From your teeth falling out to forgetting about a test… experts reveal what your recurring nightmares REALLY mean
No matter how old you are, you’ve probably had a nightmare or two.
In fact, recent studies estimate up to 85 percent of Americans have suffered at least one nightmare in the past year, and between two and eight percent of adults have them regularly, experiencing something known as nightmare disorder.
During a nightmare, the brain’s emotional center – the amygdala – becomes hyperactive while the logical and rational prefrontal cortex keeps quiet. The visual cortex also stays awake to generate vivid, off-putting images.
Nightmares usually occur in the last third of the night during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when the brain is highly active but the body remains paralyzed.
Most healthy adults spend 90 to 120 minutes in REM sleep to help with memory consolidation and emotional regulation, though stress, caffeine, alcohol, medications and working overnight shifts can impact this.
Most people forget up to 95 percent of a dream or nightmare within a few minutes of waking up, but for that brief period of time, it’s easy to wonder what brought on the event.
‘Dreams are often the mind’s way of working through emotional experiences that haven’t yet been consciously processed,’ Doriel Jacov, psychotherapist and founder of DJ Psychotherapy in New York City, told the Daily Mail.
‘Nightmares are the brain’s way of making sense of fear, stress, sadness, loss, or anger. They often reflect feelings someone may not be fully aware of when awake.’
Nightmares are common for people of all ages, but there could be hidden meanings behind the most common ones (stock image)
Nightmares differ for each person, but there are several that seem to pop up more often than others for most adults.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, therapists and other mental health professionals have revealed the potential hidden meanings behind the most common nightmares.
All of your teeth are falling out
Therapists note a nightmare of teeth falling out may be a sign of anxiety about one’s appearance (stock image)
Even after the Tooth Fairy days, tooth loss is common in adulthood due to gum disease, injuries and smoking. Losing all your teeth at once, however, is almost unheard of.
Despite how unlikely it is, about 40 percent of Americans have had this dream at least once, a recent Frontiers in Psychology analysis found.
‘Dreams about teeth falling out are one of the most commonly reported nightmares, Jonathan Alpert, psychotherapist in New York City and author of Therapy Nation, told the Daily Mail. ‘Psychologically, they’re often associated with anxiety about appearance, aging, or losing control.
‘Teeth are tied to confidence and how we present ourselves, so when they fall out in a dream it can reflect worries about embarrassment, vulnerability, or feeling exposed in waking life.’
Additionally, Jacov noted because teeth chew food so it can be digested, losing teeth in a nightmare ‘might also symbolize not being able to accept and internalize some sort of nurturance or support.’
Dr Lindsay O’Shea, a clinical psychologist at UnPattern, told the Daily Mail that many people who dream about their teeth falling out could be anxious about a change, ‘especially if someone feels something in their life is slipping away or destabilizing.’
You’ve missed a test or are failing a class
Dreams about school are particularly common in people in the professional world and high achievers (stock image)
Even decades after graduation, it’s common to dream that you’re back in the classroom. Worse? You’ve missed or are ill-prepared for a test or you’re failing a class, potentially one you’ve never even been to.
‘These dreams tend to surface when someone feels evaluated or under pressure in real life. Work deadlines, career changes, or performance reviews can trigger the same emotional state people experienced in school: fear of being unprepared or judged,’ Alpert said.
Jacov explained that school, including failing a class or taking a final for a class you have never attended, ‘involves constant evaluation.’
‘When you feel worried you’re falling short, whether at work, in relationships, or in some other way, you might have these types of dreams,’ he said.
‘The fear might also be that something horrible might happen as a result of your “failed” performance.’
Dreams about school are common among ‘high achievers, professionals under pressure and people entering new roles and responsibilities,’ O’Shea said.
You’re naked in a public space
Dreams about being naked in a public space are vulnerable and could be a sign someone is already of being exposed (stock image)
Similar to all of your teeth falling out at once, it’s highly unlikely that you would walk into the office or into an elevator not wearing any clothes.
For some people, they may wake up amused at the absurdity, but for others, the shock is enough to jolt them our of REM sleep.
