Nightmares don’t just affect children – every second adult suffers from scary scenarios in their dreams. The topics are often similar – and sometimes strange. However, one particular nightmare is dreamed very often.
The most common horror scenarios in dreams
Why we dream is still not fully understood. Dreams should help us, for example, to consolidate what we have learned or to process what we have experienced. Nightmares, on the other hand, can teach us how to deal with fearful situations.
As with books and films, nightmares can also be referred to as “classics”. Because there are some themes that repeat themselves in many people. These include, for example, dreams in which those affected fall into the abyss, freezing in dangerous situations, deaths of loved ones, monsters and war scenarios. According to a study, Germans most often dream of spiders. In the interpretation of dreams, spiders can stand for deception, fears and intrigues, but also for luck or creativity. Here it is crucial in which way the spiders appear in your dreams.
If you have a nightmare about a spider sitting or crawling on your bed, there may be intrigue in your community. If the spider runs over your body in a dream, bad luck is said to be approaching. However, if she weaves a web, it can mean something joyful for you. By the way, the topics of dreamers are different internationally. So most Britons probably dream of expecting offspring. Many Portuguese dream of the end of the world and in Poland, according to surveys, most people dream of cats.
Nightmares – what you can do about it
We’re powerless against dreams, aren’t we? Not necessarily. There are methods that you can use preventively, but also if you have already had a bad dream.
If you have had a nightmare, you can write down the dream after waking up; this should not occur again. You can also change the dream by writing and think of a “happy ending”, for example.
Medications such as antidepressants or sleeping pills can encourage restless dreams. You should talk to your doctor about this. If nothing helps against the bad dreams, you should seek help from a therapist.
