Want to remember that delightful dream you had? There's an app for that!
An app that helps people record, remember and analyse their dreams has been developed.
The app called SHADOW, seeking funding on Kickstarter website, looks like an alarm clock but works differently.
It wakes its users up over a five- to 30-minute period of escalating sounds. The slow, gradual call is intended to preserve a state in which people can more easily recall their dreams.
"Modern alarm clocks actually destroy dreams because what they do is that they rip you through your hypnopompic sleep state so fast - that's the state between sleeping and waking," founder Hunter Lee Soik told 'The Atlantic'.
As soon as the user turns off the alarm, a microphone setting turns on, and users can recount their dreams, which the app will transcribe into text.
Users can type, speak or answer questions to record their dreams.
"If you're really struggling to remember what you dreamed, you can opt to answer a series of 5-10 questions designed to jog your memory. The whole process takes less than five minutes," its makers said on Kickstarter.
SHADOW visualises the users' sleep and dream patterns, and identifies common themes. Using dream content of other users, SHADOW turns these symbols and experiences into insights.
If the app is a success, scientists can study various aspects of dreams. However, the app's creators have placed a premium on privacy, and nothing will be shared beyond what a user chooses.