We’ve all had them: the kind of dreams that wake you up at 3:47am in a cold sweat, clutching your duvet like it’s a medieval shield. Bad dreams. Nightmares. The subconscious equivalent of a badly organised horror film where you are the star, the victim, and the director – and for some reason, everyone’s wearing Victorian clothing.
But what actually causes bad dreams? Is it your brain throwing a tantrum? Is it karma for that time you re-gifted that shawl? Or is it (and this is where the science comes in)… something more complex?
Your boss sent you an email that just said “Can we talk?”, your gas bill is now higher than your rent, and you’re still haunted by the time you had a shower without realising that the window cleaner was due that day. Stress is one of the most common causes of bad dreams. When your brain is under pressure, it doesn’t clock off at night. Instead, it gathers all your worst fears, wraps them in metaphor, and plays them in Dolby surround sound just as you’re drifting into Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Stress increases cortisol levels, which can interfere with REM sleep, the stage where most dreaming occurs. A disrupted REM cycle can therefore result in more intense, often negative dreams.
Late-night snacking doesn’t just upset your digestion, it also makes your brain throw a rave while your body’s trying to sleep. Foods high in sugar, spice, or fat can increase metabolism and brain activity. Translation: you’re more likely to have vivid dreams, and some of them may feature you being chased through Tesco by a sentient packet of scotch eggs screaming, “YOU ATE MY COUSIN.”
Conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia, or narcolepsy can seriously mess with the quality of your shut-eye. Poor sleep means fragmented REM cycles, and fragmented REM cycles mean your dreams start resembling a David Lynch film written by a caffeinated toddler. Result? You’re stuck on a train made of cheese, driven by your Year 9 maths teacher, and it’s headed straight for a cliff. Everyone on board is chanting the lyrics to “Baby Shark” in Latin.
Some medications, especially antidepressants, blood pressure drugs, and even antihistamines, can alter neurotransmitter levels in the brain and mess with your dreamscape like an interior designer with no sense of proportion. You could therefore open your wardrobe to find Winston Churchill and a velociraptor arguing about Brexit. You decide to side with the dinosaur – it’s a no brainer.
Did you push down that awkward conversation from three weeks ago? Ignore the existential dread that creeps in during silent car rides? Guess what? Your subconscious remembers. Dreams are your brain’s way of processing and organising thoughts, and when there’s emotional baggage that hasn’t been claimed, it shows up in strange forms. Usually involving your ex, a former neighbour and some kind of inexplicable flood.
Watching “The Exorcist” right before bed is like saying to your brain, “Hey, can you just lightly terrorise me for the next eight hours?” Your mind stores recent memories in a handy drawer labelled “Stuff to Replay at Inconvenient Times,” and guess what? That creepy doll from the film is now living rent-free in your dreamscape.
So to recap, if you want to avoid having bad dreams, it’s worth trying the following:
Winding down properly: Read a book, do some light stretching, or listen to calming music. Avoid news, doomscrolling, or reading your own tax returns.
Avoid eating late: Especially if your snack involves anything that could be classified as “mysterious meat or cheese.”
Managing stress: Meditation, journaling, or screaming into a pillow can help.
Late Night Movie Fan?: No horror, intense thrillers, or 24-hour news right before sleep. Maybe go for an old episode of “Friends” instead.
Bad dreams are your brain’s way of dealing with all the junk you throw at it. Stress, late-night curry, repressed emotion, and binge-watching horror films all contribute to the weird theatre that plays behind your eyelids.
The good news? Most bad dreams are harmless and even mildly entertaining in hindsight, but as always if you have any concerns please speak to your doctor (not the one who was drilling into your nose last night though…). And maybe just keep a notebook by your bed; you never know when your subconscious is going to hand you the next blockbuster… or a plot for a terrifying children’s book.
Sleep tight and don’t let those giant flying bugs bite…!
Photo by Egor Vikhrev
