Women have more nightmares than men, survey shows

In a study conducted on 2,000 men and women across the U.S., the mattress store Amerisleep has revealed that women have more nightmares than men, with more men reporting that they have positive dreams about being wealthy or flying. Female participants indicated that they have more dreams about being chased or falling compared to male participants.

One of the most common dreams, of being chased, was reported by 51 percent of participants, while 38 percent of participants reported dreams of being back in school and 34 percent reported dreams of being unprepared for exams or an important event. Dreams about falling were the most common of all and according to these findings, "Dreams that were somewhat realistic were reported by 43 percent of participants and 51 percent of respondents believe that dreams are an expression of their innermost fears and anxieties." A previous study by the University of West England also revealed that "women's nightmares can generally be divided into three categories: fear-based dreams of being chased or threatened, losing a loved one or being confused." Researcher Jennie Parker's study also confirmed the recent survey.

From a psychological perspective, women are more likely to develop anxiety disorders than men. "The content of women's dreams contained more family members, more negative emotion, more indoor settings and less physical aggression than men's dreams," Parker said, according to Science Daily, stressing the difference between men's and women's dreams.