11 Of The Most Common Nightmares And Their Scientific Interpretation

Everyone has nightmares at some point in their lives. But apart from having a dream translation, some of the most common nightmares also have some science behind them. Yes, the nightmare you had can have a solid, scientific explanation behind it.

Recently, the folks over at Sleepopolis reached out to me because they discovered my previous article about anxiety-induced nightmares, and they created a very interesting infographic about some of the most common nightmares and their meanings. They included both the scientific interpretations and the dream translations that are mostly rooted in the psychoanalytic traditions of Sigmund Freud.

Here Are 11 Of The Most Common Nightmares And The Science Behind Them

1. Spiders

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Dreaming about spiders usually means someone in your life (typically a parent or mother figure) has been quite overbearing, and “weaving webs” into your life. You may feel like an outsider in a certain situation, or maybe you’re trying to keep your distance and stay away from something tempting.

Scientific Interpretation: Spiders are one of the most common types of hypnagogic hallucination, which is a vivid, dream-like sensation that an individual hears, sees, feels, or even smells that occurs near the onset of sleep. 10% of the population experiences a sleep-related hallucination at some point.

Want to know more about spiders and their significance? Then check out this interesting piece here The Spiritual Meaning of Seeing A Spider Often, And Seeing Spiders Meaning

2. Drowning/Tidal Waves

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Oceans represent emotions, so when you dream of drowning in the ocean, it typically means you’re completely overwhelmed by the emotions you’re holding in. You’re feeling overworked, you have way too much on your plate right now, and you’re struggling to keep up with everything.

Scientific Interpretation: To dream you’re drowning could actually mean you’re having difficulty breathing while you sleep, potentially have sleep apnea, or are experiencing a hypnic jerk, or an involuntary muscle spasm that occurs as a person is drifting off to sleep.

Related: 7 Common Dreams and Their Meanings

3. Falling

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you’re falling means you’ve been feeling a sense of failure, or that a current situation in your life may seem to be getting worse. You also feel like you might not have much control over things or you’re stuck in a downward spiral trying to climb back up.

Scientific Interpretation: The sensation of falling could actually be a result of fluid passing in your inner ear. If you experience the sensation of falling plus a muscle twitch, you’re actually experiencing a hypnic jerk.

4. Teeth Falling Out

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You’re having difficulty in communicating how you feel or expressing yourself. Your teeth falling out in a dream is usually a sign of insecurities or concern with self-image. It could also mean that you are making a huge compromise or you’re not willing to make an important decision in your life. You feel like you have a lack of control over a situation.

Scientific Interpretation: While the Freudian dream interpretations signify a lot of punishment for “self-love” centered around this dream, scientifically, to dream about your teeth falling out has a direct correlation with anxiety.

5. Being Chased

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you’re being chased means you may have been feeling helpless in a certain situation, or you’re avoiding (running away) a real-life problem or issue that you don’t want to face. You may be avoiding something painful or fearful. If you continue to dream you’re being chased, it’s probably a sign that it’s time to face the problem or issue you’re avoiding.

Scientific Interpretation: Your fight-or-flight response has been activated. In a study of 1,000 German adults, 26% experienced being chased in a dream.

6. Being Late

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You have way too much on your plate right now and you’re completely overwhelmed. You may be feeling as though you missed out on an important opportunity in your life. You feel unprepared, and you’re most likely going through big changes in your life to which you’re having a difficult time adjusting.

Scientific Interpretation: In the same study mentioned above, 24% of German adults experienced being late in a dream.

Related: 10 Nightmares And What They Are Trying To Tell You

7. Frozen

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you are frozen means something in your life has been rejected, denied, or suppressed. It could also suggest your emotions have been more cold or bitter than usual.

Scientific Interpretation: Usually a result of an abnormal sleep cycle, sleep paralysis has been mentioned since ancient times, and science explains the frozen nightmare as just that. Roughly 5% of the population experience sleep paralysis regularly.

8. Taking a Test

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You’re worried you may not be taking care of your current responsibilities, or that you’re anxious about success or failure.

Scientific Interpretation: Some scientists believe that dreaming happens while the brain is cataloging or storing information, which is why this dream is more common in those who are currently attending school.

Want to know more about some of the most common nightmares out there and the science behind them? Check out this video below!

9. Being Naked in Public

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Dreams of being naked in public symbolize having a lot of anxiety, and feeling self-conscious or that you’re unable to truly be yourself. This dream means you’re feeling very vulnerable.

Scientific Interpretation: Anxiety-driven dreams are one of the most common examples of recurring dreams, and have been experienced by 60%-75% of adults.

