Have you ever known someone who is adamant they never dream?  Not so.  They simply don't remember.  Now, this is not to be confused with not sleeping - another story altogether but important in our developing our ability to dream.  In case you are too young to know, a serious lack of sleep won't just kill you but will eventually make you nuts.  Sleep occurs in phases and during those phases is our dream time.  Not reaching the right phase means no chance of dreaming.  I know a little about insomnia and, therefore, I am a little nuts about all things sleep.  ...to sleep perchance to dream... indeed. 

   So, can we make our dreams better?  Yes, but it may prove difficult.  We are not looking for deep, exhausted sleep because that's not where true insight dreams prevail.  The things that can skew our dreams are stress, drugs, caffeine, alcohol, and interrupted sleep...  Several drugs now list dream issues as a side effect.  The good news for those who take routine Rx's is that after a while the body adjusts and your dream state may actually return to normal.   If dreaming and gleaning insights from your dreams is important to you, be aware of what may influence your dreams. 

  Is every dream important?  No and Yes.  Many believe that dreams, good and bad, are a subconscious outlet for stress.  Sorry, but IMHO having a wake-up-screaming nightmare is not a good stress outlet, especially if the dream bothers you for days.   Of course, giving your partner (or neighbors) a heart attack in the middle of the night will not help you win friends either.  What we see - real or imagined - can manifest in our dreams and again I don't believe this is necessarily best for us.  Of course, you know someone who will not binge watch TV during Shark Week for fear of nightmares.   Perhaps you already know your bad dream triggers and respect them where possible.   Great - you are actively working on making your dreamstate positive.  If you cannot unsee your day, before you sleep quietly ask that the negative of your day stay the heck out of your dreams.   Unfortunately, before we sleep we tend to relive, sometimes over and over, our day, our week, our stress.  Sleep is delayed and not restful and dreams stand little chance of being what they should.   This is a very serious issue for some, but all but the worst can be overcome and the worst can be dampened way down.  Again, I speak from experience and since my ruminations threatened my health and my dreams, I had to find answers which did not include drugs or a hammer.

  A brief note on nightmares, sleep walking, and night terrors:  While I don't advocate having a nightmare, the experience can alert you to something you need to work on.  Our worst stresses and fears can manifest occasionally.  Persistent nightmares that don't let up should not be ignored.

  People who ruminate about stressful issues tend to internalize and live the process in their head rather than talking it out or physically seeking a solution.  Can you comfortably watch the same movie, listen to the same song, or read the same book more than once routinely?  If you can, I'll lay odds you have trouble letting go of stressful issues without reliving them just short of a million times.  (Just fyi, air signs like me the Gemini tend to live in their heads and are VERY prone to this syndrome of sleep self-destruction).  I am not cured 100% but I have found what works for me.  I "listen" to what I am already very familiar with.   No, not meditation music or subliminal stuff or even those relaxation things that thump Delta waves.  Being a fan of old time radio and movies, I just use current technology to tune in to benign story lines that I already know.   I "trained" myself to respond to a specific episodes by falling asleep.  What you use can follow any line - an author, series, poetry, even Shakespeare.  You must be comfortable with the content, not something that equates to a learning experience.  I mentioned not using meditation music - meditation or chanting is different and may work for you.  Om vasudhare svaha respectfully comes to mind.  This is conditioning and it works and it will not influence your dream state as long as you are not learning something new.  Don't use a Russian language tape unless you are fluent in Russian. 

 Consistent restful sleep brings consistent insightful dreaming.  There are always episodic exceptions that cannot be avoided but strive for this to only impact your dreaming occasionally.  Remember, before you sleep, ask for help in finding answers you seek and remembering those answers, even winning lottery numbers.   What do you have to lose?   

  I wish for you Good Fortune, peaceful sleep - and a wonderful dream.