Although they’re unsettling, nightmares often carry hidden messages from our subconscious, just like dreams do, and by understanding their meanings, we can uncover insights about our fears, anxieties, or unresolved issues. We’ve decoded a list of the 20 most common nightmares—see if yours is on there, and what it means.
Falling
Dreaming of falling can be a jarring experience, leaving you with a sense of dread that lingers even after you wake up, and this common nightmare often reflects feelings of insecurity or instability in your waking life.
It’s as if your subconscious is reminding you of a situation where you feel out of control—perhaps in your job, your relationships, or even with your own self-image.
Being Chased
There’s nothing quite as unnerving as the feeling of being pursued in a nightmare. The fear, the adrenaline, the desperate need to escape—it’s all so visceral—yet often, dreams of being chased aren’t about literal danger, as they usually represent something, or someone, you’re trying to avoid in real life.
Losing Teeth
Some interpretations of teeth crumbling or falling out suggest it’s linked to moments when you feel powerless or unable to express yourself. Whatever the case, these dreams tend to occur during times of heightened self-awareness or personal change, and can be tied to feelings of insecurity, particularly about your appearance or your ability to communicate.
Showing Up Late
Arriving late in your dream can leave you feeling stressed and guilty, even after you wake, and what it symbolises is a fear of not measuring up, missing out, or failing to meet expectations. Whether it’s a meeting, an exam, or an important event, this type of nightmare reflects the pressure you’re putting on yourself—or the pressure you feel from others.
Being Trapped
These nightmares of being trapped in a room, a situation, or in a horrible location like stuck in quicksand can reflect feelings of being stuck in your waking life—maybe in a job you dislike, a relationship that isn’t working, or even just a mindset that’s holding you back. The sense of helplessness in the dream mirrors the frustration of feeling powerless to change your circumstances.
Death of a Loved One
Few dreams are as emotionally wrenching as losing someone you care about deeply. And while they don’t necessarily predict actual loss, they can pinpoint fears or anxieties you have deep down about that person.
Sometimes, they symbolise changes in your relationship, too, if perhaps you’re growing apart or going through a transitional phase.
Failing an Exam
Even if your school days are long behind you, the fear of failing an exam can still sneak into your subconscious and, unsurprisingly, are usually about much more than academics. They often reflect your worries about being judged or falling short of what others would want from you.
Being Naked in Public
Maybe you’re worried about how others perceive you, or you feel like you’ve revealed too much of yourself—emotionally or otherwise—and when you have this dream, it’s not really about the physical nakedness but the emotional sensation of being unguarded or judged when in a vulnerable situation.
Drowning
The conditions of the water—whether it’s calm, turbulent, or endless—often give clues to what’s weighing you down when you think you’re drowning when asleep. It can be terrifying, which is why it’s important to pinpoint how exactly you’re overwhelmed in real life (like with work or personal issues) which could be making you dream this way.
Losing Your Way
Maybe you’re facing a big decision, or you’re unsure about the direction you’re heading—whether in your career, relationships, or personal goals. The unfamiliarity of your surroundings in the dream mirrors your struggle to find clarity or confidence in real life, which is why you quite literally get lost in your head.
Seeing a Monster
Monsters in dreams may be imaginary, but the fear they stir is very real, and you may come up against things you’re too afraid to face. The nature of the monster can reveal a lot about the issue at hand and reveal pieces of the puzzle: is it huge and looming, small but menacing, or completely unrecognisable?
Car Crashes
Car accidents that you see when you’re asleep can feel unsettlingly vivid, and they often leave you shaken; they frequently symbolise a loss of control in some area of your waking life, like if you feel things are moving too fast, or perhaps you’re worried about the direction you’re heading.
If you’re the driver in the dream, it might reflect pressure or responsibility, while being the passenger could highlight feelings of helplessness.
Losing a Child
For parents, you definitely don’t want to dream about losing a child, and such nightmares can stem from fears about failing in your role as a protector or concerns about your child’s well-being.
On a deeper level, they might symbolise anxieties about letting go—whether it’s your child growing up or a part of your own life you need to move on from.
Being Attacked
The specifics of the attack—whether it’s by a person, an animal, or something abstract—often reveal what’s troubling you most when you have a nightmare like this, and it can feel terrifyingly real. You might feel rattled long after you wake, but it could be pinpointing feelings of vulnerability in waking life.
Natural Disasters
Whether it’s storms, earthquakes, or floods, this can feel chaotic and overwhelming to your sleeping mind, and it could be caused by emotional turmoil or major upheavals in your life that are being mirrored in your dreams. The uncontrollable nature of these events reflects feelings of helplessness or being swept away by circumstances beyond your control.
House on Fire
The house on fire often represents your sense of self or personal life, so seeing it engulfed in flames might point to a crisis or intense emotions that feel out of control. It could be anger, passion, or even a desire for transformation—fire is both destructive and cleansing, after all.
Broken Technology
Are you struggling with malfunctioning phones or computers in a dream? Sure, this one might not seem terrifying, but it can reflect deeper anxieties that you should pay attention to, because these nightmares often symbolise communication breakdowns or a sense of being disconnected from others.
Shadowy Figures
If you’re encountering shadowy figures, there’s no doubt it’s unsettling, but it could also be mysterious and intriguing. These faceless entities often represent fears of the unknown or repressed emotions that you haven’t fully acknowledged, with them being less about physical danger and more about psychological unease—so you might want to confront what’s lurking at the back of your mind.
Losing Control of Your Body
Dreams where you can’t move or control your body can feel absolutely terrifying, and it’s important to note that these dreams are different to the waking sleep paralysis some people experience.
Losing control actually in your dream when you’re still asleep could be showing you real-life feelings of powerlessness or being stuck in a situation you can’t change.
Reliving a Past Trauma
Lastly, a common nightmare can come frequently from a past trauma that is still, understandably, stuck in your subconscious, and these can be the most distressing of all. They likely point to unresolved pain or anxiety that is still lingering in your subconscious, but they can also be a way for your mind to process and heal from the lingering effects of the trauma.