We’ve all woken up in a panic from a nightmare that felt disturbingly real. Your heart’s pounding, you’re drenched in sweat, and for a few disorienting seconds, you’re convinced something terrible has just happened.
Then reality sets in, it was just a dream.
Ecosa has analysed Google search data to uncover what Australians are having nightmares about most, examining monthly searches for nightmare-related queries across the country.
We also compared Australia’s nightmare patterns with six other countries around the world, uncovering some unexpected differences in what keeps different cultures awake at night.
Key Takeaways
- Losing teeth is Australia’s most common nightmare, with 118,650 monthly searches related to losing teeth, showing how fears of vulnerability and loss of control appear in our dreams.
- Common nightmares such as falling, being shot, or family loss often reflect emotional stress, anxiety, or major life changes rather than literal danger.
- Nightmare trends differ globally, with Australia having the second lowest number of nightmare related searches each month per 1 million people, compared with the other countries we examined. Jamaica had the highest and New Zealand had the lowest.
Jump to a section:
- What Are The Most Common Nightmares in Australia?
- Comparing Nightmares Around The World
- 10 Most Common Types of Nightmares & What They Mean
- Create a Comfortable Sleep Setup With Ecosa
- FAQs
What Are The Most Common Nightmares in Australia?
Australians are most scared of losing their teeth
In Australia, losing your teeth is by far the most common type of nightmare with almost 119,000 monthly Google searches made for queries around this every month across the country.
However, per 1 million people, Australia had the highest number of people having nightmares about their friends dying compared to other countries, with over 5,000 searches per month.
The Australian Capital Territory experiences the most nightmares, with almost 16,000 searches being made by Australians on scary dreams here every month. People here are most likely to have nightmares about being caught on fire, drowning, being shot, spiders and bugs, and going bald.
New South Wales is the territory least likely to have nightmares. Although the population here is much higher, per 100,000 people there are only about 3,400 searches made for nightmares each month.
The Northern Territory is most likely to have nightmares about falling and death, with almost 2,400 monthly searches per 100,000 people for queries around these types of dreams. Nightmares about being caught naked in public were also popular in the Northern Territory.
People living in Victoria are the least likely to have nightmares about their partner leaving them, suggesting that this is less of a concern than elsewhere in the country.
Comparing Nightmares Around The World
We looked at 7 English-speaking countries around the world to understand how dreams differ between cultures and continents. While most countries have the same top nightmares overall, some types of nightmares were more common in specific locations:
| Rank | Country | Total searches for nightmares | Total nightmare searches per 1 million people |
| 1 | USA | 2,329,600 | 6,850 |
| 2 | Australia | 47,800 | 1,626 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 233,200 | 437 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 937,800 | 13,547 |
| 5 | Canada | 449,100 | 10,887 |
| 6 | Ireland | 255,050 | 47,405 |
| 7 | Jamaica | 139,800 | 49,240 |
Key learnings from Ecosa’s nightmare study show that:
- Losing your teeth is consistently the most popular nightmare to have around the world
- Despite its smaller population, Ireland had a disproportionately large number of people searching for nightmares about their family dying with 11,000 searches made for this every month in total
- People in Jamaica and New Zealand are more likely to have nightmares about natural disasters like tsunamis, tornados and earthquakes
10 Most Common Types of Nightmares & What They Mean
Carly Dober, Psychologist Advisor and sleep expert at Ecosa explains what the most common types of nightmares mean and whether or not you should be concerned:
1. Teeth falling out
What it means: “These dreams can represent feelings of powerlessness, loss of control, or concerns about appearance and how others perceive you. They often surface during periods of significant life changes or when facing situations that make you feel vulnerable or helpless.” Teeth related dreams are searched for 118,650 times on average, each month in Australia.
2. Spiders crawling over you
What it means: “Spider dreams often represent feeling trapped in a situation or caught in a web of deceit or manipulation. They can indicate anxiety about someone in your life, who may be dishonest, or feelings of being overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control.” Spider related dreams are searched for 66,400 times on average, each month in Australia.
3. Falling
What it means: “Falling dreams usually indicate feelings of being overwhelmed, losing control, or anxiety about ‘falling’ behind in some aspect of your life. They can signal stress about work, relationships, or major life transitions where you feel pressured or unsupported.” Falling related dreams are searched for 44,200 times on average, each month in Australia.
4. Fire
What it means: “Fire dreams typically symbolize intense emotion, either destructive anger, passion or transformation. They often represent inner confusion, suppressed feelings that are ‘burning’ to be expressed, or fear of losing control over explosive situations in your life.” Fire related dreams are searched for 38,650 times on average, each month in Australia.
5. Being shot
What it means: “Dreams about being shot usually reflect feelings of vulnerability, being attacked emotionally or professionally or targeted by others in your life.” Shooting related dreams are searched for 23,350 times on average, each month in Australia.
