Unlock The Power of Dreams. [Proven Strategies Inside]
We spend 20 years of our lives sleeping.
Of that 3-6 years of dreaming.
We all dream 4-7 different dreams a night. 1-2 hours a night.
I don't care what you say. This is a fact.
Sure - we don't always remember them all.
But we ALL have them.
After you complete your work day, your brain doesn't shut off.
Your brain is even MORE active when it's dreaming - compared to your brain when you're awake.
Your dreaming brain can achieve things your awake brain cannot.
In this Newsletter, I'll teach you how to start taking advantage of it. And why it is one of the best decisions you'll make as a creative.
This is the order we go through:
1) Why you must sleep enough (as a creative)
2) Why you should care about dreams
3) How to remember your dreams
4) How to know you're in a dream
5) How to analyze dreams
6) How to sleep better
Dreams are something I've been fascinated by for a long time.
I'm stoked to share this all with you.
I hope you start to look forward to your dreams every night.
Let's start, my friends.
1) Why you must sleep enough (as a creative)
The simple answer to this is: If you don't sleep enough, you won't dream.
You see most of the dreams in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep.
REM sleep occurs at the end of your sleep cycle (at the end of the night.)
If you don't sleep enough, you won't get enough REM sleep.
Also, when sleeping, you integrate learned stuff into memory.
The less you sleep, the less you'll integrate what you learned the day before.
Of course, if you sleep less, you die sooner too.
1 hour of lost sleep increases the likelihood of a heart attack by 24%.
Imagine if you lost 2-3 hours. And the long-term impacts of this on your health.
The dreaming state as a whole is the most creative stage a human being can be in.
That is why it's crucial to take advantage of it as a creative.
2) Why you should care about dreams
1) As we touched on earlier, lost sleep is "lost time".
You could get an extra 3-6 years to your life - in theory.
And these years would be spent in the dreamland. And perhaps you can control what happens in the dream. (This is something we'll get into later on.)
Who wouldn't want to get extra years? Especially if YOU can control what happens in those years in the dream world?
2) Ideas and breakthroughs
Did you know the idea for Frankenstein came from a dream?
Let me tell you a little story from the 1800s.
It was a stormy night in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein) stayed at a villa with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. But there was also another British poet from the Romantic era - Lord Byron.
Byron suggested to Mary and Percy to write a ghost story. Mary ended up being the only one to complete it.
That night, she had a dream.
She "saw" a plot for a "tale that haunted my midnight pillow".
(This is what she wrote in the Introduction to the novel's 1831 edition.)
The novel was published. It didn't get a ton of praise. Some called it "absurd" and "disgusting".
This could be because it was written by a woman.
But in time, Frankenstein, became a classic.
She saw the story in a dream.
Why?
We humans are the most creative then.
And - we aren't focused on any external tasks. So our brains are working on problems we had and were obsessed with the day before.
As mentioned earlier, the sleeping brain works harder than the awake brain.
The same way if your brain is focused on a certain task versus taking a walk outdoors.
(Learn more on why one should work less here.)
So, of course, it makes sense to "see" and be the most creative then.
There would not be Frankenstein if it wasn't for this dream she had.
More examples?
Yes.
The Periodic Table.
It was made by Dmitri Mendeleev.
And yes, he saw it in a dream.
A Missed Train ride on February 17, 1869.
Mendeleev was obsessed.
He couldn't stop thinking about how to organize and explain elements.
He started this work in 1867. And he started with "typical" elements - such as carbon, hydrogen and so on.
Next, he decided to include halogens (that have low atomic weights).
He had tried out using atomic weights as a principle of organization. But this alone hadn't presented a clear system.
On February 17, 1869, he missed a train. Because he was constantly thinking about how to organize the elements.
It's told - that Mendeleev was super exhausted of working for 3 days in a row (with no sleep).
But then... he fell asleep.
He recalled later: "I saw in a dream, a table, where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper".
This is how the periodic table was born.
There are many many other examples we could go through. But I hope you can now see how powerful dreams can be.
Need ideas? Or to solve problems? Obsess on something during the day. And then sleep well.
But how to remember your dreams? That's what we talk about next.
