Smart Wakeup: Dreaming

This article explains how Smart Wakeup: Dreaming works, including how it times your wake-up around REM sleep and what to expect from the experience. It also covers how to use the feature, when it activates, and how it differs from other Smart Wakeup modes.

What is Dreaming With Smart Wakeup?
How is Dreaming Different From Alarm and Meditation?
When Should I Use Dreaming?
How do I Use Dreaming?
What to Expect
Customizing My Dreaming Experience
Setting My Volume
Tips for Best Results
Why Didn’t Dreaming Work for Me?

 

What is Dreaming With Smart Wakeup?

Dreaming is a unique Smart Wakeup option designed to help you wake up while you are dreaming—so you can better remember your dreams. 

Instead of focusing on waking you at the lightest stage of sleep (like other Smart Wake Up options), Dreaming aims to:

• Wake you during REM sleep (when dreams are most vivid)

• Increase your chances of recalling your dreams

This makes Dreaming ideal if your goal is to remember, explore, or become more aware of your dreams.

 

How is Dreaming Different From Alarm and Meditation?

All Smart Wake Up options use intelligent timing, but they serve different purposes.

Dreaming

• Wakes you while you are dreaming (REM sleep)

• Helps you remember dreams

• May allow you to continue dreaming briefly after waking with Auto-Snooze

Alarm

• Wakes you at an optimal time to reduce grogginess

• Focused on feeling refreshed and alert

Meditation

• Wakes you and transitions you into a guided meditation

• Helps you start your day with intention and clarity

👉 Tip: Choose Dreaming when your goal is dream recall, not just waking up easily.

 

When Should I Use Dreaming?

Dreaming is best when you want to:

• Remember your dreams more clearly.

• Explore your dreaming mind.

• Experiment with awareness during sleep.

If your goal is to:

• Wake up feeling refreshed → use Alarm.

• Start your day with guidance → use Meditation.
  
   

How do I Use Dreaming?

Follow these steps to set up Dreaming in the Muse app:

1. Open the Muse app and start a sleep session.

2. Turn on Smart Wake Up.

3. Tap Settings and select Dreaming.

4. Set your:

• End Time

• Dream Window

• Dream Goal

• Auto-Snooze

• Dream Snooze Duration

Muse monitors your sleep stages during your sleep session. When you enter REM sleep within your Dream Window, Dreaming may activate. Sound will gradually fade in to gently bring you toward waking while dreaming.

 

What to Expect

• You may wake up while still feeling “in” a dream.

• You may remember your dream more clearly than usual.

• Enabling Auto-Snooze, you may briefly drift back into dreaming after the sound fades.

👉 Tip: When you wake up, try to stay still and keep your eyes closed for a moment—this can help preserve dream memory.

 

Customizing My Dreaming Experience

There are several settings that shape how and when you are awakened. Dreaming is highly personal, and you’ll want to adjust your settings over several nights.

End Time
Dream Window
Dream Goal
Auto-Snooze
 

End Time

This is the latest time Muse will wake you up if Dreaming didn’t activate during your Dream Window.
 

Dream Window

This is the time range before your set end time when Dreaming can activate. Example: A 20-minute window means Dreaming may wake you anytime within those 20 minutes

• Shorter windows = more predictable timing without sacrificing rest.

• Longer windows = more opportunity to catch a dream.

👉 Tip: A ~20-minute window is a good starting point!

👉 Important: Getting more sleep is the number one factor in rest and recovery. A longer Dream Window will mean that Muse may wake you up earlier than ideal.
 

Dream Goal

This sets how long you need to be dreaming before Dreaming will attempt to wake you.

• Lower values (e.g., 10–15 minutes) are more likely to trigger and better for beginners.

• Higher values (e.g., 30–60 minutes) are less likely to trigger.

👉 Tip: Start with 10–15 minutes to increase your chances of success, while balancing interruptions to your rest.
 

Auto-Snooze

Auto snooze is designed to help you return to dreaming and even promote lucid dreaming.

• When the sound begins, you start to become aware, but not fully conscious.

• If Muse detects that you are waking, it automatically turns the sound off

This allows you to:

• Avoid fully waking up.

• Potentially continue your dream with a higher level of awareness.

This is different from a traditional snooze button—you don’t need to open your eyes or move your body.

 

Setting My Volume

Volume should be set carefully

• Loud enough to gently rouse you.

• Not so loud that it fully wakes you immediately.

👉 Tip: Adjust your volume over multiple nights—there is no single “perfect” setting.


Sound selection

Dreaming uses sound to gently interact with your brain while you are dreaming. There are two main types of sounds:

• Continuous soundscapes that gradually increase in volume and blend into your dream environment.

• Intermittent sounds (e.g., chimes) that play at intervals (e.g., every 10–20 seconds), providing gentle “nudges” without immediately waking you.

Over time as you become conditioned to these sounds, they may:

• Appear in your dreams before you wake up.

• Help you become aware that you are dreaming.

👉 Tip: Try different sounds to see how they affect your dreams—this is a personal experience.

 

Tips for Best Results

• Find your unique volume level that gently rouses you rather than fully alerting you.

• Once settled, use Dreaming consistently over several nights.

• Start with:

  • 10–15 minute dream goal.

  • ~20-minute window.

  • Keep your body still when waking to improve recall.

  • Avoid immediately checking your phone or moving.

  • Be patient—this is not guaranteed every night.

👉 Important: Dreaming works best as a practice over time, not a one-night solution.

 

Why Didn’t Dreaming Work for Me?

Dreaming depends on multiple conditions, so it may not activate every night. Here are common reasons and what they mean:


I didn’t remember any dreams
You may not have been in REM sleep during the window. Your dream may have been too short to meet the dream goal. Dream recall improves with practice.

It didn’t wake me while I was dreaming
For Dreaming to activate:

• You must be in REM sleep AND,

• You must meet your dream goal AND

• Your REM stage must happen within your window.

If any of these are not met, Dreaming may not trigger.

It woke me up at the set time instead
This means Dreaming didn’t find the right moment earlier. The system defaulted to waking you at the end of your window.

I woke up before the sound started
Natural awakenings happen frequently in the morning. Dreaming may not activate if you are already awake.

The sound felt delayed or too gradual
Sound fades in slowly (up to ~200 seconds). This is intentional to avoid abrupt waking.

I didn’t hear anything
Volume may be too low. You may have briefly woken and fallen back asleep.

👉 Tip: These outcomes are expected and part of how Smart Wake Up works.