Dreamers and those fascinated by dreams tend to remember their dreams more vividly.

The ability to remember dreams manifests in a wide variety of people and circumstances, yet researchers strive to identify common prerequisites. Some studies indicate that those who are generally interested in dreams, nap enthusiasts, anxious individuals, and women are more likely to recall their dreams in the morning. It has also been observed that younger individuals tend to remember their dreams better. However, there is a scarcity of research on this topic. The situation is complicated by the characteristics of memory, which changes during sleep. Often, a person remembers having a dream but cannot recall the details. This phenomenon is referred to as a "white dream." Alternatively, they might remember upon waking and then forget immediately if they haven't written it down.

Scientists from the University of Camerino and the School of Applied Research in Lucca (Italy) conducted an experiment involving 204 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 70. All participants wore actigraphs (devices for measuring physical activity), and 42 of them also used portable electroencephalographs.

Participants filled out questionnaires regarding their attitudes toward dreams, sleep quality, anxiety levels, and more. Each morning for 15 days, they recorded reports of their dreams. The data was then classified based on the type of recollections and analyzed across multiple parameters, including age and gender. The study's results were published in the journal Communications Psychology.

The analysis confirmed the previously known fact that individuals interested in dreams, as well as daydreamers, tended to remember their dreams more frequently. The structure of sleep plays a significant role: the longer the episodes of light sleep and the shorter the deep sleep, the higher the chances of remembering a dream.

What was not confirmed, however, was the influence of gender and age. Yet, correlations emerged when combined with other factors. For instance, women interested in dreams remembered their dreams better. Conversely, older individuals performed worse after light sleep, indirectly indicating age-related changes in memory.

The authors of the study noted that while interest in dreams is the most prominent prerequisite for dream recollection, it did not answer the question of why this occurs. Perhaps such individuals are more inclined to keep a dream journal due to their interest, or maybe their dreams are so memorable that it has sparked their interest. In any case, the results indicated that memory of dreams is not random; it reflects personal preferences, cognitive traits, and the variability of sleep parameters.