What Is The Meaning Of Recurring Nightmares?

Most of us have nightmares from time to time. They are dreams full of terrifying things. They give you a feeling of terror and fear. Usually you wake up suddenly with your heart in your throat. You continue to experience the feeling of fear after you wake up. In addition, you feel confused and sad. But what do those recurring nightmares mean?

There are many reasons why a person may have nightmares. They can be a result of substance use, exhaustion, poor nutrition or emotional problems. Whatever the cause, the result is that you have a bad night’s sleep.

Things get more complicated when those bad dreams turn into recurring nightmares. Sometimes the same dream occurs over and over again. At other times, the content may change. But the general structure remains essentially the same. These are his situations where it is important that you pay attention to what is happening in your dreams.

Ordinary nightmares and recurring nightmares

Ordinary nightmares are bad dreams that only come up every now and then. The general rule is that if you have a nightmare every three months, it is still part of what we might call “normal”. In these cases, each nightmare will be about a different subject.

Here are some examples of common nightmare causes:

• A temporary but high stress level.
• Use of alcohol.
• Use of psychoactive substances.
• Certain types of medication whose side effects are related to sleep.
• Frequent inability to sleep, which leads to fatigue.

• Eating too late at night or eating too much before going to sleep.

To control this type of nightmare, you need to address the root cause. It is important that you do this. Because if you don’t, your nightmares can start to affect your sleep. It is therefore best to eat early enough and avoid the use of alcohol or other substances at least two hours before going to sleep.

On the other hand, there are the recurring nightmares. They occur when someone fails to confront some of the conflicts they have in real life. It can be a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. Or someone may have a hard time accepting something. Then this disappears into the subconscious. It eventually manifests itself in the form of nightmares.

What are nightmares usually about?

Some recurring nightmares are about very normal things. Because they deal with typically human conflicts. However, they can have different meanings for different individuals.

Frequently recurring nightmares are usually about the following:

• Chase or be chased. This represents the problem you have in accepting a part of yourself. Subconsciously you see this part as dark and terrible.
• The fear of being abandoned or being left without support.
• Huge speed. The feeling that you have no control.

• The nightmare associated with failing, being late, or being unprepared. This means that you lack confidence in yourself and in the situations you are or will soon be in.
• Frequently recurring nightmares in which you feel stuck. You have no real goals and you have a hard time expressing your emotions.
• Often people dream that they are naked among the crowd without other people noticing them. This has to do with the uncertainty you experience about some aspects of your life. You feel overwhelmed and incapable.
• In these dreams you lose your teeth, an arm, a leg, and so on. You are dealing with a part of your life that you have ignored or paid insufficient attention to.
• Be stuck. This is connected to aspects of life that you have suppressed or blocked.

• Huge waves or stormy water. These types of recurring nightmares indicate a plethora of emotions that you cannot express or acknowledge.
• A demanding baby or a baby animal. This is about some aspect of your childhood. Or it could have to do with a vulnerable part of your personality that needs attention.

The positive side of nightmares

Regular nightmares are therefore unpleasant and sometimes terrible. Yet you should actually see them as something positive and valuable. For it is the way your subconscious sends you a message about an issue that you have not been paying attention to. Your subconscious is actually saying it’s time to deal with it.

Ideally, recurring nightmares will help you find some sort of solution to your inner conflict. And if you do indeed find a solution, then you will usually have a similar dream, but with a happy ending.

Featured image courtesy of Douglas Girard