How to Have a Good Dream
Have you ever wanted to know the best way to dream of your favorite things? Our friends at Marie France Asia have put together a guide to increase the chances of having a good dream, and remembering it too.
To promote good dreams
Avoid proteins: Carbohydrates put you to bed – It’s true! Food that takes longer to digest (protein and fat) increases your body temperature and prevents you from falling asleep, because your body temperature must drop for you to rest peacefully. Carbohydrates stimulate the production of serotonin – the chemical that helps you fall asleep, making it much easier for you to drift off into dreamland.
Don’t go to bed hungry: Be sure to have something to eat, and not go to bed hungry. Hunger can interrupt your sleep, and also your dreams. A small banana or a glass of milk is a good option for just before bed.
To remember dreams
Rise early: Wake up fifteen minutes before sunrise. Keep your eyes closed, remain still, and focus on the last few images in your mind. Then, with your eyes closed, change positions in bed. As you do so, it is likely that stories from your dream will start to come into your mind.
If nothing comes to you, think about the people who matter in your life, it can help the process of remembering.
Use a journal: Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed and write your dreams in it as soon as you wake up. Write down phrases and names first, as these are the things we forget the fastest. Do not pay attention to your writing style; write down what comes to your mind spontaneously. The dream world loves playing with words to get messages across.
Name your dreams: This is a very personal process; by choosing a name for your dreams you give them direction, which makes them much easier to interpret. Also important, select a name that summarises the feeling of each dream – while you were asleep.
Specialist Patricia Garfield also advises writing down the date and indicating the highlights of the day in a few words, before going to bed.
