Recurring dreams often involve scenarios like unpreparedness for a test, having to speak publicly, or being attacked.
These unpleasant dreams tend to resurface in our subconscious minds repeatedly, causing many to wonder why our sleeping brains fixate on them.
Recurring dreams are a common phenomenon, with up to 75 percent of adults experiencing them at some point in their lives. While these dreams vary in content, they often revolve around similar themes, locations, or characters set in different contexts. Unlike dreams triggered by post-traumatic stress disorder, which typically involve reliving specific real-life memories in a consistent manner, recurring dreams show more variability.
Recent research suggests that recurring dreams are often negative experiences. In a 2022 study conducted by Michael Schredl and his team at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Germany, participants described their recurring dreams as predominantly negative, focusing on themes like being pursued, late arrivals, or failure.
In contrast, positive recurring dreams tended to feature themes such as flying or discovering new spaces. The reasons behind the prevalence of negative recurring dreams remain unclear; however, dreams often exaggerate minor emotions or situations from our waking lives, amplifying them into intense experiences during sleep.
Our psychological tendencies may shed light on why negative themes dominate recurring dreams. Humans exhibit a negativity bias, fixating more on adverse emotions or thoughts due to a subconscious need to address threats to survival. In our dreaming state, this bias is enhanced as logic-related brain areas are subdued while emotional centers are activated, allowing thoughts and feelings to blend more easily.
Studying the psychological aspects of recurring dreams presents challenges, as controlling dreams in a lab setting is difficult. However, major shared traumas, such as the 9/11 attacks or the COVID-19 pandemic, have provided insights into dream patterns.
Global calamities often lead to a surge in negatively-toned recurring dreams, as observed by Deirdre Leigh Barrett during the pandemic. These dreams frequently revolve around fear, illness, or death, reflecting the anxieties of the waking world. Over time, pandemic-related dreams have shifted from literal fears to more subtly unpleasant scenarios like social awkwardness, reflecting the ongoing emotional processing that occurs during sleep.
Negative recurring dreams are considered normal and manageable by experts. Techniques like imagery rehearsal therapy and maintaining good sleep hygiene, such as adhering to a regular sleep schedule and reducing screen time before bed, can help minimize their occurrence. By creating mental boundaries between waking and sleeping hours, individuals can prevent intrusive anxieties from seeping into their dreams.
Science of Dreams: Why do we have Recurring Dreams?
Healthline
