I've had a lot of inconsistencies with dreaming and specifically remembering my dreams. I know some of you might say that these sort of mystical/magical things are inherently inconsistent, but I just don't believe that because none of this would make sense if that were the case.
That being said I have realized a potential cause of the problem. It has to do with emotions, in particular the downer emotions like apathy and depression.

The times when I am really happy and excited, I find myself remembering dreams far more easier(several times a night), and I feel more connected to the animals and people around me. But if I become depressed it's like I lose all of my "powers". I struggle to remember even one dream, and if I do it's usually just one scene, and it's so weak that I might even forget that scene even after writing it down.

As for shadow memory download:
There is a state you are in as you are waking up and you're laying there in bed and you still have your eyes closed. I've noticed that in this state (at least for me) it is easier to access your shadow memories. What I mean by that is if you forgot a dream from before, you can retrieve it in this state. The thing is that this state is broken WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR EYES, and you have to get back into it by waking up again or falling back into it. Otherwise, the clock is ticking before your memory goes poof.

Also you are sure to remember dreams that had a strong emotions associated with them like being killed or something totally amazing that got you excited, but you all probably know that.

So tell me if you can add anything to this. I really want to know if there are more things that cause inconsistencies with dreaming or anything related to that.