Are Frequent Nightmares Normal?

Written By Kasryn Kapp

If you’re struggling with frequent nightmares, you may be feeling worried, overwhelmed, or exhausted, but unsure about what to do next. Trying to cope with frequent nightmares alone can be extremely challenging, isolating, and can take a huge toll on your nights and your days.

This article offers some information that I hope will be helpful—but more importantly, I want you to know that you’re not alone, and there are effective treatments to find relief from frequent nightmares.

If you want 1:1 support or have questions about where to turn next, feel free to reach out for a free consultation. You can email Schedule@BodyMindAllianceCC.com or learn more here: Treatment for Nightmares. You’ll also find a directory of providers at the end of this article.

This article covers:

Like many words, “nightmare” has many meanings that vary across contexts and cultures

The word nightmare can refer to a wide range of sleep experiences, including:

  • Dreams where you’re in danger or witnessing violent events (e.g., being chased, attacked, or harming others)

  • Vivid, emotionally intense dreams (e.g., teeth falling out, missing an important event, feeling exposed or humiliated)

  • Sensations of falling while drifting off to sleep

  • Waking up short of breath or panicked without remembering a dream

  • Cultural or spiritual interpretations such as an evil presence during sleep

  • Fever dreams—bizarre, vivid dreams during illness

  • Or even metaphorically, as in “That trip was a nightmare.”

All of these experiences are valid and real. Different cultures, traditions, and belief systems may interpret them in unique ways—psychologically, spiritually, or even communally. And while this article uses a Western medical framework to describe and treat nightmares, I want to note that this is just one lens, or way of viewing things, among many.

What is a Nightmare (medically speaking)?

In the field of behavioral sleep medicine and psychiatry, nightmares have a more specific definition. The term Nightmare Disorder appears in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is used by clinicians to diagnose mental health conditions.

Here’s a simplified overview of the medical definition:

  • The nightmares are frequent, vivid, and distressing, and are usually remembered in detail.

  • They often involve themes of danger or threat to survival, security or physical integrity.

  • The person usually wakes up suddenly during the dream, feeling highly alert or scared.

  • These nightmares cause significant distress or problems in daily life (e.g., trouble sleeping, anxiety, avoidance behaviors).

  • The symptoms aren’t better explained by substance use or other medical conditions.

It’s important to talk to a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis. If available, speaking with someone trained in sleep medicine or behavioral sleep therapy, since not all clinicians are familiar with nightmare-specific treatment options.

Are frequent nightmares considered normal?

The word normal is subjective—what feels “normal” to one person might feel very upsetting to another.

But from a medical standpoint, no, frequent nightmares that meet the criteria above are not considered typical. That said, it doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you—it simply means your brain and body may be stuck in a cycle that you can get help with.

According to the DSM:

  • Mild: Less than once per week, on average

  • Moderate: 1–6 times per week

  • Severe: Nightly

If you’re experiencing chronic, vivid, and upsetting dreams that disrupt your sleep or daily life, you may benefit from treatment—even if it doesn’t happen every night.

What can I do if I’m struggling with frequent nightmares?

You’re not alone, and you don’t have to keep suffering through sleepless nights. There are effective, evidence-based treatments like Exposure, Relaxation and Rescripting Therapy, CBT-N and others —that have been shown to significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of nightmares.

These treatments don’t require rehashing trauma or interpreting your dreams in depth. Instead, they focus on changing the emotional script of the nightmare, helping your brain learn a new path through the night.

You might also benefit from a full sleep assessment, especially if other sleep disorders (like insomnia or PTSD-related disruptions) are present.

And if you’re unsure where to start, that’s okay. Reaching out is the first step, and there are professionals who can walk with you through the rest.

A final note

There’s no one “right” way to interpret dreams—and many cultures have rich traditions of dreamwork that go far beyond the scope of Western medicine. This article uses one framework that happens to offer reliable treatment strategies, but it’s not the only way to understand what you’re experiencing.

If you’re suffering, you deserve support and relief—no matter how you make sense of your dreams.

Many people living with frequent nightmares feel guilt, shame, or fear about what their dreams might mean. You are not your dreams. And seeking help is not only brave—it’s an act of care toward yourself and your future.

Resources

1:1 Treatment for Nightmares:

https://www.bodymindalliancecc.com/treatment-nightmares

Directory of Providers Trained in Treatments for Nightmares
https://cbti.directory/clinician-speciality-search/advanced-search?sort=-link_featured&keyword=&link_name=&cf44%5B%5D=Nightmare+Syndrome&cf52=&cf55=&cf60=&state=&country=&option=com_mtree&task=listall&cat_id=0&Itemid=130

Kasryn Kapp
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