3) How to remember your dreams
I hold a dream journal. I write there what I've dreamt about.
Let's have a peek at my dreams from the last few nights:
I've been visiting Amsterdam a couple of times in the last few nights. And I forgot 2 of my bags to a hotel. With 1 having my laptop in it.
I trust a stranger to bring it back to the airport for me. But I didn't receive it.
Interesting.
Also, I was in the US it seems. In a waterpark.
And Watched Friends with some people.
Okay.
I was hunting for Auroras. It was "beautiful" and there were "cabins".
That's a good dream.
And... apparently, I was at someone's funeral. (I didn't write down whose.)
And... a lot of stuff I don't write here because it's quite horrifying.
We remember the nightmares more easily.
Of course.
As we humans are wired to survive. And nightmares scare us.
But how to remember the good dreams? You're here for that after all.
Let's use this formula for it:
D.R.E.A.M.S
I've stolen this from Jim Kwik. I love his material on dreams.
He says to follow this formula to start remembering your dreams. (And it has worked for me wonderfully.)
Again, we all dream. You just must train yourself to remember them.
So yes, remembering your dreams is a skill.
Where does D.R.E.A.M.S come from?
Let's go through that next.
The "D" comes from "Decide".
Decide you'll remember your dreams.
The universe seems to help people get what they decide they'll get.
So - before going to sleep - just decide you'll dream that night.
The "R" comes from "Record".
You want to record your dreams.
This is a very important step.
You want to set the intention of recording your dreams after every night.
Write as much as you remember.
At the start, it might be a few words.
Over time, you might be writing for 10 minutes straight.
When you set the intention of writing down your dreams, your brain will push you to make you remember dreams more easily.
And - when you do write dreams down - you sensitize yourself to dreams.
You'll see them more often.
Where to record your dreams?
Some like to have a dedicated dream journal next to their bed.
Some like to have a folder on their phone where they can write.
Some like to record a Voice Memo.
All works.
As long as you get fast access to recording, it's good.
But you must be able to record in the dark.
When you put the lights on, your dreams go away faster.
(There are light pens. If you want to write on a paper, have a look at one of them.)
The "E" comes from "Eyes".
Keep your eyes closed as much as you can.
When writing, of course, you need to at least sometimes peek at what are you writing.
But - minimize that time.
When you have your eyes closed - your dreams wander around for a longer time. Making it easier to record them.
The "A" comes from "Affirm".
When you're lying on a bed, tell yourself you'll dream this night. And that you'll recall them in the morning.
You want to say this out loud.
You can whisper if you want to.
As long as you repeat it to yourself, it's ok.
I repeat this phrase every night:
"I will dream tonight. And I will recall/write them down in the morning."
I repeat this 3 times. And each time I say it with confidence.
Now you might be rolling your eyes.
I get it. It sounds weird.
But try it out.
I can say it has worked wonders for me.
You're setting an intention for the morning. You're telling your intelligent brain you've decided to dream tonight. And so - you remember them more easily.
Let's take another example of setting an intention for your brain.
Have you ever awakened just before your alarm clock was about to ring?
How could that be possible?
Has that happened multiple times for you?
For me, definitely.
Why does this happen?
Again, it's because our brains are intelligent.
We humans can set an internal alarm clock to wake up at a certain time. Because it's very accurate.
In the same way, we can set the intention of dreaming.
And by repeating the phrase out loud - it reinforces the importance of you needing to dream that night.
The "M comes from "Manage".
You must manage to get enough sleep to see the dreams.
Get plenty of sleep. And establish regular sleep routines.
(We'll go through some ways you can improve your sleep later on.)
The "S" comes from "Share".
You can share your dreams. If you want to.
Of course, some dreams are private. Or maybe you see nightmares. And you truly don't want to share them.
That's ok. I don't often share my dreams.
But when you do feel like sharing, it makes you remember the dreams better.
And - if you know beforehand you want to share some of these dreams - your brain knows its task: to make you remember more dreams.
Okay, so now you know how to remember dreams.
It is a skill. And you can train yourself to train them.
But now... is there a way to know when you're in a dream?
There is.