‘Being naked in public is one of the most vulnerable experiences people can imagine. When this imagery is in our dreams, it often reflects a fear of being vulnerable,’ Jacov said.
‘It can also reflect a feeling that you’ve been too vulnerable and are now overly-exposed.’
He also noted this unpleasant dream can ‘both a wish and a fear that others will see the hidden parts of yourself, which might feel liberating but also dangerous.’
Alpert noted that this ‘classic anxiety dream’ often appears ‘when people feel scrutinized, insecure, or worried about how they’re being perceived.’
You see a deceased loved one or someone dying
Many people dream that either a deceased loved one is still alive or an alive loved one is dying or has passed on (stock image)
Seeing a deceased loved one in a dream is often a manifestation of grief, experts told the Daily Mail.
And according to Pew Research Center, 53 percent of US adults report being visited by a passed loved one in a dream.
Alpert explains that dreams about loved ones dying ‘are usually less about literal loss and more about fear of change or separation.’
He said: ‘When someone who has died appears alive in a dream, it can reflect ongoing grief or the mind trying to process unfinished emotional business.
‘The brain often uses dreams to revisit relationships that still carry emotional weight.’
There is also the flip side: a loved one who is still alive dies in your nightmare.
Dreams provide a prime environment for facing a fear of abandonment.
‘Abandonment anxiety can fully come into focus in our dream life because it’s particularly hard to sit with in waking life,’ Jacov said.
‘You might also be afraid of losing the part of yourself that is symbolized by the person who died in your dream. For example, if your mother is highly motivated and driven, you might be worried about losing your motivation and drive.’
You’re falling, trapped or being chased
Falling ‘can reflect instability or fear of failure,’ while being trapped ‘may mirror situations where a person feels stuck with no easy way out,’ experts told the Daily Mail (stock image)
For many people, nightmares are high-stress and involve perilous situations like falling off a cliff, being trapped in an enclosed space or running from a threat.
‘These types of dreams are most commonly associated with anxiety,’ Jacov said.
Alpert explained that being chased ‘often represents something in waking life someone is trying to outrun, whether it’s a problem, responsibility, or difficult conversation.’
Falling, meanwhile, ‘can reflect instability or fear of failure,’ while being trapped ‘may mirror situations where a person feels stuck with no easy way out,’ he said.
Being in a relationship that is unhappy could result in dreams of feeling trapped, for example.
‘These types of dreams can also symbolize times in the past, such as childhood, when you’ve felt that way and how these feelings can continue to linger in adult life,’ Jacov said.
You’re late to an important event
For many, dreams about being late to an important event signal being afraid of letting someone down (stock image)
It’s the most important day of your life, like your wedding day or the birth of your child, and you’re running late.
Under normal circumstances, this likely wouldn’t happen, but it is common in nightmares, experts note.
‘Dreams about being late are closely tied to time pressure and responsibility,’ Alpert said.
People who are juggling multiple demands or feel they’re falling behind in some area of life often report these dreams.
‘They reflect the fear of letting others down or missing an important opportunity.’
According to Jacov, these dreams ‘can also symbolize moments when you wish you could have stopped something negative from happening but were “too late.”‘
What to do about frequent nightmares
Cutting out alcohol, going to bed earlier and avoiding screens late at night have frequently been shown to promote restful sleep (stock image)
While dreams and the occasional nightmare are normal, frequent and recurring nightmares ‘usually signify unprocessed emotional content that would benefit from being explored directly,’ Jacov said.
‘We generally can’t “get rid” of dreams, since we have no conscious control over our dream life,’ he added.
‘However, when we begin to understand and process the emotions beneath our dreams, the mind feels less compelled to keep working through them during sleep.’
Along with therapy, O’Shea recommends nightmare sufferers look into improving their sleep to have more regular, healthy levels of REM sleep.
Cutting out alcohol, going to bed earlier and avoiding screens late at night have frequently been shown to promote restful sleep.
She also suggests rewriting dreams with different, more pleasant endings.
