Can you use an app on your phone as a dream journal?
You can.
The better question, however, is whether you should.
Any old notebook works far better than a phone.
If it’s of a convenient size, you can also keep the notebook or journal with you all day to jot down any ideas that come up, though those ideas can quickly be jotted down in a phone for many people.
First of all, if you have your phone set to autocorrect, the feature may change what you have written in the middle of the night. There’s a chance you won’t be perceptive enough to pick up the change, having just woken up. There may be a good chance your entry doesn’t make any sense.
Secondly, if there’s a visual component to your dream, you won’t be able to draw it out as you would if you had used a notebook. This may be a dealbreaker in and of itself if you tend to think visually.
Dream journal/ notetaking app benefits
However, one good thing about using a dream journal app is that your text will be typed out, and you won’t struggle to read your handwriting. Many people have to work to carefully form their letters when they jot some notes from their dream in the middle of the night.
Another positive about using a dream journal or notetaking app is that entries may come with a timestamp that could be useful, although usually, it won’t be relevant.
Modern phones also have a low-light setting. If you’re planning to use your phone as a dream journal, use this setting so that the light isn’t hard on your eyes and blue light doesn’t affect you. If you jot down notes from a dream in the middle of the night (or whenever you sleep) the light from the screen could mess up your sleep.
If you adjust for these things, you won’t write randomly on the page as you would with a notebook.
You also may keep your phone password protected. If privacy is a concern, this feature would be a benefit. You can, however, write your dreams down in some secret code.
Whether you decide to keep your dream journal on your phone or in a notebook is a personal decision, and each option comes with positives and negatives. Ultimately, the important thing is to write your dreams down so you can analyze and interpret them to understand yourself better.
For further reading:
Writing your dreams down helps you grow and move on
Your old dream journals may have the answer to “Why?”
James Cobb, RN, MSN, is an emergency department nurse and the founder of the Dream Recovery System. His goal is to provide his readers with simple, actionable ways to improve their health and maximize their quality of life.
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