4) How to know you're in a dream
Have you heard of lucid dreaming?
For those who haven't - it means you're aware you're in a dream.
About 20% of the population has a lucid dream every month.
But there are people who have them nearly every night.
To some, this comes naturally.
Some have trained themselves.
But... should you want to be aware you're in a dream?
This is a debated thing.
Some constant lucid dreamers argue they don't feel as restored as they used to before lucid dreams.
This is a downside, of course.
But this hasn't been proven with scientific studies.
(But we always don't need science to prove a point. When many people report it.)
Some people can't do anything to not lucid dream.
For others, it's a choice.
And everyone can experience them differently.
I'd say feel free to try them out.
We don't know how lucid dreams impact us humans long-term.
But I believe we can assume it doesn't have downsides. As long as you feel refreshed the morning after.
But if you see you're more tired than usual the day before, it's not worth it.
How to know you're in a dream
Lots of times I am in a dream - and I realize I'm in one.
Often, I realize only at the end of the dream that this is not real.
But - sometimes it happens sooner.
And for a longer period of time.
Sometimes I know I've been in a nightmare.
But struggled to get out of it.
And it was bloody horrifying.
But at times, I'm in a beautiful dream.
And I know it's a dream. And I can "control" what happens in my dream.
That's beautiful.
But is it good to know you're in a dream?
Some people argue that yes.
Some people argue that it's better to let "Mother Nature decide" what you see instead of you controlling your dreams.
But... you're part of the Mother Nature so in theory Mother Nature still is part of the decision process.
But it's understandable if you don't want to be in control. And you just want to remember what went on.
You must decide what's the best way for you.
If you decide you want to be in control as often as possible: you must know you're in a dream. Otherwise, you can't gain control.
So... how to know you're in a dream?
Reality checks
Dreams might at first appear as the reality in front of you.
But not all is the same in the dream world as in the real world.
Lucid dream "advisors" advise people to do reality checks.
Now, here's the point where you must see how far are you willing to go with this.
Some do a reality check every hour.
As an example, someone might look at their hands and see if they appear normal every hour.
That can seem doable for some.
That can seem like lots of work for others.
You must decide.
I must admit I don't do reality checks every hour.
I do them here and there.
But I want to make it more of a routine. To maximize lucid dreams.
Here are some reality checks you can do:
1) Clocks
The clock in reality is up to date. (Assuming you haven't forgotten the batteries.)
But in a dream, it might show an absurd time. Or it might not be ticking like it should.
So - check the nearby clocks. How do they look?
2) Your hands
This is a very common way to check the reality.
People say if you can press your finger through your palm, you're in a dream.
Honestly, this hasn't worked for me.
I've tried it in my dream. To see is it a dream. But I've "felt" my hand. My finger didn't go through.
But some also say watch the details. How do your fingers look and so on.
This is something I must experiment more with.
But watching your hands seems to be a good way to do reality checks.
So - check your hands consistently throughout the day to see what they look like. (If you choose this as your reality check).
3) Nose breathing
This one was a new one to me. I heard of it when researching for this Newsletter issue.
In a dream, you can breathe through your nose - even if you're holding your nose closed with your hand.
In reality, this of course isn't the case.
So you can easily tell what's reality and when you're in a dream.
I like this more than the other ways personally.
So I'll be trying this more.
But sometimes you just "know"
Sometimes you just "know" you're in a dream. Even if you don't do any of these things mentioned above.
Sometimes, a dream is so ridiculous, that I'm 99% sure this can't be reality.
Or I just feel this can't be real in some other way.
Once, in a dream, I was in London. And I was next in line to be fed to a circus lion.
I thought in line... "there's no way this can be real."
I wasn't 100% certain though. Because everything looked real to me. Apart from the idea itself.
But I was quite sure this wasn't real.
What did I do to get out of it?
Nobody had to throw me into the lion's mouth.
I jumped in it.
Dream ended.
And I was alive breathing in my bed in Kuopio, Finland.
Lol.
Now let's go through how to get out of a bad dream. And how to stay in a beautiful one without waking up.
Ways to get out of a nightmare
That was one way, lol.
When you die in a dream, you wake up.
But... dying in your dream can be scary.
