Dream Recall & Covid 19

[Sweven]

A couple of years ago, my coworkers talked about having covid brain fog. One said her brain felt like it had a teflon coating. Nothing could stick to it anymore. I had Covid in 2020. I didn't get teflon brain in my conscious day to day life but now wonder if maybe it affected my ability to recall dreams. I can not recall them as easily or as in depth as I could prior to contracting the disease. And I'm having a hell of a time trying to carry my intentions over into the dreaming space. I could be just that out of practice. Or lack of dreaming companions and converse with. Or perhaps it's my age. I don't know. I'm wondering if anyone else noticed complications with dream recall, intentions, or attaining lucidity after being ill? If so, what methods did you use to pump up your dreaming muscles again?

[Silence11]

Dream recall is such a volatile skill that I wouldn't put too much thought trying to find a specific cause for when it doesn't work. There's likely a contribution of environmental factors and internal or individual characteristics that shape one's competence in remembering their dreams. When one or several of these change we might find memory is negatively affected. So, illness can definitely impair our ability to remember dreams, but so does your diet, sleep habits, stress levels, genetics, age, mental and/or physical health, and so on. I would like to point out that stress and mental health are factors often overlooked because they behave in a subtle matter. A simple change in your daily routine, for example, can throw everything off course. People also miss that stress has a tendency to accumulate. I can't tell you how many times I have hit a wall by simply adding new things or expanding on the ones I already do. And you can usually tell because the things you normally do suddenly become harder than they were a week or two ago. For example, these last two weeks I increased my running distance by 500 m, I added like one-to-two reps to my usual workout, and I restarted meditation by doing 30 min. every night before bed. It sounds like very simple stuff. Many of these activities I have done for months and years and now this singular change has made everything difficult and my dream recall is there to pay for it. I am writing the contents of one sentence on my dream journal for the last 3 days. I lay down exhausted when I go to sleep. The routine in the gym becomes hard, the moves are hard, the muscles get stiff and sore. My mental clarity takes a hit, my capacity to concentrate is reduced. I just feel like I'm starting to reach my limit. It is not burnout levels of stress, but you can tell it's building up inside. And there's an adjustment period that your body, your mind has to go through to internalize this change. I know to work through this but don't add to it, or perhaps take a step back if you feel overwhelmed. The body readjusts and everything becomes easy again, even dream journaling.

[Sweven]

I typed a response this morning but took too long and lost it. But the gist of it was this, you make very valid points. I am pulled in many directions right now and have been forgetful about a lot of things, not just my dream intentions or reality checking. I'll chill out about getting lucid and let dreams come as they may for a few days. I am still curious about the covid factor. I know it doesn't affect everyone the same but still wish there were more dreamers to weigh in on it. Thank you for the reply. I've thought about it a lot this morning.

[Snakeboy]

Interesting, and this explains a lot. I'd started with the dream journal, often getting about 5 per day. Then, I started practicing WILD... and now there are some nights I remember none at all, or my notes mean little to nothing. Silence11's comments encourage me to keep on with it, eventually making the addition of WILD my new routine which hopefully I'll get used to. *fingers crossed* But, this doesn't help Sweven very much! Though I have known others with the covid brain fog, I don't recall anyone mentioning a countermeasure... other than time. Have you considered anything which reportedly improves brain function, such as Lion's Mane or Ginseng?

[Sweven]

Your comment is helpful snakeboy, regarding routines. I did chill out with my own for a few days. It made me realize I likely need to change up the routine. Also, I'm going to try lions mane when I find it. Some classmates of mine use it and feel it helps very much with memory. Also thinking of trying b vitamins and a different form of meditation before bed. Wishing vibrant dreams to you all.