail as possible. If you can remember all the events, put them in order from beginning to end. If you only remember parts of things, try to arrange them as neatly as possible so your brain can understand them. Record the contents of your dream accurately: your mind must be able to recall relevant details, such as describing the suspect's appearance to a police sketch artist.
- Do not wait until you forget the details in the dream. It's easy to fool yourself and think that you can remember a dream later on. In fact, this is not as simple as imagined.
- Don't worry about spelling, sentence structure, or even writing position when writing something in a dream note. Just make sure you write down everything you can remember!
Step 4. Sketch the events
Draw some simple pictures in the blanks next to your writing that describe the events in the dream. Determine the characters and events that exist based on the visual imprints in your memory, and arrange the vague things in your mind as you try to dream again. Think of the story books you read as a child, as well as the illustrations that depict important events in the story. Your dream book should describe the phases in the dream as best as possible.
If you want, you can also color in a sketch you've already made or use the techniques used to create a movie storyboard. The more details that are presented, the better
Method 3 of 3: Guiding Dreams through Meditation
Step 1. Get ready for bed
Sometimes, you may try to repeat a dream that you had a few nights or even a few weeks ago. Start by preparing your body for sleep; Close your eyes, relax your body, and regulate your breathing. Breathe at a natural rhythm. Eliminate any thoughts that are not related to the dream you want to access.
- Make sure there's nothing distracting in the room, such as the television or radio, as this could make it difficult for you to fall asleep or wake you up suddenly.
- If you keep a dream log, it's a good idea to read your writing before going to bed so that the image of the events in the dream remains embedded in your mind.
Step 2. Imagine the experience of dreaming
Think about the sensations you felt from the dream you want to repeat, including all the elements that relate to your senses and how you felt when you experienced it. Put yourself in a similar emotional state. As you begin to fall asleep, make your consciousness a transit point to the dream you want to repeat.
Step 3. Repeat the dream image
Imagine that the dream you want to experience is a scene in a movie that is projected into your mind over and over again. Imagine each part in detail and immerse yourself in the dream scene and the familiar things.
The most vividly recalled details of a dream usually occur at the end of the REM phase of sleep, just before you wake up. If you are trying to continue a certain dream, try to reorder the cycles in the dream so you can fall asleep with details that are still fresh in your mind. Combine dream visualization with calming breathing techniques, then slowly re-imagine the most memorable part of the dream in your mind, like a movie playing at 50% slower
Step 4. Try to sleep while thinking about a dream
With any luck, you may fall asleep trying to remember the details of a dream and experience similar dreams with the same details, but in a different story. With practice, you can gain better control over the structure of your dream so that you can repeat the same dream over and over, change the action and ending of the dream, and choose the dream you want to have.
- If you don't succeed in repeating a dream on the first try, don't give up. You may need to try several times to repeat a dream.
- The exercise done by a person to manage dreams is known as "conscious dreaming" which many people believe is a way of exploiting the subconscious processes that take over the mind when humans sleep.
Tips
- Emptying your bladder before bed can prevent you from waking up at night while dreaming.
- The available evidence suggests that playing games can give some people access to a wider variety of dream-modifying abilities as gamers get used to controlling the actions, perspectives, and outcomes of games.
- If you have trouble falling asleep or wake up frequently, consider buying an electric fan or a white noise generator. The sound they produce is soft, non-stimulating, and can help you rest in peace.
Warning
- There are many experts who agree that it is impossible for you to continue with the same dream. However, you can create a mental environment that supports the emergence of new dreams to bring about similar experiences.
- Experimenting with dreams can change your natural sleep pattern and over time it will become tiring. It's a good idea to give your body a few nights a week to try to repeat a dream instead of trying it every night.
