A research team led by Valentina Elce from the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy, examined the phenomenon of dream memory, investigating the factors influencing dream recall—the ability to remember dreams upon waking. The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of Camerino, surveying over 200 participants aged 18 to 70 between 2020 and 2024, according to DW.
Participants recorded their dreams for 15 days while tracking their cognitive and sleep data using wearable devices and psychometric tests. Each participant received a voice recorder to report daily upon waking whether they had dreamed, believed they had dreamed but could not remember, or to describe the dream if they could recall it. They were equipped with a sleep monitoring wristwatch that detected the duration, efficiency, and disturbances of their sleep. At the beginning and end of the dream recording period, they underwent psychological tests to determine aspects such as anxiety levels, interest in dreams, propensity for mind-wandering, as well as memory and selective attention tests.
The study demonstrated that dream recall is influenced by personal attitudes, cognitive traits, and sleep dynamics, and it is not merely a matter of chance; people can practice to remember their dreams. Participants with a positive attitude towards dreams and a tendency to mind-wander were much more likely to remember their dreams, as noted by Scinexx.
Age was found to influence dream memory. Younger participants showed higher rates of dream recall, while older participants often experienced blank dreams or white dreams, meaning they felt they had dreamed but could not remember any details. This suggests age-related changes in memory processes during sleep.
The study also highlighted that individuals experiencing longer periods of light sleep are more likely to remember their dreams upon waking. Participants who stayed longer in the light sleep stage remembered their dreams in more detail, indicating that the structure of sleep, particularly the proportion of light REM phases, influences dream memory. "People who have long sleep episodes with a low deep sleep percentage are more likely to remember their dreams than people with shorter, deep sleep-dominated nights," the research team reported, as cited by Scinexx.
Seasonal variations were observed in dream recall. Participants remembered dreams less in winter than in spring, indicating the possible influence of environmental or circadian factors. The season appears to have some influence, with dreams being remembered more often in spring and autumn than in winter.
Gender does not play a role in dream memory. Contrary to earlier studies, the research found that gender had no influence on dream recall.
"Our results suggest that dream recall is not just a matter of chance, but a reflection of the interplay of personal attitudes, cognitive traits, and sleep dynamics," said Professor Giulio Bernardi, the lead author of the study and a psychology expert. "These insights not only deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying sleep but also have implications for exploring the role of dreams in mental health and the study of human consciousness,” he added.
"Many factors influence dreams, and it is not easy to identify them because to analyze them one must largely rely on the testimony of the same person, but it is possible to identify some common characteristics," Elce noted. She observed that cognitive abilities may influence dream recall and concluded.
The data collected in the project will serve as a reference for future comparisons with clinical populations and will help advance the study of pathological sleep disturbances. The psychologists believe their findings help understand the mechanisms behind dreaming and dream memories, and also contribute to the exploration of human consciousness.
The study defined dream recall as the probability of waking up in the morning with impressions and memories of a dream experience, which showed considerable variability among individuals influenced by multiple factors, including sleep phase and brain activity.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.