People of all ages get nightmares, but they're especially common in children. And depending on the subject of your child's nightmare, it may even say something about what your child is going through in day-to-day life. At 5 Little Monkeys, our mission is to help children everywhere experience the power of truly healthy, restful sleep with our purpose-built mattress for kids. But in addition to our kids mattress, we strive to be a comprehensive resource on sleep health – and if your child is experiencing one of these common nightmares, here's what it might say about their waking life.
The 5 Most Common Nightmares for Children
Is your little one struggling to sleep through terrifying dreams? It's a common issue for kids, and some of the most common subjects for nightmares may provide some insight into a child's day-to-day life. Here are the 5 most common children's nightmares, along with what they may mean for your child:
- Falling: Falling is the most common nightmare for both kids and adults, but the reason for this is usually more physiological than psychological. As the muscles of the body completely relax in preparation for sleep, the brain sometimes interprets this as falling, which can cause both dreams about falling and the sudden "falling" sensation that can kick us back awake as we start to fall asleep.
- Being Alone: Separation anxiety is common in children, and it can also show up as a subject for nightmares. If your child has nightmares about being left alone, it may be a sign that they're feeling a lot of separation anxiety in their day-to-day life that they need to work through.
- Being Chased: If your child has nightmares about being constantly chased, it may signify a waking life situation where they're having difficulty reaching a goal or a difficult situation they can't escape, according to The Independent. This could be a bad day at school, trouble with potty training, or something on the playground, so talk with your child to get to the root of this nightmare.
- Monsters: One of the most common sources of nightmares for children are monsters, ghosts, and ghouls of every shape and size. These monsters may come from TV shows or other media your child sees, but they can also be an embodiment of what scares your child most. Talk about the monster with your child to help them understand where the fear is coming from, and also remind your child that the monster isn't real and can't hurt them.
- Bullying: Finally, some children will have nightmares about being bullied or made fun of by other kids. Bullying is troublingly common even for young children, so if your child has bad dreams about it, it's important to talk it over with them and try to understand if they're experiencing bullying in real life.
Try the 5 Little Monkeys Children's Mattress
These are 5 of the most common subjects for a child's nightmare, but nightmares may be about anything, and their meaning is entirely specific to your child's own psyche and situation. The only way to truly understand your child's nightmares is to talk them over in detail with your child and do anything you can to comfort them and soothe any recurring fears. As always, it's important to ensure your child is sleeping on a kids mattress designed to support their body – and 5 Little Monkeys can help with that. We've built our kids bed from the ground up to help children get the best sleep possible. Ready to see the difference that restful sleep can make for your family? Try our kids mattress risk-free for 100 nights today!