Controlling your dreams is something that many may think of as impossible.
To some extent this might be true, yet there are ways in which you can keep track of how you dream in order to better understand what's going on when you are dreaming.
These methods work slightly different for each individual who tries them.
They have been commonly practiced and are known to be successful.
Keeping track of your dreams may not alter their content any, but it can assist in teaching you how to control your dreams.
When you are thinking about how to control your dreams, consider that everyone has a tendency to dream differently.
Many people report that they don't dream at all, while others have very vivid dreams on a nightly basis.
Either of these extremes may be true, or just simply the result of what the mind filters out when it's in a conscious state.
People are far more likely to remember nightmares over any other kind of dream.
This is most likely due to the fact that people generally remember bad experiences far more often, even when awake.
In order to keep track of your own dreams, the best advice is to keep a "dream journal" next to your bed.
The moment you wake up, you can then record your dream activity into that log and keep track of any trends you may see over the course of several weeks or even months.
Many people have discovered patterns and have come to realize that their dreams may even have a certain reoccurring theme.
It is advisable that if you are going to record your dreams in this manner, you should do it as soon as you possibly can after waking up.
Details about dreams have a tendency of becoming very sketchy after the brain has regained full alert consciousness.
Another method of how to control your dreams is through a technique called "lucid dreaming".
This method works while the user is in a state somewhere between dreaming and being awake.
This state is also known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
While in this state, you can be aware of the fact that you are dreaming and depending on your surroundings, the imagery in the dreams can be slightly altered.
This style of dreaming shares some similarities to sleepwalking.
However, people can practice lucid dreaming and become far more aware of their surroundings while dreaming than most people who unintentionally sleepwalk do.
No matter what method you choose in how to control your dreams, it takes a lot of practice.
What works well for one person may never work for the next.
Controlling and recording your dreams takes time and patience.
Not everyone is likely to get it in the first try, but with the right amount of training and trial and error, almost anyone can control how they dream!