Travel, toes and tornadoes… how the images we are visited during a nightmare differ from country to country
- Analysis from Google search reports to nightmares varies widely by region
- In the UK, bees often appear in bad dreams. In the US, ophthalmologists are in dreams
- Australians dream about natural disasters and killer animals or insects
- New research by a bed company discovered the regional dream differences
Some nightmares may seem quite ordinary: being chased by an enemy, missing a train, or taking an exam without any preparation.
But night terrors don’t just differ from person to person, they can also differ from country to country.
Analysis of google Search data has shed light on some of the most unique nightmares around the world, ranging from tornadoes, losing a limb, and even going to work.
In the UK, bees are often a hallmark of more uniquely bad dreams, which could indicate social anxiety or feeling out of place, experts say.
Unique nightmare searches in the US include seeing the eye doctor, falling toes, and even playing the tuba — which experts say could indicate fear of unwanted attention.
Analysis of Google search data has shed light on some of the most unique nightmares around the world, ranging from tornadoes, losing a limb and even going to work
Unique nightmare searches in the US include seeing the eye doctor, tiptoeing, and even playing tuba — which experts say may indicate fear of unwanted attention
Meanwhile, night terrors in Australia mirror the natural environment, with insects, snakes and the weather popping up in many Google searches. And in Germany, adults have nightmares about travel – which can indicate fear about the direction they are going in life.
The French have nightmares about FaceTime, Italians have bad dreams about food and in Vietnam many are worried about their ex-lovers.
Rex Isap, of Happy Beds, who commissioned the study, said: “It’s important to remember that most dreams are simply your brain processing feelings from your waking life and are no cause for concern.”