Especially - if you aren't sure is it a dream, LOL.
An easier way is to press your eyelids together as hard as possible.
Then once you open your eyes again, you might be awakening.
Sometimes, that has taken me a few tries in a dream.
Each time I press my eyelids together harder.
I try to start my eye muscles in reality. And when I am successful - I wake up.
How to stay in a beautiful dream
The worst scenario is that when you notice you're dreaming, you wake up.
This is a common scenario. Unfortunately.
Do these things to not wake up when you realize you're in a dream:
1) Don't get too excited
I know this is difficult. Especially the first time you lucid dream.
But it's crucial.
If you get super excited, you wake up.
I don't have a scientific explanation for you for this.
But... I guess your brain might switch to another brainwave state when you get too excited. Thus you exit the dream state to reality. And you wake up.
That's my theory from my understanding of the brain.
2) Don't close your eyes
If you're aware you're in a dream - and you close your eyes - that's a big mistake.
Because when you open your eyes again, you open your eyes in reality.
You have exited the dream.
It can sound difficult to not blink, lol.
But in a dream, this is easier than in reality.
And maybe blinking is fine. If it's fast blinking. But never hold your eyes closed even for a bit.
3) Spin around
I must admit I've never done this.
But it sounds interesting. And it's quite popular amongst many people.
What this means is that - spin around in circles in your dream. This increases your stability within your dream body, apparently.
It could be a good method to try out.
4) Focus on surroundings
What textures are you seeing?
What are you smelling?
What are you hearing?
Get a sense of your surroundings. But still, stay calm.
5) Do maths
I'm not great at maths. But apparently, if you do some simple maths, it helps you stay in the dream.
It sounds simple.
I'll be trying this one out for sure.
Now - you know how to stay in a dream. And how to get out of a bad one.
But what to do in the dream? (Don't skip reading this, please.)
What to do in a dream?
Now you have control of the entire dream world.
You can do anything. Wherever you want. With whomever you want.
Want to spend time with Leonardo Da Vinci? You can.
Want to spend time with a duplicate of yourself? You can.
Want to get a hot partner? You can, lol.
You control everything.
But as you control everything, you must not do everything.
See, being in the dream reminds a lot of how you feel in reality.
So you DO NOT - I repeat - DO NOT - want to do anything you WOULD NOT do in reality.
This means:
1) Don't kill anyone
2) Don't torture anyone
3) Don't rob anyone
And so on.
(Being in a dream is not the same thing as being in a video game. Treat it as reality.)
If you kill someone in a dream, you'd feel how you feel if you killed someone in reality.
And you don't want that kind of pain. It can traumatize you.
Sure, nobody else will get affected. But you will.
You'll get that feeling you did something terrible. Because... you did. In the dream.
Avoid this. Treat others like you'd treat them in reality.
The weirdest thing of all this is - that you truly are everything in your dream.
What do I mean?
The dream world is made based on what you know about the world. And how you have decided what your world to look like (if you've made that conscious choice in the dream.)
Every person you see and talk with, is you.
You have generated that human being.
Their face is based on an image, a video... or a real face you've seen in your lifetime.
And it's been captured on your "hard drive".
I'd recommend you to go and have a chat with them.
Why?
Guess who are you talking to?
Yes. Yourself.
You're talking to your own subconscious mind.
Very weird. I know.
But you can get to know yourself better by talking with characters in your own dreams.
Every character basically knows you better, than you know yourself.
Don't underestimate this. You can have a direct chat with your subconscious mind. It holds the most information about you. And most of the information you've learned in your lifetime.
You can get massive breakthroughs by using this to your advantage.
5) How to analyze dreams
There are a ton of guides for this.
But my guidance (pun intended) is that don't follow those guides.
Everyone is unique.
Everyone has unique dreams.
Every unique dream has its own unique meaning.
Analyze it yourself.
After you've written it down in your journal, app... whatever - ask what does it mean.
Think about it. Journal about it.
You don't need to do this every time, of course.
But do it when something really spikes up your curiosity.
If I can share one vulnerable dream from me:
I saw one of my loved ones dying. Well... I saw them dead.
We were at their funeral.
