Why we forget dreams: 6 Key reasons and science behind it

Latest Videos

Dreams

Dreams occur when we sleep. But the dreams that haunt you all night are not remembered in the morning. No matter how hard you try, some dreams just won't come to mind.

During sleep, a brain chemical called norepinephrine is released, which helps control memory. This makes it difficult to remember dreams. This is another reason why dreams at night are forgotten in the morning.

Dreams occur during REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep, if we wake up before we go into non-REM sleep, dreams may be lost without being stored in long-term memory. This is why no matter how hard we try, dreams cannot be remembered.

High levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and acetylcholine can suppress dream memories. That's why the dreams we have at night are not stored in our brains.

Sleeping

Poor sleep quality, sleep deprivation or fragmented sleep disrupts normal sleep cycles and reduces dream memories. Some dreams are remembered when you sleep on time without any stress.

Dream recall declines with age. Younger people tend to remember more dreams than older adults. If we don't prioritize dream recall or make it a habit to record our dreams, dreams won't be remembered.