Below is a link to a review of the book The Twenty-four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives.
In brief, this new theory of dreaming says that, physiologically speaking, dreaming is about the regulation of emotion.
Interestingly, the research hints that dream recall may improve with mood, and that depression can dampen recall.
Ultimately, I think no theory of dreaming is complete without actual accounts of dreams. People’s experiences have shot holes in many theories. Nonetheless, it’s worth taking a look at. He is right that dreams are often dominated by emotion.
It’s pretty possible, I think. Even so, everyone differs. I could keep an eye on my recall during my good/bad mood cycle just to see. I normally have about three good days where I’m motivated and generally in a great mood, then I swing down into unmotivation, somewhat depression, and utter laziness for usually at least 5-7 days. Might be an interesting thought to keep in mind. Pretty sure I’m starting on an upswing again (which is kinda funny considering it’s a full moon).
By now I assume most people know that dreams are affected by tiredness, the more tired you are the worse your dream recall and focus will be. Depression is mentally and physically draining, so it is only logical that it will have a negative effect.
As someone with a history of depression, I have known for many years that my emotional state has a direct connection with my dream recall.
However when it comes to basic every day emotion, outside of the more serious ones like depression, I see no noticeable difference. If I am unhappy, annoyed or something negative, it only makes me apathetic to writing them out, but my recall remains the same as normal.
Tiredness, exhaustion and poor sleep scheduleds are far worse for recall and lucidity than general mood. All of which are compounded if you’re surging depression.
Not too sure about that, I know that getting more sleep will always leave time for more dreams, but last night, even though I didn’t get very much sleep I had one of the most vivid dreams I’ve remembered in years. It probably lasted about 5 hours in dream time.
