Have you ever woken up multiple days to the same story playing in your head? It was likely unpleasant too, right? If you thought yes, you’re not alone. This is called a recurring dream and its common.

So what does it mean?

Experts on the topic say that it is typically because of unresolved problems or issues from your past. These events often stay in your memory for a long time, even if you don’t realize it. Recurring dreams could also be caused from high stress or emotions that are difficult to handle.

Although everyone’s dreams are different, there are some themes that are pretty common. Dreams might not be exactly the same every time. The dream would still be considered recurring even if there’s small differences each time.

The most common are:

• flying
• falling
• losing teeth
• fire
• getting chased
• missing a test
• showing up late somewhere
• getting trapped

Last, is there a way to stop it?

There’s not really a way to directly stop the recurring dreams from happening. This is because it’s an effect from the other things you could be struggling with. There are things you can do to help with that. The main thing is to find the source of the stress, trauma, or whatever you could be dealing with. Then you can get help. If it’s from stress, find ways to get a break. If it’s trauma, you can find someone to talk to.

Recurring dreams give an insight to something deeper that is going on. They are able to be resolved with help. Noticing these dreams helps with overall mental health.