Have you been having incredibly vivid dreams lately? If so, you’re not alone. October is a prime time for dreaming, thanks to the changing seasons and the impending clock change.
With this in mind, MattressNextDay has conducted an extensive study which analyses over 279,750 dream-related Google searches to uncover which ones are most likely to occur for Brits.
They’ve also teamed up with celebrity psychic and dreams analyst Inbaal Honigman to decode what these dreams really mean.
Sleep expert reveals why dreams are so vivid right now
Martin Seeley, the CEO and sleep expert at MattressNextDay said: “When the seasons change and the clocks go back in October, our internal body clocks must adapt to a new nightly routine. As the days become shorter and darkness descends earlier, our melatonin production, the hormone responsible for sleep, increases. This adjustment can influence the frequency and vividness of our dreams.”
“The recent hot weather can also play as a role, as our bodies are sensitive to temperature changes. Hotter nights can lead to more restless sleep, increasing the likelihood of dream recollection.”
The dreams most likely to occur in October – what do they mean?
After analysing over 279,750 dream-related Google searches, MattressNextDay can reveal that these are the top 10 dreams likely to occur, Inbal Honigman, celebrity psychic and dreams analyst has also decoded what the dreams mean (unless mentioned).
1. Teeth Falling Out (26,600 searches)
Teeth are a sign of life’s ages and stages. We are born with none, go through two sets in childhood and adulthood, and start to lose them again in old age. Therefore, dreaming about losing teeth symbolises loss, like leaving a relationship behind or even moving house.
2. Pregnancy (9,500 searches)
Many pregnancy dreams are simply predictive dreams. Parents-to-be dream of their pregnancy even before the home pregnancy kit turns pink, and it’s common to see your baby’s gender or predict the date of birth correctly. Beyond fertility, pregnancy in a dream can represent the wanting of a new job or creative project, like a ‘new lease of life’.
3. Spiders (7,800 searches)
Dreaming of spiders often represents a need to confront your fears and insecurities head-on. Just like spiders face the challenge of creating and maintaining their webs with precision, you are being prompted to tackle your life challenges with resilience and determination. It’s a time to face challenges with resilience and determination. Pay attention to the details in your dreams for more specific insights into your unique situation.
4. Falling (2,900 searches)
Martin Seeley said: “When you dream of falling, this is actually a physiological reaction to the body going to sleep. As the nervous systems begin to calm, and your heart rate and blood pressure drop, this can trigger a falling dream, otherwise known as a ‘hypnic jerk’. The movements can be minor but sometimes, they’re violent enough to wake you up. These sudden movements typically last only a second or two, but they can be quite startling if you’re not expecting them. While they’re not a dream, if they happen a lot, they’re a metaphorical nightmare as they disrupt your sleep.”
5. Hair Falling Out (2,780 searches)
Losing hair in a dream can symbolise concerns about ageing, stress, or feeling out of control. It’s a reflection of your inner thoughts and anxieties about physical appearance and self-image.
6. Fire (2,760 searches)
To dream of fire can mean many things. It can symbolise passion, light, destruction, anger and more. The trick to working out what your fire dream means is to look at the rest of the dream. If you were unafraid of the fire, then it could be a reference to your own internal fire. Your views and opinions could be changing, bringing forth a renewal of self. If you are burned by fire, it indicates that your temper is raging, and you are ‘burning up inside’.
7. Ghosts (1,470 searches)
Martin Seeley said: “Ghostly apparitions are often the effect of a sleep disorder called sleep paralysis. We move through different stages of sleep through the night. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is when we dream. We’re also paralysed at this stage so that we don’t act our dreams out. But sometimes we can partially wake, experiencing hallucinations but struggling to move. It can be terrifying, but it does explain why you could ‘see’ a person or figure near your bed or in your room and also feel unable to move.”
8. Being cheated on (1,300 searches)
One of the most upsetting love-related dreams one can have is where cheating occurs. The sense of betrayal, shame and hopelessness that go along with infidelity can ruin a good night’s sleep. If you dream of an ex-partner cheating, you might be trying to make sense of the split. You could be worried that their loyalty was never for you, and you may be suspicious that they were cheating in real life too. Or if you dream of your current partner cheating on you, this dream shows your own insecurities rather than any unfaithful thoughts about your partner.
9. Drowning (1,300 searches)
Drowning in a dream is often a fear of losing yourself in some way. Whether this is from being overwhelmed by work, a relationship issue, or stress, there’s the fear of ‘drowning’ under the weight of emotions and being unable to handle or process them. Even if you’re not in turmoil, simply dealing with life’s daily struggles and trying to survive as a well-functioning human being in today’s society is enough to induce these dreams.
10. Getting lost (830 searches)
To dream of being lost can invoke feelings of frustration, not fitting in, and confusion. If you have a situation in your waking life where you are anxious that you may not find your way, these dreams can help you find direction. It can also be a dream for those grieving, a way to process the loss of a person, or part of yourself that is missing. Although other people in your dreams can often represent other parts of yourself, so it could also be that you feel you have lost an aspect of yourself.