10. Out-of-Control Vehicle

Dream Translation: You don’t have a sense of control in your life, and you’re trying to gain control over a situation in which you may feel helpless. You’re not ready to take on certain responsibilities. If you’re a passenger, you may feel like you’re giving control to someone else and you are uneasy about this. You aren’t ready to let go of the control.

Scientific Interpretation: If you’ve been in a car accident, this dream stems from the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the event, and it’s your brain’s way of trying to work through the trauma.

Related: Decoding The Freudian Symbolism in Your Dreams

11. Dying

Dream Translation: To dream of your own death signifies big changes are happening in your life, or are about to occur. It’s usually a positive symbol of new beginnings, self-discovery, or inner changes. Also, dreams of death could represent the symbolic end of something in your life like a relationship or job.

Scientific Interpretation: If someone in your life has died, the experience of having vivid and meaningful dreams is a key part of the bereavement process. It is your brain’s way of coping with sadness and trauma.

Nikki Rutledge’s Instagram: Moonlight And Mindfulness
Nikki Rutledge’s Personal Website: Moonlight Mindfulness


Written By Nikki Rutledg
Originally Appeared In Thought Catalog

Published On:

Last updated on:

Nikki Rutledge

Nikki is from Boston and has been writing since she was a young girl. She often uses her personal experiences as inspiration for her writing, in the hopes of helping others out there who may have been through similar struggles. She and her husband run a small business called Moonlight & Mindfulness where they offer hand-poured crystal candles, homemade tea blends, and crystal items like jewelry and gift sets. Nikki is also a meditation practitioner and leads workshops on things like the moon phases and shadow work.

Disclaimer: The informational content on The Minds Journal have been created and reviewed by qualified mental health professionals. They are intended solely for educational and self-awareness purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing emotional distress or have concerns about your mental health, please seek help from a licensed mental health professional or healthcare provider.

Leave a Comment

Today's Horoscope

Accurate Daily Horoscope for 12 Zodiac Signs

Daily Horoscope 9 July 2025: Prediction For Each Zodiac Sign

🌟 Ready to unlock the secrets of 9 July, 2025? Discover your personalized horoscope and see what the stars have in store for you today! ✨🔮

Latest Quizzes

Which Labubu Are You? 6 Mischievous Labubu Personalities

Which Labubu Are You? Find Out What Mischievous Energy You Bring!

Labubu doesn’t follow rules, Labubu makes them. Wild, expressive, and a little chaotic. Ready to find your mischief match? Hit "START" and let’s go!

Latest Quotes

The Hardest Part Of Being Emotionally Intelligent - Empath Quotes

The Hardest Part Of Being Emotionally Intelligent – Empath Quotes

People often forget that those who seem the strongest emotionally are also the ones who hurt quietly.

Readers Blog

Smiling Through Storms: A Testament To Healing And Truth 

Smiling Through Storms: A Testament To Healing And Truth 

For the longest time, I have been missing from the digital footprint of my creative nurture, and I might ponder why that was. I have been satisfying my wanderlust of learning new things, meeting new people, seeing new places and adhering to strict schedules. If you ask me how my life has been and how…

Latest Articles

Everyone has nightmares at some point in their lives. But apart from having a dream translation, some of the most common nightmares also have some science behind them. Yes, the nightmare you had can have a solid, scientific explanation behind it.

Recently, the folks over at Sleepopolis reached out to me because they discovered my previous article about anxiety-induced nightmares, and they created a very interesting infographic about some of the most common nightmares and their meanings. They included both the scientific interpretations and the dream translations that are mostly rooted in the psychoanalytic traditions of Sigmund Freud.

Here Are 11 Of The Most Common Nightmares And The Science Behind Them

1. Spiders

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Dreaming about spiders usually means someone in your life (typically a parent or mother figure) has been quite overbearing, and “weaving webs” into your life. You may feel like an outsider in a certain situation, or maybe you’re trying to keep your distance and stay away from something tempting.

Scientific Interpretation: Spiders are one of the most common types of hypnagogic hallucination, which is a vivid, dream-like sensation that an individual hears, sees, feels, or even smells that occurs near the onset of sleep. 10% of the population experiences a sleep-related hallucination at some point.

Want to know more about spiders and their significance? Then check out this interesting piece here The Spiritual Meaning of Seeing A Spider Often, And Seeing Spiders Meaning

2. Drowning/Tidal Waves

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Oceans represent emotions, so when you dream of drowning in the ocean, it typically means you’re completely overwhelmed by the emotions you’re holding in. You’re feeling overworked, you have way too much on your plate right now, and you’re struggling to keep up with everything.

Scientific Interpretation: To dream you’re drowning could actually mean you’re having difficulty breathing while you sleep, potentially have sleep apnea, or are experiencing a hypnic jerk, or an involuntary muscle spasm that occurs as a person is drifting off to sleep.

