A nation of nightmares – 15 million brits carry childhood nightmares into adulthood

Childhood nightmares linger into adulthood according to new research.

Over 15 million people living in the UK admit that a childhood dream has stayed with them throughout their lives.

Nearly a fifth of Brits say they have developed a phobia through having experienced a nightmare, with over a fifth experiencing nightmares of spiders, bugs and creepy crawlies.

Almost 40 per cent of people interviewed for the study admit to sleeping less and having more nightmares as a result of the global pandemic and uncertainty.

The research which was conducted by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the launch of Little Nightmares II, which is a video game, and it found that when it comes to our recurring bad dreams, the loss of a loved one was the most common.

Over a quarter say they have nightmares of losing someone they loved, following by falling and being chased and not being able to run.

But the research also revealed that when it comes to dreams for 2021, nearly 30 percent of people dream of going to the pub and almost 1 in 10 are looking forward to dating once more.

The research showed that over a third are looking forward to getting back into a normal work/ life routine, with a quarter of Brits missing the day-to-day office banter and many admit they are pining for face-to-face meetings and being able to see and speak to other people.

Dream Psychologist, Ian Wallace, said: “It’s not surprising that nightmares are so prevalent at the moment as people have had a lot more time on their hands to over think and are constantly surrounded by negative news. 

“Nightmares are how we process powerful feelings such as anxiety and fear, but it’s not all doom and gloom as there are many ways to overcome this and flip it around into having positive dreams”.

When they’re not dreaming, Brits also fear their modern-day nightmares, with 27% saying losing their door keys would be a “nightmare” to them, followed by losing their mobile phone / phone battery dying, losing their bank card, purse or wallet and running out of teabags / coffee.