In "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", Joseph recalls his dreams in extraordinary (musical) detail, but many of us wake up each morning to find not a single dream memory will do.
Now scientists have discovered a string of factors that influence whether we remember our dreams or not – so we can all be more like Joseph.
According to a new study by scientists from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy, people who are most likely to remember their dreams have a positive attitude about them and a tendency to let their mind wander during waking hours.
Dream recall also increases in spring and autumn, and after a long night's sleep that includes only a short spell of deep sleep. Younger people tend to remember dreams more, while older people are more likely to experience "white dreams" – where you remember having a dream the night before, but can't recall any specific details.
These findings "suggest that dream recall is not just a matter of chance, but a reflection of how personal attitudes, cognitive traits and sleep dynamics interact", said Professor Giulio Bernardi, one of the study's authors.
If you want to get better at remembering your dreams, "don't rush to start the day", said BBC Science Focus. Instead, "wake slowly" and, before you do anything else, "think about whether you've been dreaming and what you dreamt about". | 