Related: 7 Common Dreams and Their Meanings

3. Falling

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you’re falling means you’ve been feeling a sense of failure, or that a current situation in your life may seem to be getting worse. You also feel like you might not have much control over things or you’re stuck in a downward spiral trying to climb back up.

Scientific Interpretation: The sensation of falling could actually be a result of fluid passing in your inner ear. If you experience the sensation of falling plus a muscle twitch, you’re actually experiencing a hypnic jerk.

4. Teeth Falling Out

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You’re having difficulty in communicating how you feel or expressing yourself. Your teeth falling out in a dream is usually a sign of insecurities or concern with self-image. It could also mean that you are making a huge compromise or you’re not willing to make an important decision in your life. You feel like you have a lack of control over a situation.

Scientific Interpretation: While the Freudian dream interpretations signify a lot of punishment for “self-love” centered around this dream, scientifically, to dream about your teeth falling out has a direct correlation with anxiety.

5. Being Chased

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you’re being chased means you may have been feeling helpless in a certain situation, or you’re avoiding (running away) a real-life problem or issue that you don’t want to face. You may be avoiding something painful or fearful. If you continue to dream you’re being chased, it’s probably a sign that it’s time to face the problem or issue you’re avoiding.

Scientific Interpretation: Your fight-or-flight response has been activated. In a study of 1,000 German adults, 26% experienced being chased in a dream.

6. Being Late

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You have way too much on your plate right now and you’re completely overwhelmed. You may be feeling as though you missed out on an important opportunity in your life. You feel unprepared, and you’re most likely going through big changes in your life to which you’re having a difficult time adjusting.

Scientific Interpretation: In the same study mentioned above, 24% of German adults experienced being late in a dream.

Related: 10 Nightmares And What They Are Trying To Tell You

7. Frozen

Nightmares

Dream Translation: To dream you are frozen means something in your life has been rejected, denied, or suppressed. It could also suggest your emotions have been more cold or bitter than usual.

Scientific Interpretation: Usually a result of an abnormal sleep cycle, sleep paralysis has been mentioned since ancient times, and science explains the frozen nightmare as just that. Roughly 5% of the population experience sleep paralysis regularly.

8. Taking a Test

Nightmares

Dream Translation: You’re worried you may not be taking care of your current responsibilities, or that you’re anxious about success or failure.

Scientific Interpretation: Some scientists believe that dreaming happens while the brain is cataloging or storing information, which is why this dream is more common in those who are currently attending school.

Want to know more about some of the most common nightmares out there and the science behind them? Check out this video below!

9. Being Naked in Public

Nightmares

Dream Translation: Dreams of being naked in public symbolize having a lot of anxiety, and feeling self-conscious or that you’re unable to truly be yourself. This dream means you’re feeling very vulnerable.

Scientific Interpretation: Anxiety-driven dreams are one of the most common examples of recurring dreams, and have been experienced by 60%-75% of adults.

10. Out-of-Control Vehicle

Dream Translation: You don’t have a sense of control in your life, and you’re trying to gain control over a situation in which you may feel helpless. You’re not ready to take on certain responsibilities. If you’re a passenger, you may feel like you’re giving control to someone else and you are uneasy about this. You aren’t ready to let go of the control.

Scientific Interpretation: If you’ve been in a car accident, this dream stems from the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the event, and it’s your brain’s way of trying to work through the trauma.

Related: Decoding The Freudian Symbolism in Your Dreams

11. Dying

Dream Translation: To dream of your own death signifies big changes are happening in your life, or are about to occur. It’s usually a positive symbol of new beginnings, self-discovery, or inner changes. Also, dreams of death could represent the symbolic end of something in your life like a relationship or job.

Scientific Interpretation: If someone in your life has died, the experience of having vivid and meaningful dreams is a key part of the bereavement process. It is your brain’s way of coping with sadness and trauma.

Nikki Rutledge’s Instagram: Moonlight And Mindfulness
Nikki Rutledge’s Personal Website: Moonlight Mindfulness


Written By Nikki Rutledg
Originally Appeared In Thought Catalog

Published On:

Last updated on:

Nikki Rutledge

Nikki is from Boston and has been writing since she was a young girl. She often uses her personal experiences as inspiration for her writing, in the hopes of helping others out there who may have been through similar struggles. She and her husband run a small business called Moonlight & Mindfulness where they offer hand-poured crystal candles, homemade tea blends, and crystal items like jewelry and gift sets. Nikki is also a meditation practitioner and leads workshops on things like the moon phases and shadow work.

Leave a Comment

    Leave a Comment