I saw them being lowered to the tomb.
I felt bloody horrible after that dream.
And this dream repeated twice.
So I thought... why on earth am I dreaming this??
Guess what I realized?
I was afraid I'd lose this person now. As I've not lately spent enough time with them.
And after that - I made a change. I spent more time with them.
After that, the dream didn't repeat anymore.
Dreams are golden nuggets.
They hold A TON of information.
Please analyze them.
There's ALWAYS a meaning why they show up.
It might be you've been obsessing on that thing lately. Maybe you're desperate for something. Maybe you're afraid of something... the list goes on.
Analyzing dreams might bring answers you wouldn't get without them.
6) How to sleep better
Now - lastly - it's again crucial you sleep well.
Otherwise, you won't dream.
I know this Letter has been a long one.
So I'll keep it fairly simple for you now:
1) Don't watch any screens close to bedtime. (Unless you wear blue-light blocker glasses which is what I do.)
2) Ideally, use red lights in your home in the evenings.
I know it's not possible for some. And it can be weird to have red lights.
But red light doesn't slow you from getting sleepier.
Other lights do.
Also, avoid all overhead lights and bright lights.
They remind your brain of the sun. And when the sun is out, it's not nighttime. So your brain doesn't understand you should be going to sleep soon.
3) Have a correct temperature.
This is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 18.3 degrees Celsius.
You want it to feel a little cold when you aren't under a blanket. That's when you know it's the correct temperature.
4) Have total darkness
Eliminate all light sources. Yes, all of them.
Lights disturb our bodies.
Why?
Ready for a mind-blowing fact?
drumroll
Our cells communicate with each other through LIGHT.
Yes, through LIGHT.
This means that light interferes with the communication of our cells.
And this makes it harder for us to sleep - and also know when is it time to go to sleep.
Remove all light sources. Or even tape some stuff to stop the light coming through.
5) Meditate
Ever felt your mind racing before you sleep?
Yep. I'm there nearly every night.
That's why - I make sure to meditate before going to bed.
This makes my useless thoughts drift away. And I can actually sleep well.
Also, this is a moment where I can set my "hopes" for my dreams.
If I think about a certain topic in my meditation, it's more likely to show up in my dreams.
6) Wake up at the same time every day.
This way your body's internal clock knows what's up. And what time it is.
The same thing with going to sleep. Ideally, go to sleep every night at the same time.
7) US Military technique
If you still can't sleep, do this.
Relax your body consciously.
Put your awareness to your foot. Relax it.
Same with your arms. Relax them.
Same with your facial muscles. Relax them.
Go through your entire body. Relax it.
And then do some deep breathing.
This should do the trick.
But don't try to get sleep if you aren't tired at all. Then just stay up, maybe read a book, and go to sleep when you feel tired.
If you're not getting sleep, but you force it - it's a waste of time.
As you get stressed about getting good sleep the longer you stay awake.
So, just go sleep when you feel sleepy.
Learn more on sleep
Of course, there's much more about sleeping you should know.
Again, after all, we spend so much time sleeping. And dreaming. And you want to take full advantage of it.
I put some practical tips above. But I recommend studying this further.
1 book I've heavily studied lately is Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep".
It's incredible.
I recommend reading it through Shortform first. I use them to read books fast.
Click here to try out Shortform for free.
(I'll get a kickback if you invest through my link.) :)
Last words
This one was a long one, again, ey?
To be honest I wanted to continue it further, haha.
But let's cut it off here for now.
Hope you enjoyed it tho.
I know some of the information sounds weird. And you question is it true...
But be open-minded. Start recording your dreams down, at a minimum.
If you want to, try other hacks too. Like the Reality Checks.
Some of the greatest creatives have used dreams as a tool. Or have got insights from them by accident.
If they benefited from them, you can too.
If you enjoyed this Letter, feel free to share it with your friend.
If you were forwarded, you can subscribe here. Don’t miss any Letters:
Till next Saturday my friends,
Hugo
(P.s. Feel free to DM me something you'd love to have me write more about on IG (@hugorapy). I don't promise I'll write about it. But I'll consider it. And yes, it can be anything. :) )
