Can't seem to get good dream recall - help?

Unlike most people it seems, I can’t get a very good start with simply remembering dreams. I’ve kept a nightly dream journal for over a month and a half now, and re-read my entries every afternoon. However I seem to remember only one dream per week clearly, while everything else turns into a storm of random fuzz, colors, and words the moment I wake up. I write everything down of course, but it doesn’t seem to help.

About my dream-related lifestyle:

  • More than 1 hour per day outside? yes.
  • Regulated sleep cycle? yes.
  • At least 7 hours of sleep per night? yes.
  • Computer/electronics before bed? yes. I try to limit this and have f.lux installed but it’s quite hard not to.
  • Alarm clock? no. I rely on a body clock to wake me up at basically the right time every day.
  • Gamer? yes.

I’ve read tutorials about this and tried them, but still can’t see anything more stable about my memories of dreams. Anyone have a solution?

If this kind of thing has been posted & answered many times I apologize, but searching “dream recall” did not bring up the most useful results.

Well I’ll start by saying to look in the Knowledge Base for tutorials. (I believe there is one in there.)

Then I’ll offer my own advice:

As you seem to be an ardent user of the DJ, our most powerful tool, my only advice is to use different techniques.

WBTB: You could try a WBTB. Try to time it so that you wake up in the middle of an REM cycle. That way, all your dreams are extremely fresh in your mind.

Autosuggestion: You could try autosuggestion: Just tell yourself that you will remember your dreams in the morning, and go to sleep. Disclaimer: you have to believe that it will work.

Lastly, you could try willpower: Just believe that you will remember your dreams in the morning. DISCLAIMER: You really, REALLY have to believe in this one. It is paramount!!

I had a dream that really gave me a scare last night (cereal bowl full of maggots) and woke me up right away - I still remember the whole thing in detail. Does this happen when you are artificially kicked out of a REM period? If so I will probably try WBTB.