Everybody dreams, every single night – but some of us won’t remember what exactly we dreamt about. 

It’s long baffled researchers as to why some people wake up from sleep vividly recalling their dreams from the night, while others struggle to remember even a single detail.

So a new study, conducted by researchers at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, set out to explore the factors that influence “dream recall” – or the ability to remember dreams upon awakening.

And age seems to be one of them. 

What did the study find?

The research was conducted between 2020 and 2024, and involved over 200 participants, aged 18 to 70, who recorded their dreams daily for 15 days while their sleep and cognitive data were tracked.

Participants had to report whether they remembered having dreamed or not, if they had the impression of having dreamed but didn’t remember what happened, and to describe the content of the dream (if they were able to).

People with a positive attitude toward dreams and a tendency for mind-wandering were significantly more likely to recall their dreams, the study found.

Sleep patterns also seemed to play a critical role, as those who experienced longer periods of light sleep had a greater likelihood of waking with a memory of their dreams.

Another interesting observation was that seasonal variations emerged, with participants reporting lower dream recall during winter compared to spring. 

Lastly, age seemed to be a key factor. Younger participants showed higher rates of dream recall, while older individuals often experienced “white dreams” (where you remember dreaming but can’t recall the details).

Researchers said this suggests age-related changes in memory processes during sleep.

How else do your dreams change as you age?

Dreams are often linked to real life events from the past – typically things that have happened one to two days ago.

When we are toddlers, our dreams tend to be “static scenes of family members or animals”, says psychologist Gary Wenk in a piece for Psychology Today. In fact, animals seem to be a recurring theme throughout childhood, until our teenage years. 

Between the ages of three and seven, we seem to dream a lot more – and we also see nightmares cropping up. By the time we reach seven to 12 years of age, our dreams “become more elaborate and involve friends and unfamiliar characters outside of the family”, according to Dr Wenk.

One study of 11-15 year olds, who had recurring dreams, found common themes such as: confrontations with monsters or animals, physical aggression, and falling and being chased.

Between 12 and 16 years old, as puberty hits, we also have more elaborate and vivid dreams as well as wet dreams with attachments to romantic objects and people, said Dr Wenk. 

In adulthood, the psychologist said “dreaming remains elaborate and involves everyday social interactions”. But there are differences in what males and females report dreaming about.

For men, there appear to be fewer or no colours in their dreams, and they report not knowing the identities, or being able to see the faces, of sexual partners. They also tend to dream more about physical aggression.

For women, they usually do know their sexual partners, and their dreams are a lot more colourful. They are more likely to report harmonious dreams involving other men and women. 

As we age, and reach our senior years, if we’re not having “white dreams” (where we can’t remember the subject of said dream), both men and women tend to dream more about loved ones (living and dead) and reflecting on their lives.

And towards the very end of the life, it appears our dreams become more of a comfort. According to Dr Christopher Kerr’s end-of-life experience research involving hospice patients, dreams commonly feature deceased loved ones and travelling (or preparing to go somewhere).

You might also dream more about loved ones who are still alive, pets or animals, religious figures and past meaningful experiences.