6. Drowning
What it means: “Drowning dreams typically reflect feeling overwhelmed by emotions or life circumstances, often indicating you’re struggling to keep your head above water in stressful situations. When you feel like you’re losing control of your emotions, your subconscious might manifest this struggle through a drowning dream.” Drowning related dreams are searched for 21,750 times on average, each month in Australia.
7. Tsunami
What it means: “Tsunami dreams represent overwhelming emotional upheaval or fear of sudden, uncontrollable change, often occurring when you’re anticipating major life disruptions or feel powerless against forces beyond your control. These dreams signify powerful emotions that threaten to consume you, intense fear, uncontrollable anger, deep grief, or debilitating anxiety.” Tsunami related dreams are searched for 16,450 times on average, each month in Australia.
8. Family member dying
What it means: “These dreams rarely predict actual death and usually reflect fear of loss, anxiety about a changing relationship with that person, or concerns about their wellbeing.” Family death related dreams are searched for 15,450 times on average, each month in Australia.
9. Infidelity
What it means: “People who experience higher levels of romantic jealousy are more likely to dream about infidelity, and such dreams are often linked to lower intimacy in real-life relationships.” Infidelity related dreams are searched for 15,250 times on average, each month in Australia.
10. Dying
What it means: “Dreams about your own death usually symbolize major transformation, the end of one life phase, or fear of change rather than literal death. They often occur during career changes, relationship shifts, or personal growth periods, representing letting go of old identities or anxieties about the unknown.” Dying related dreams are searched for 13,900 times on average, each month in Australia.
Create a Comfortable Sleep Setup With Ecosa
Nightmares are more common when your sleep is disrupted or uncomfortable. Choosing the right sleep setup can make a real difference.
Ecosa helps you to create the ideal sleep setup for lasting comfort and better rest. We craft our products with premium materials, thoughtful design, and real sleep science so every night feels effortless and restorative.
Explore our range of pillows, bedding, and mattresses designed for peaceful, refreshing sleep.
FAQs
What is a Nightmare?
A nightmare is a vivid, scary dream that usually wakes you up and can make it hard to go back to sleep. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, “10% to 50% of children have them. The number of adults who have nightmares is much less, from 2.5% to 10%.”
What Does it Mean When You Have a Nightmare?
Nightmares often reflect emotional stress, fear, or negative thinking patterns rather than predicting real events. The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI Health WA) explains that “we often find that it is not so much the content of the nightmares that is the problem, but how we respond to the nightmares.” They note that seeing nightmares as powerful or uncontrollable can make them feel more distressing and keep them recurring.
What is a Lucid Nightmare?
A lucid nightmare is a type of dream in which you realise you’re dreaming while it’s still happening, giving you a chance to recognise or even control events inside the dream.
Why Was My Nightmare So Realistic?
Nightmares often feel realistic because they occur during REM sleep, when the brain is most active and dream imagery becomes intense and detailed.
The Sleep Foundation explains that “vivid dreaming has been linked to a number of life circumstances, behaviors, and physical and mental health conditions,” including sleep disruption, stress, and certain medications that can heighten REM activity.
What to Do After a Nightmare?
After waking from a nightmare, try these steps to help you settle and return to sleep:
- Take slow, deep breaths to calm your body and steady your heart rate.
- Remind yourself that it was only a dream and you’re safe in the present moment.
- Avoid screens or bright lights, which can make it harder to fall back asleep.
- Do something relaxing, like gentle stretching, listening to calming music, or reading a few pages of a book.
- Seek professional support if nightmares become frequent or start to disrupt your sleep quality.
Should You Wake Someone Having a Nightmare?
No, it’s usually better not to wake someone having a nightmare. Most nightmares occur during REM sleep, when the body is still and the brain is active, and waking the person can make the dream more memorable and distressing.
If someone is moving, shouting, or seems agitated, they may actually be experiencing a night terror, which happens in a different stage of sleep. In those cases, waking them can cause confusion or disorientation. It’s best to let the episode pass naturally, unless the person is in danger of hurting themselves.
How to Go Back to Sleep After a Nightmare?
If a nightmare wakes you up, focus on restoring calm and preparing your mind to rest again:
- Slow your breathing and let your muscles relax before trying to fall back asleep.
- Give yourself a moment and don’t rush back to bed until your heart rate feels steady.
- Keep lights low and your surroundings quiet to maintain a restful environment.
- Refocus your thoughts on something neutral or routine, like counting breaths or thinking calmly about the next day.
- Lie back down when you feel settled and let your body ease into sleep naturally.
If after 20 minutes you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed and do some stretching on the floor or go and relax on the couch with dim lights and no TV and no phone. We don’t want you associating your bed with stress or nightmares and the more you stay in bed feeling frustrated that you aren’t getting to sleep, the less you’ll be able to fall asleep. Return back to bed after another 20 minutes.
Why Do I Keep Having a Recurring Nightmare?
Recurring nightmares often stem from ongoing stress, trauma, or anxiety rather than random dreams.
The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI Health WA) explains that when they “produce high levels of distress … this may be diagnosed as Nightmare Disorder,” a condition that can benefit from psychological treatment and healthy sleep practices.