Anxiety Dreams

Stress is a natural human response that can affect our ability to sleep soundly and may even influence our dreams. For example, when you are highly anxious and agitated about something, you may have an anxiety dream, an intense or distressing dream often centered around daily stressors. While the occasional nightmare or restless night is not something to worry over, consistent nightmares and anxiety dreams can change your sleep patterns and affect your overall well-being. As a result, you may benefit from mental health support. Read on to learn about anxiety dreams and how they can influence your sleep schedule and overall health.

What are anxiety dreams?

Many people might describe bad dreams through a series of common themes. These themes can often reflect possible events in real life and can trigger discomfort that can lead to feeling overwhelmed. Examples of major themes in anxiety dreams include:

• Experiencing natural disasters such as earthquakes or tornadoes 
• Failing, forgetting something vital, or making terrible mistakes
• War or other violent, traumatic topics
• Dreams about accidents, injuries, or illnesses for yourself or loved ones
• Being threatened, chased, or attacked
• Financial hardships such as bankruptcy or being evicted from your home
• Betrayal or abandonment by a romantic partner or close friend

Why do anxiety dreams happen?

Mental health professionals have not identified a single cause for anxiety dreams. Still, they have identified a number of risk factors that can influence how likely you are to have dreams that leave you feeling tense and unsettled. 

• External stressors
• Prescribed medication side effects
• Breathing problems while sleeping, such as sleep apnea
• Insomnia or other sleeping disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Substance or alcohol use
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

People have been interpreting dreams for thousands of years, yet science still does not have a conclusive answer as to what our dreams mean. Dreams are incredibly individualized by the dreamer, further complicating efforts to study their meaning on a large scale. 

A recent study found that individuals with anxiety disorders experience dreams with more negative content, including higher instances of aggression, failure, and negative emotions, compared to those without anxiety disorders. However, a 2014 study showed a significant reduction in the frequency of anxiety-related bad dreams in patients with generalized anxiety disorder after a treatment course of 12 weeks or ten individual cognitive behavioral therapy treatment sessions. 

Coping with anxiety dreams

Anxiety dreams may leave you feeling unsettled after a restless sleep, disrupting your resting patterns and affecting your stress levels. Mental health professionals may recommend the following to manage anxiety-related sleep troubles in our daily lives. 

Treating your anxiety

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common treatment for anxiety disorders. This therapeutic approach may help reduce anxiety by helping you identify and replace negative thought patterns and behaviors. As a result, you may be able to reduce stress reactions and manage your anxiety symptoms in healthy, practical ways. 

Relaxing before bed is all about putting your brain into sleep mode. Many people with anxiety disorders have trouble “turning off” their minds enough to rest properly. If that’s the case for you, consider trying some of these methods to switch gears before bed. 

• Deep breathing or meditation
• Avoid using your phone or other electronics for at least an hour before bed. 
• Relax with quiet, soothing music. 
• Keep a journal and track your emotional experiences
• Stretch before you get into bed, or if you can’t sleep, get up, stretch, and climb back into bed.
• Limit blue light exposure by using filters or wearing blue light-blocking glasses.
• Read a favorite book or one with a slow pace that lulls you to sleep.

Avoid stressful activities before bed

Journal to clear your mind

Maintain a healthy diet and exercise

Establish healthy sleep hygiene

• Being physically active during the day can make it easier to sleep at night. 
• Develop a consistent sleep routine. Go to bed around the same time each night, waking at the same time in the morning, even on the weekends. This habit can train your body to expect sleep at the established time. 
• Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature while sleeping. 
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and large meals before bed.
• Try not to use your phone or other electronics for at least an hour before sleeping.

The connection between dreams and the waking world

A recent study found a link between stress, depression, and anxiety levels experienced during the waking state and the frequency of nightmares and distressing dreams. Study authors reported that the content of one’s dreams has “a bi-directional relationship with psychopathology and that dreams react to new, personally significant and emotional experiences.” 

During the pandemic, 34% of the study’s participants reported increased dream recall, with dreams often focused on threats, death, and being ineffective in stopping an impending doom. The study concluded that bad dreams and nightmares were associated with higher stress levels and aligned with many of the more significant symptoms of anxiety and depression. 

If your anxiety negatively affects your sleep patterns or causes functional impairment throughout your daily life, seeking professional help may be helpful. Consider speaking to your doctor or mental healthcare provider about treatment for anxiety-related sleep problems. While anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in America, they are also highly treatable with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both approaches.