Dear David,

Today's column explains how to train yourself to become aware of the first three minutes after you awaken. Even if it's already easy for you to remember your dreams, I think this column will be useful.

The reason for choosing this time is simple. It is when we are most likely to be dreaming. You are probably in your longest REM cycle. If you want to improve your dream memory skills, that's the critical time of the day.

This first three minutes are important for other reasons. Whatever is in your mind at that time is worth looking at. You don't need a dream in order to reap great benefits from this training.

Your Day Begins

As you wake up, your brain chemistry is changing rapidly. You are transitioning from a sleep state to a waking state ( known as the 'hypnopompic' state). Your dream – or whatever else was in your mind – is floating away to make space for your waking life. You want to train yourself to be aware of these first few on-awakening minutes.

These first minutes can set your mood for many hours to come. Without being aware of your awakening emotions and state of mind, you might not understand why are you feeling or reacting a specific way throughout your day.

Noticing

Your task is to lie there and catch whatever is in your mind.

It's vital that you stay lying down. If you have to get up, do as little as possible and then get back in bed.

Don’t focus on catching a dream. That's not the point. Your ability to notice anything at all is the key to eventually remembering your dreams.

You might have particular pictures in your mind or see visual patterns or even have a song in your head.

Pay attention to your body. Is it tense or relaxed? Excited or in a state of panic? Perhaps a particular part of your body is "talking" to you. For example, your breathing may be fast; your neck may be stiff; your heart may be pounding.

If you can discipline yourself to notice these things, you will have a wealth of material to deal with even without any dreams. One woman woke up hearing the Bessie Smith song "One of these days you're going to miss me honey." She knew exactly what was on her mind. If your fingers are tight as though you've been hanging on a ledge all night, that tells you something important. If you wake up with a body full of erotic tension, you know you had a great night.

Recording Your Feelings

If you feel ready, record your impressions. You need a pad and paper or else a tape recorder. If you like gadgets, you can use special pens that have a light at the end so that you can see without waking anyone else.

Your pen and paper should be easy to reach while still staying horizontal.

I recommend writing in large block capitals – sometimes just a paragraph on each page. It's the safest way for me to write legibly.

The Procedure

As you are waking up, notice what is in your mind.

It is an odd task because you have to shift attention and ask "What is going on now?", you are going to remember that answer and then return to whatever was going on. It takes some practice.

You might have a thought about the day "Late", "Kids", "Coffee." There might be a feeling -- for example you are already arguing with your boss or hugging your child. But more likely you will be somewhere else. Are there words in your head? A conversation, a phrase, a song, a movie? Is there a visual image or a pattern?

Next, switch your attention to your body? Survey your legs, fingers, chest, belly, neck, genitals. Consider what your breathing is like: sharp and fast, slow.

Some mornings you will know you had a dream but it seems to have gone. If you catch the dream, write it down. If not, wait patiently and scan your thoughts. The dream is highly likely to return.

Some people wake up raring to get on with their day. If they can curb their enthusiasm for just this few minutes they will still find nuggets of ideas about how best to spend their day.

Research

If you have never done anything like this before, allow take some time to get the knack of it. Here are some questions to think about:

Do you need to change any of your morning habits to try this experiment? Does your partner know to not engage you in a conversation for this time?

What position do you usually wake up in? Folklore says this is the best position to remember your dreams.

Do you mostly see things, hear sounds, or experience your body?

Can you write legibly or talk clearly in this first few minutes?

Does an alarm help or hinder you?

Are you able to observe yourself for a few minutes and then write down your impressions or do you need to start writing immediately?

Conclusions

I recommend three minutes because I think you are guaranteed to discover something useful in that time. As an on-going practice this is far from simple. For most people a regular three minutes in bed in a morning spent observing their own mind and body is a radical change in their day.

Whatever you notice will be fascinating and